Homeowners new and old spend hundreds of hours every year working on landscaping designs, most of which are intended to get people to stop and notice as they drive by or walk by during the day. And that’s great—of all the impressions your property can make, none is greater than the one made on a splendidly sunny summer day. But don’t ignore the task of lighting a house at night, either.

Spending time on outdoor night lighting serves a variety of purposes. Ensuring the front of your property is well-lit makes things safer for everyone. It means, in the worst-case scenario, police, fire and other emergency personnel can see your house at night. Never underestimate, either, how generous outdoor night lighting in the front yard deters unwelcome guests; from simple trespassers and salesmen to more sinister burglars and everyone in between. Lighting a house at night also helps the people you actually WANT to have over locate your home on those festive occasions, and then find their way to and from your front door in safety.

The right outdoor night lighting, meanwhile, can also highlight—literally—the parts of your front and back yard that you are most proud to call your own. Want everyone to see the new landscaping in the front? A couple of well-placed spotlights will make sure everyone notices it long after the sun has gone down. The same thing applies if you have bushes or trees in the backyard of which you are particularly fond. You worked hard to build a lawn you love and you want to share it with people. Make sure to share it both before and after sunset with outdoor night lighting!

How Much Lighting the Landscaping Is Too Much?

Finding the appropriate amount of outdoor night lighting for the front or back yard can be tricky. On the one hand, you want to show the world how proud you are and how much you love your landscape. Yet on the other hand, lighting landscaping at night with bulbs that burn too brightly may disturb the sleep patterns of your neighbors or the wildlife that call your property home, too. It’s important to strike a balance between lighting landscaping and preserving the peace, quiet, and darkness of the night.

For this and many other reasons, before you embark upon the task of outdoor lighting a house or curbside landscaping, make sure to contact a professional landscaper. Your landscaper will then work with you to evaluate your property needs as well as decide what outdoor night lighting works best for your area and your budget. Plus, professional landscape lighting experts can also provide the most environmentally friendly way to illuminate while conserving energy and preserving wildlife habitats.

The perfect outdoor night lighting touch will increase the attractiveness and luster of your entire property. Spend as much time on the "after hours" lighting as you do on the daylight landscaping and you’ll be satisfied from sunrise to sunset every day! Those late and lazy summer nights are coming up fast, though, so don’t wait to get going on this fun and rewarding project!