Tree Lighting is a work of Art
Want to enjoy your property and trees at night?
Often when you think of outdoor lighting, you think of highlighting the features of your home. Trees are often a lower priority but tree lighting can make such a dramatic difference. Just one light can make your tree a piece of art!
There are two main types of tree lighting; up lighting and down lighting. Up lighting involves placing lighting fixtures at ground level where the light shines up into the tree. The light is used to show off the interesting branch structure and canopy of the tree. Down lighting are fixtures placed strategically in the canopy of the tree to produce a beautiful moon light effect on the branching structure, and ground below.
By manipulating the angle of the fixture, the spread of the source light, and the color or kelvin temperature of the source light we can create interesting highlights, silhouettes, and shadows on walkways, plants, walls, and the turf or ground cover below. A lot of care must be given to down lighting to protect the tree’s health for the long run. Rarely is this done the right way, so we highly recommend using a qualified professional for this work.
Up Lighting and Down Lighting Work Together
One of the more creative areas in landscape lighting involves lighting trees as you utilize both down lighting and up lighting. They work together to showcase your trees, especially our beautiful, majestic oaks we have in San Antonio and the surrounding Hill Country. The magical moonlighting effect is created though placing multiple fixtures 10 feet higher than anyone is willing to climb and angling those fixtures in a way that shines down through the branches and leaves below creating a moving, flowing piece of shadow and light art below. Done correctly, it feels like a bright full moon shining through the leaves above leaving a dappled moonlight on the ground. The use of the up light shows off the tree. The two together produces the best results.
Caring for your Trees
Our customers are often understandably concerned about mounting lights in their trees. We treat trees like trees, not buildings. The Guru only install lights in trees we know can support them. We use specialized stainless steel tree bolts so they don’t rust and cause future disease or damage. A professional will never put a staple in your tree, as this will eventually ruin the wire and the tree and can be a fire hazard.
In addition a professional will never surface mount a junction box on a tree to create a rot spot on your tree inviting ants and other pests into the tree. We hide the cable on the non-visible side of the tree so you don’t even know it’s there. Our methods and materials are designed to protect your trees and your lights. We are available to return when needed to adjust the screws and bolts as the tree grows and is part of our annual service agreement.
If you are interested in learning more about tree lighting, and seeing why we are different, please give us a call at 210-710-7737.
