I have a long fence in my backyard which we just started planting some small bushes along and no real big trees in our yard. We have used volt lighting along our deck and love it but now we wanted to add some depth to the yard by putting in some lighting along the fence. I am just not sure where to begin. See attached images to get an idea.
Thanks for your question. There are a few ways to light a fence to achieve various effects. First, a question, do you intend to grow plants in the mulch bed in front of the fence? If so, one of the most effective ways to light a fence is to illuminate plants in front of the fence (with spotlights or small flood lights) - and allow the shadows from those lights decorate the fence. A second approach would be to mount a deck light on each of the vertical fence supports. This creates a symmetrical pattern of accent lights along the fence - and provides pools of light illuminating the planting bed. The project below shows this technique on a porch balustrade, but the effect would be similar on your backyard fence. A third approach is to mount linear LED hardscape lights under the decorative top portion of your fence. I suggest using 18" long Bronze LED Hardscape Lights and centering them halfway between each vertical post. The benefits of these lights are that they would provide a nice wash along the entire fence and provide a beautiful soft-edged diffused light onto the garden bed. The project below shows how these lights provide a nice wash on stone pillars - the effect would be similar on your fence - especially how it will accentuate the wood's lines and grain. Thanks again. Enjoy!
By the way, I invite other forum participants to pitch in their own ideas and especially to share similar projects they may have done that might benefit the questioner. Thanks!
