Resource Center
Articles
Landscape Design
- Container Gardens Enhance Even the Smallest of Outdoor Spaces
- Rock Gardens Add Low-Maintenance Beauty to Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- How to Augment Your Centreville, Potomac, or Woodbridge Landscape with Stone Walls
- Create Usable Space with a Multi-Level Landscape
- Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Designing Your Landscape
- Extending Spring Cleanup to Your Northern Virginia Property
- Importance of Erosion Landscaping and Drainage In Residential Northern Virginia
- Retaining Walls Both an Aesthetic and Functional Landscape Feature
- Different Elements in Your Landscape Add Interest
Maintenance
Ponds and Water Features
- What is a Formal Water Feature and How Can One Complement Your Landscape?
- Types of Water Plants for Your Northern Virginia Pond
- Adding a Pond or Water Feature To Your Northern Virginia Property
- Bring Life To Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
- Issues Surrounding Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
Lighting, Ornaments and Materials
- Choosing the Right Material for Your Outdoor Planters
- Shedding Some Light on Outdoor Lighting
- Incorporating Garden Ornaments in Your Landscape
- The Benefits of Using River Rock in Your Northern Virginia Landscape
Livestock and Wildlife
All About Plants
- Topiary for Beginners
- Adding Color to Your Landscape
- Choosing the Right Plants for Pool-Side Landscaping
- Starting Your First Northern Virginia Vegetable Garden
- The Benefits of “Greenscaping” Your Northern Virginia or Maryland Yard
- What Are Native Plants and Why Are They Important?
Tips
Decks and Patios
Associations & Directories
DC · MD · VA Chapter Association of Professional Landscape Designers
www.dcmdva-apld.org/
Garden Scout
www.gardenscout.com
Better Business Bureau – Washington, DC Chapter
www.dc.bbb.org/
South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
www.southfairfaxchamber.org/
Suppliers and Partners
McLean Electric
McLean, VA
www.mcleanelectricco.com/
Halco Fence
Bristow, VA
www.halcofence.com
Fisher Group
Design Build Construction
Annandale, VA
www.designbuildrenovate.com
Absolute Kitchens
Kitchen Remodeling
Tyson’s Corner, VA
www.absolute-kitchens.com/
Commonwealth Home Remodelers
Vienna, VA
www.commonwealthhome.com
Wilcoxin Pool Construction
Rockville, MD
www.wilcoxonconst.com/
Nicolock Patio Pavers
www.nicolock.com/
The Care of Trees
Alexandria, VA
www.thecareoftrees.com/
Outdoor Lighting Solutions
Herndon, VA
www.outdoorlightingsolutions.com
Shedding Some Light on Outdoor Lighting
A great way to enhance your landscaping is to add outdoor lighting or a water feature to your landscape or even just to brighten your patio. Lighting can be used to highlight places in a large area or to focus on a water feature. The right lighting can enhance the cosiness of a brick patio or flatter the sophistication of a flagstone patio.
The most important step to installing outdoor light is to choose the right lights to begin with. Choosing light fixtures which are ill equipped for outdoor usage will hinder the look you are going for. You need lighting that you can depend on! Part of the beauty of outdoor lighting is that you want a display that will advance the look of your landscape, cast the most light possible, and require little to no maintenance. Flood lights should be used to illuminate trees and buildings. Cone lighting has the ability to highlight winding stone or brick walkways and surround shrubbery.
Keeping your lighting bright is your first priority once you have selected fixtures. When installing lighting keep in mind that the further away a light is from a source, the less powerful its output. DO NOT EXCEED 100 WATTS ON ANY GIVEN LINE. This is to insure proper output. Also, when installing multiple lights on a line, make sure to leave extra wire. This will provide you with mobility to change your lighting as your landscape changes. What looks good in summer will not necessarily look good in autumn and etc.
Make sure that you lay out all of your lines are ABOVE GROUND before burying your lines. This will allow for unforeseen mistakes or alterations during your first test, which should be completed at night. Your outdoors lighting's performance is heavily dependent upon your transformer. We suggest that you purchase a transformer that is more wattage than you initially believe you need. This will ultimately allow you to expand your landscape lighting display. Making sure that your transformer has a timer as well. This will allow you to control your outdoor lighting so that you can save on your electric bill and not worry about being home to turn on your display.
Let's, for one moment, imagine the landscape of Northern Virginia. We are blessed with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Whether you live in Arlington, VA along the Potomac river, reside in suburban Centerville, VA, or in the northern most point in Leesburg, VA, you have the ability to capture the Virginia's landscape. Lost Creek Landscape specializes in outdoor landscaping, water features and illumination and has the experience and creative skills to accentuate that beauty. If you are interested upgrading your landscape by adding a water feature, patio or stone wall or by installing outdoor lighting we urge you to contact Lost Creek Landscapes to shed some more light on tips to bring out the best in your landscape. Schedule an Estimate or Free Consultation
