Install outdoor low voltage lighting | Install outside lighting: Gardening

Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener

Adding outdoor lighting to your yard and garden is more than just a beautiful finishing touch. In fact, it pays big dividends in increased safety, may add to your property value and allows you to enjoy your garden after the sun goes down. While you can put in lighting anytime the weather allows, the perfect time to add a new outdoor system is when you’re installing a new lawn – especially if you’re including an inground automatic irrigation system in your plans because you’ll already be digging trenches for that.

Low-voltage yard and garden lighting extends the beauty of your lawn and landscape for after-hours enjoyment.

There are many different models and styles of 12-volt outdoor lighting fixtures available from home and garden centers and hardware stores. Pick one that complements your home’s architecture. Installing a low-voltage system is relatively simple and hazard-free. Just follow the easy steps shown in the pictures and captions for a successful project that will help highlight your beautiful yard and garden even when the sun goes down.

Lighting Installation - Step 1

Install low-voltage wiring for your lighting system at the same time you’re installing your irrigation system, or trench and lay wire from the controller transformer at a convenient, grounded, GFCI-protected outdoor receptacle to the lighting fixture.

Lighting Installation - Step 2

Attach the fixture to the main wire with a fastening clip that pierces its conductors. After attaching the fixture, bury the wire and fill the trench.

Lighting Installation - Step 3

After all the light fixtures are attached and the circuit is complete, attach the main wire to the 12-volt transformer with waterproof wire nuts.

Lighting Installation - Step 4

Most transformers have timers that automatically turn the lighting system on and off. Set the clock to the desired on and off times, and then plug it into the transformer.

Warnings

Before installing any outdoor lighting, ensure that your site has a conveniently located outlet that’s protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). If you don’t have one, hire an electrician to install one.

Tips

Check the placement of all lighting fixtures from every vantage point to be sure that you can see your plants or surrounding area in it’s best light, as opposed to being exposed to awkward bright or glaring edges from the fixtures.
Solar-powered lights are also available for gardens and walkways – some even have motion-detection circuits that turn the lights on when movement is detected. Solar lighting requires no external power source and can be installed nearly anywhere with direct sun exposure. They may require battery replacement, however, because too many charge cycles can cause the battery’s performance to degrade.

Next Steps

Light Up the Night!
Good nightlighting calls attention to your beautiful garden – not the lights. This means professional-grade fixtures placed in the right spots and – unless you’ve got the right experience – a certified professional contractor to design and install your nightlighting system.
Installing an Inground Irrigation System
A permanent watering system makes getting the green grass of your dreams that much easier. Follow these easy step-by-step directions to help you install your own in-ground irrigation system that can help take care of your grass for you.
Making Site Improvements: Drainage, Lighting and Irrigation
Sometimes landscape projects need to be taken back to the (major) basics. Learn more about making site improvements to your existing yard regarding three important factors: drainage, lighting and irrigation.

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Installing Outdoor Lighting