Your focal points will aid in helping you choose what type of landscape lighting you need, but other things to consider for your landscape lighting plan is the safety and security of those who will be in your yard.

No matter what your focal point is, for both security and safety, always light up steps, driveways, walkways and grounds with post lanterns and tier lights. This should be a part of every landscape lighting plan. This can be done in a very decorative way to enhance the decorative appeal, or it can be very simplistic and functional. Both functional and decorative are the goal however.

There are some key things you can do to make your landscape lighting really refined and good looking:
One thing you can do to enhance the ambiance of your property at night or when it is dark is to use low-voltage landscape lighting of trees, shrubs and flowers. This is a great option because low-voltage lighting uses only 12 volts of electricity and is safe to install.

A less decorative, but very functional landscape lighting option is floodlights. Floodlighting is a versatile technique for illuminating a wide range of features. To enhance your landscaping with floodlights, use the floodlights to illuminate walls, garden ponds or gazebos.

A great form of landscape lighting that can be use to add visual interest to objects, such as trees, bushes, statues and fountains, is uplighting. This is done easily, at minimal cost and can make a significant difference in your landscape lighting design. Another common tactic to add visual interest is wall lighting. It is designed to be incorporated into a wall bordering a building, pool or walkway area for added visibility, and the use of techniques such as silhouetting with your wall lighting will provide dramatic effects on a broad surface, like a wall or behind a landscape feature, such as bushes. All of these things are going to make your landscape look better. That is what you want to use landscape lighting for.

One thing to consider is the unique landscape features you may have, such as sculptures and shaped shrubbery. These unique features should really stand out, and you can use your landscape lighting to do that. They can be highlighted using spotlights, and creating a sequence of spotlights can make an interesting mosaic of colors and textures that really make your landscaping pop!

When it comes to your landscape lighting, do not forget the functional side, for example, to get maximum light output, light fixtures should not be covered by foliage, tree branches or bushes, and for safety, lights and cables should be installed at least 5' from the edge of a swimming pool, and lighting should be anywhere you have a walkway or path. Also, it is important to keep everything safe, wires should not be exposed, and shorts should be taken care of immediately.

Remember, your landscape lighting is your own, you can choose to adjust your fixtures should you want, and you may need to with each season when different plants are growing and need illuminating.