How to Illuminate Trees With Landscape Lighting
- 1). Purchase the appropriate equipment, which at minimum includes lighting fixtures, a transformer and outdoor-grade electrical cables. For convenience, purchase a timer, which turns the lights on at a designated time. In-ground, or well-lights, and spot and accent lights are typically used for tree illumination. Speak with a sales representative at a home improvement store to discuss your desired lighting technique and request assistance with selecting the appropriate equipment. As a guideline, purchase 14-gauge cable for up to 200-watt lighting or a 12-gauge cable for systems greater than 200 watts.
- 2). Plug the fixtures into an outdoor power source -- one that closes over the power cord -- and place them around the tree to determine the best location for insertion or digging. For example, if you would like to achieve shadowing onto a structure, place the lights in front of the tree to cast the shadow. One tree should have no more than two lights. This step serves as a test phase for your lighting approach and should be completed at night. Move the lights around to achieve the best result and mark the location by digging a small hole or leaving the lights in place until morning.
- 3). Dig a shallow -- approximately 3-inch -- trench using a shovel. Run it from the placement location for the lights directly to the power supply. This will serve as a burial trench for the electrical cording and should lie closely against the sidewalk or other path.
- 4). Run the electrical cording through the trench and turn over the sod, or lawn, onto the cord to cover it.
- 5). Strip 1/2 inch from the lighting fixture's cable using a wire stripper.
- 6). Connect the stripped cables to the transformer's terminal screws and tighten the screws using a screwdriver.
- 7). Mount the transformer to a stake driven into the ground or to the wall. Plug the transformer into the outdoor outlet.
- 8). Dig a hole in the ground that will accommodate each fixture. Replace soil until the outlet is covered but not obscured.
- 9). Push the lighting fixture's connectors -- which should have come in the packaging -- together until you hear a snap. This pierces the rubber that covers the wires and makes a connection. The lights should come on because the transformer is plugged in. Complete this step for each fixture.
