Garden Lighting Choices

We tend to focus more on interior lighting than the lights we have on the outside of our homes, both for practical and financial reasons.  Most of us just simply don't need as much from outdoor lighting as we spend more times indoors after the sun goes down.  More people are also becoming energy conscious and feel that they can't justify having outdoor garden lights if no one is actually actively using them.  Others justify it with safety reasons, rightly believing that having a house that is well lit from the outside at night both looks nicer and discourages would-be villains from targeting one's home.  Happily, there's no reason you can't have both energy savings as well as safety and attractiveness.  Today's choices for exterior lighting include many low voltage garden lights and solar garden lights as well.  LED technology combined with cheaper and more efficient solar panels have made getting solar lights a no-brainer for many people.  As long as you can get enough sunlight or have a backup energy source, solar powered garden lights are really the way to go in most cases.

So just what is included under garden lights?  More than you might expect.  The easiest to purchase and install are so-called plug and play lights, which are exactly what they sound like.  Plug and play applies mainly to solar garden lighting, which are also invariably LED garden lights because LEDs consume far less energy and last much longer than conventional and even newer, efficient CFC light bulbs.  Such solar lights for garden don't require an external power source and as such can simply be stuck in the ground, where they will get to work capturing and storing the sun's energy. 
Other outdoor garden lighting may also use solar, but can be installed in different ways.  A sampling of what's available are garden spot lights, pathlights, garden wall lights, patio lights, bollards, security lighting, landscape lighting, driveway lighting, in-ground lighting, pool lighting, fountain lighting, and even submersible pond lights!  All of these should be available as LED garden lighting, which will be slightly more expensive but will more than make up for the initial cost through energy savings and product longevity.  The downside to LEDs is that the light is not as luminous as other lightbulbs. 
One of the most common types of home garden lighting comes in the form of the 12V garden light.  These are low voltage, which saves energy and offers safety from serious electrical shock.  These come spiked, to put directly in the ground, wall mounted, as bollards, and in many other forms as well.  If solar and LEDs don't provide enough brightness for your tastes or purposes, 12V garden lights may be a good choice that is still energy conscious.  Of course, these lights will need to be plugged in, so you should only consider them if you really need the brightness and don't mind having to run a power cord out to the lights.  Those who don't have electrical expertise will have to have this done by a professional. 
So far we've discussed mostly low-level lights, that is, lights that stay close to the ground and illuminate a walkway.  If all you need to do is see where your feet are going in the dark, such lights suit your purposes just fine.  You could even use in-ground lighting, which sit level with the ground, if you want lights that show the edges of a path and don't present a tripping or crushed-by-car hazard.  But people who want real illumination that allows them to see the outdoor environment clearly, as at a barbeque or when dining outdoors, for example, may want to look instead at taller garden lights.
These include post lighting, which may be more appropriate for people with very large (read: parklike) yards.  Conversely, you may wish to use taller bollards that are more modern looking.  More good garden lighting ideas include using a wall to provide taller lighting- you can simply mount the lights on top of a garden wall, for instance. 
For serious brightness, you will go with landscape lighting or flood lighting.  These use a lot more electricity than the other kinds of garden lights we've discussed, but they do illuminate large areas so that everything can be seen.  If you need to light up a certain spot to discourage troublemakers or even criminals from hanging around, these lights will serve the purpose well. 
 
Another way to make use of garden lights, this time in a more tasteful way, is to get recessed garden lights.  This type of lighting is unobtrusive and is somewhat sheltered by a wall, ceiling, etc.  Recessed lighting is great for keeping design lines clean, and they can give an interesting effect of making it look like the light is coming directly from the wall.  These would be a great choice for minimalists when it comes to outdoor lighting.