How to Choose and Install Moonstone Lights in Your Garden

Moonstone lighting is a very soft subtle form of lighting. When used indoors it creates a romantic atmosphere. When used outdoors it works to illuminate certain things, like walkways, without ruining your ability to see in the dark. There are several styles of moonstone lights for outdoors, but the one feature they all share is that they use very low wattage bulbs. These bulbs are generally about the same wattage as a nightlight (about 5-6 watts). This low wattage allows for the moonstone effect. The light bulbs can be either florescent, LED (light emitting diode), or incandescent; basically any 5 or 6 watt light bulb will do. Another thing that sets moonstone lights apart is the covering on the light. In order to achieve the desired "glow", the glass covering the light must be frosted or "agatized". The subtle brown and orange streaks through a predominately yellow or off-white glass are what make it "agatized". When the low wattage light is shown through this, it puts off a natural glow and creates the moonstone look. This makes for very interesting "rocks" along your walkway, or in your garden.

Some moonstone lights are battery operated and can be placed directly in your walkway as stepping stones. There is even a style of these that can be placed directly into a driveway; you can drive a car right over these.

Another style of moonstone light is a planter. By day it is a nice baroque style planter, with ornate feet and handles surrounding a frosted or agatized globe. By night, the globe glows with soft moonstone light and illuminates the walkway or deck.

Moonstone lights can also take the form of a small hanging lantern or a small pole lamp. With the very low wattage bulb and frosted or agatized glass, these create a soft illumination for almost anything. Typically, however, the moonstone lights in the garden are in the shape of mushrooms; that when glowing, create a whimsical romantic effect.

Once you have decided which style or styles (you can mix and match) of moonstone lights suit your garden, you will need to choose how they are powered. The best and easiest would be the solar powered lights. These are off during the day, charging their solar cells. At night they spring to life. There are some moonstone lights that are battery powered, they have individual on/off switches which you can turn on when you want to use them. The last type that you can select is electrically powered, that is, they are connected together with electrical cord and plugged into an outlet. These can be switched on or off whenever you want, and are a good choice if you have a small garden, close to the house.

When installing moonstone lights, you will need to take into account the power requirements - i.e. electric, or battery, as this will determine where you place the lights.

You can place solar lights anywhere you like, but be sure that the solar panel is in a place that gets direct sunlight most of the day, or at least is not under a leaf or in the shade all the time. These lights may have a separate on/off switch for each light, or one master switch for several. Make sure when you install them, that the switch is accessible. There are some of these lights that come on at dark, and go off when it is daylight. This type is by far the most convenient and most flexible. To install them, just choose the spot and set them down.

You can put battery powered lights almost anywhere as well. But they need to be placed so that you can reach their on/off switch easily. These will have individual power switches and batteries, and you may find yourself changing batteries quite often if you leave them on constantly.

Lights that are wired will need to be placed either close to the house, or at the least near an electrical outlet. If you must use an extension cord, be sure that it is rated for outdoor use. Also, when using wired lights, be sure all cords are out of the way of lawn mowers, pets and weed eaters. These can be extremely dangerous if they get broken. This type of light is one that you would have the most control over, with regard to when they come on or go off. You can turn them on at anytime, and switch them off or unplug them when you don't want them on.

If you place any moonstone lights along a walkway, be careful edging or trimming, so that you don't damage your lights. If they are placed directly in your garden, be sure that all cords are secured away from damage, and if they are the wired type you may also want to bury the power cable.

Moonstone lights are easy to install and make a beautiful addition to your garden or backyard. They will brighten up your day and night because of their versatility and energy efficiency.