Outdoor Lights for Your Walkway

A walkway is a crucial point of your yard. Whether front or back, they can become hazardous in the dark as patio stones are often course, and there is an inch of ground or more between the grass and the stones. Not only these factors, but the space between the stones becomes even more hazardous for those who are not so coordinated when the lights go down. There are many ways that we can light up these walkways with lights that are built specifically to light from the ground up, without contributing to urban light pollution, or keep you awake.

There are two basic kinds of outdoor walkway lights that can be placed in the ground on stakes, or on the ground beside the walkway. Solar lights which are lit during dusk and the night, and are charged during the day by using tiny solar panels to store the light, and save electricity and LED or traditional lights which are powered by batteries, or the light source of the home. They can come in a cordless, or corded variety, the LED are usually cordless and have a switch which enables then to turn on when the sensor detects that it is dusk, or night.

Solar lights are a great addition to any walkway, without the addition on to the electricity bill. They are not only good for the environment because their energy source is a renewable resource, but they are good for the environment because they have zero emissions.

The corded varieties which are powered by the electricity source of the home contribute to greenhouse gases, and could also impact the bill because these lights are on every single night.

The cordless variety of lights that are on stakes, and placed beside the walkway from the home to the end of the walk, are most often ran by batteries. These lights also have a sensor, to turn on in the evening and off in the morning.

Many varieties of these lights are available at the local home and garden store, as well as on the internet.

Where should these lights be placed to provide the best amount of light for your walkway? Depending on the length of the walkway, they are often placed from the beginning to the end, on either side, about twelve to twenty four inches apart. The brightness of the light will depend on the variety, and once you measure this, they can be placed accordingly.

Many people choose to place various lights in flower beds in front of the home, throughout the lawn, or in rock, or water gardens. The lights create a soothing effect within the water gardens, and light up the ponds for night should there be koi or a similar fish living in the pond. The flowers also have a different look at night, placing these lights along the walkway and various places throughout the yard enables the landscaping plan to come together.

Many of these lights are on garden stakes, and can be placed into the lawn. They are very cohesive in the surroundings, and blend in well to the dark surface of gardens and grass during the day. Walkway lights are one of the hottest trends this year, so visit your local home and garden store, and jump on in today!