A well-designed landscape shouldn’t disappear when the sun goes down. Madison Planting & Design Group designs and installs landscape lighting that shows off your home, garden and stonework after dark, and makes it easier and safer to get around outside at night. If you’re looking for landscape lighting in Madison, MS, Canton, Ridgeland or anywhere in the Jackson metro, we can plan lighting as part of a new landscape or add it to the one you already have.
What landscape lighting can do for your property
Good lighting does a few jobs at once. It should feel natural rather than bright, and it should put light only where you want it.
- Safety: steps, walkways, driveways and changes in grade are easier to see at night.
- Curb appeal: soft light on the front of the house, an entry walk or a specimen tree makes a strong first impression after dark.
- More time outdoors: patios, pergolas, outdoor kitchens and fire pit areas stay usable long after sunset. In central Mississippi that’s a big part of the year, since spring and fall evenings are often the most comfortable time to be outside.
- Security: a lit yard and entry help you see who’s coming and going.
Where we put light
Paths, steps and entrances
Walkways and steps are the first place most clients want light. We lay out lighting along stone walks and front entrances so every step is visible without the path looking like a runway.
Trees and focal points
Mature oaks, magnolias and Japanese maples, a fountain, an arbor or a stone wall can become the focal point of the yard at night. Lighting them from the right angle shows off texture and shape.
Patios and outdoor living areas
Lighting turns a patio into an evening room. We plan it together with fireplaces, pergolas and water features, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, and seating walls, so there’s enough light to cook, dine and talk without glare in anyone’s eyes.
Pool areas
Around a pool, lighting helps define the deck edge and steps and sets the mood for evening swims. See our pool landscaping page for more on designing the whole pool setting.
Commercial properties
For businesses, lighting at entrances, signs and walkways helps customers and tenants find their way and keeps the property looking cared for at night. Learn more about our commercial landscaping.
Designing lighting that looks natural
The best landscape lighting is noticed for its effect, not its fixtures. When we design a lighting plan we think about:
- Layers: a mix of path, accent and area lighting, instead of flooding the yard from one spot.
- Glare: aiming and placing fixtures so light lands on the tree, wall or path, not in your eyes or your neighbor’s windows.
- Views from inside: what you’ll see from the kitchen, the living room and the back door.
- Growth: plants grow. We place lighting so shrubs and trees won’t swallow it in a few seasons.
- The rest of the landscape: wiring routes are planned around beds, roots, hardscape and irrigation lines.
New landscape or existing yard
The easiest time to add lighting is while a landscape is being built, because wiring can go in before patios are set and beds are planted. That’s why lighting is part of the conversation on every custom design/build project. That said, we also add lighting to established landscapes, working carefully around mature plantings and existing hardscape.
As with any project that involves digging, buried utility lines should be marked through Mississippi 811 before installation begins.
Keeping lighting working
Outdoor lighting lives in heat, humidity, heavy rain and growing plants. Over time fixtures get knocked out of position, covered by shrubs or burned out. Clients on our Total Grounds Management program get landscape lighting checks every month along with their irrigation checks, so problems are spotted early instead of the night you have guests coming.
Our process
- Site visit: we walk the property with you, ideally talking through how you use the yard in the evening, and note what you’d like to highlight.
- Lighting plan: we recommend where lighting should go and what each area should feel like.
- Proposal: a written scope so you know what’s included.
- Installation: our crews install the lighting and restore any beds or lawn we work in.
- Final adjustments: we check how each area looks and adjust the aim of fixtures as needed.
Frequently asked questions
Can you add lighting to a landscape you didn’t install?
Yes. We add lighting to existing landscapes and plan the layout around your current beds, trees and hardscape.
Do you check landscape lighting as part of maintenance?
Yes. Our maintenance clients get monthly irrigation and landscape lighting checks.
Which areas do you serve?
We install landscape lighting in Madison, Canton, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt, Flora, Jackson and across the Jackson metro. More answers are in our landscaping FAQ.
Light up your landscape
Tell us what you’d like to see after dark. Call (601) 859-5915, Monday–Friday 8:00–5:00, or request a quote online. Browse our portfolio for patios, entrances and gardens we’ve built.
