People are looking for landscapes that are low maintenance and don't take much water. When you think artificial turf Portland is probably the last place that would come to mind. The rain is plentiful and "authenticity" is valued yet the demand for artificial lawns is growing rapidly.

What do you want out of landscape lighting? You want it to look beautiful and maybe make your house a bit safer and more secure. It’s not rocket surgery.

But how does it get there? Not by accident, but by design. Each one of the lighting systems we install is unique, but there are a number of principles that guide their design.

No other plant can give you instant height while taking up so little space. Bamboo can be a focal point or a backdrop, a sharp exclamation point or a soft accent. And if you are leaning modern or Japanese with your landscape design bamboo will fit right in. But it can also be as scary as any plant you might use here in Portland- so be sure you do it right!

So how to do bamboo right, right?

You have a to-do list for you home that is a mile long, a dozen projects you could choose to do. If landscape lighting is one of them you may be trying to do a cost-benefit analysis. But that can be difficult to do if you have never had one. I design and install landscape lighting and have a system myself. Here is what I suggest you consider before moving forward with a new landscape lighting system.

At some point this winter all the leaves will have dropped, grasses will have been cut back, annuals have died and perennials are dormant. Does that mean your garden has to be sad all winter? 

Nope! Here in Portland there are a plethora of fantastic plants that offer winter color, texture, even blooms. Here are 10 of my favorite:

No one has ever regretted enjoying there landscape in new ways, for more hours, for a fraction of the total cost of the garden. Even poorly designed LED landscape lighting is better than no light.

But we don’t want poor lighting, do we?

Here are some common mistakes to avoid (or fix if you already made them).

Japanese inspired + drought tolerant + shade tolerant + a working garden in the front yard. This is what my clients wanted and they are very happy with the finished garden, so it must be what they got!

Perennial gardens are undoubtedly spaces of beauty. Many also find them calming- perhaps naturalistic gardens quiet our anxieties (especially climate ones) in ways more formal gardens don’t?

There are many reasons to want a perennial garden. There are also some things to consider when designing a perennial garden, some of which may not be readily apparent or even counterintuitive.

You probably don’t care too much about what wire I use or even about the stainless steel box that powers the landscape lights… but the fixtures that actually produce the light? Those matter. Here are some of our favorite manufacturers and fixtures.

This was a very rewarding project. Our clients gave us lots of leeway and the results are beyond what they had envisioned. I love properties with mature trees- the new landscape doesn’t feel like a baby garden. See what you think!