Are you looking for some new holiday landscaping lighting ideas this year, for your Main Line or Philadelphia area home? Architectural night lighting is an art form employed to maximize the visual effect of lighting on objects, as they are viewed at night in the absence of daylight.

Night lighting contrasts the appearance of forms seen under daylight, with the appearance of forms seen at night under artificial lighting in the absence of daylight. Integrating lighting with your landscaping design is a means of bringing the exterior of your home to life, by strategically spotlighting significant horticultural or architectural features.

Add decorative holiday decor to your home and landscape, and direct a spotlight as an up light, down light or concentrated spot towards the decorations. A few suggestions are:

• Add greenery to post lanterns, and wall sconces, along with colorful bows and decoration.
• Add evergreen boughs to outdoor benches, wood trim, columns, etc.
• Add evergreen wreaths to windows, doors, arches and significant architectural features.
• Use spot lighting to accentuate similar repetitive architectural features such as walls, columns, dormers, windows, large shrubs, trees, etc.
• Gently wind strings of single color lights through selected tree, shrubbery or greenery to emphasize or direct the visual approach to your front door, or other architectural or landscape features.

Outdoor holiday lighting provides safety as it illuminates the way for family members and guests as they come and go. Additionally, it provides security lighting for those busy holiday evenings you are out shopping or attending a Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s event in your Philadelphia area community.

Adding exterior spotlighting will create a dramatic, warm and inviting effect on the exterior of your home this holiday season.   Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, is one of a few Philadelphia landscaping companies with a principal certified by the American Society of Landscape Designers.

Providing Philadelphia landscaping services for over 35 years, landscaper Steven T. Aardweg, A.P.L.D.  of Aardweg Landscaping is experienced in designing holiday landscape plans for Main Line area residences.  To make an appointment for a complimentary consultation to discuss holiday landscaping lighting ideas for your Main Line or Philadelphia area home, contact Aardweg Landscaping by calling 610-355-0703 or by visiting the Aardweg Landscaping website.

It’s Nutcracker Ballet time again! When was the last time you gathered the family or a few friends, and journeyed into town for the annual presentation of The Nutcracker? For the 43^rd year, this timeless ballet is being performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet to the Music of Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.  It will feature the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra and the Philadelphia Boys Choir. The two hour performance is scheduled to perform December 10, 11, 16 -18, 22-24, and 26-31. For more information telephone 215-551-7000 or visit the Pennsylvania Ballet website. 

 Photo Sources: houzz.com-DoreenLeMayMadden, Aardweg Landscaping