Good garden lighting becomes enviable and increases the value of the property, but the beauty lies in doing it right. Today, there is such a variety of lighting styles available that planning and setting up attractive lighting has become quite easy. Solar lighting coupled with LED lights has become quite popular, as it cuts down on the electricity cost and gives you the ideal garden lighting that you want. Time and motion sensors also help in cutting down energy costs and lighting up the garden only when required. You don't need to invest much in solar lighting, and it pays over time when you see that garden lighting is not putting a dent in your monthly electricity cost.

There are so many styles in garden lighting to choose from that you really need to plan your outdoor scheme well. Don't ever do all your lighting in a single effort especially if you are unsure of what the effect will be once you switch it on; always do garden illumination in phases. For example, if you have a nice old knotty tree that you want to highlight, you can use feature lighting to enhance its looks. Feature lights will focus on the tree, and light it up so that everyone can admire it. You can use feature lights on your prized plant, flowerbed, or any other object of attention in your garden. Feature lights can be installed on stakes or on a wall. You can also achieve the same effect with up lights, which are smaller and are recessed into the ground, and they cast light is a straight beam.

If you want to set a particular mood and theme, then you should use ambient lights. Ambient lights are not bright like floodlights, and are available in a variety of colors, and designs. You can install moonlight bulbs in the trees, and take a moonlight stroll every night in your garden. For a romantic look, you can install some subtle colored bulbs. The themes and moods that you can achieve with ambient lights are virtually endless. However, make sure you don't setup conflicting moods for your garden, as this can make the garden look quite bizarre.

Floodlights are the easiest to setup, but they don't give a subtle affect to the garden and are okay if you want to hold a garden party. Decide the theme of your backyard lighting, and then go about doing it in steps.