Tropical Thunder

• Torches can really add to a yard's tropical feel.
  
  If your garden theme is tropical, with lots of palms, ferns, fuchsias and maybe even a tiki or two, skip the electric lighting entirely and consider putting up bamboo torches. They're available at most home improvement and discount chains, including Home Depot and Wal-Mart, for a few dollars apiece. Or you can splurge a little more and buy torches made of metal--copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Several online dealers have great selections--see resources below. In either case, they're easy to maintain and can last up to three or four seasons. Just make sure there are no low-hanging palm fronds or tree branches in the vicinity of the flames.
  
  

Twinkle Lights Are Not Just for Christmas!

• Christmas is when a good number of homeowners string colorful lights along their roof lines and door frames. But don't limit this festive look to the holiday. Strategically placed lights can creative a festive outdoor living space on those warm summer nights. Have a picket fence, arbor or patio? String a strand or two of rope lighting. The same goes for trees--wrap some mini lights around the trunk and maybe the lowest rung of branches to create a virtual canopy of lights.
  
  

Focal Points

• If you want to capture the hotel garden look, install some floodlights with colored lenses in strategic spots around your garden. Have them shine upward to illuminate your yard's signature trees. And if you have a fountain or waterfall, consider putting that in the spotlight as well.
  
  

Going Green

• This solar light is from Home Depot.
  
  If you want to capture the look of traditional low-voltage outdoor lighting but don't want the hastle of installing if yourself--laying down and then burying that electrical cord can be a drag, not to mention clamping those lights into the line and then keeping your fingers crossed that moisture doesn't get in--consider going solar.
  
  Virtually every home improvement, garden and even discount chain now has solar-power lights selling for as little as $4 a pop (summer 2009 prices). They come with a solar cell on top and a rechargeable battery inside. They'll last several years, but make sure you put them in spots where the sun does shine! After all, they are called solar lights for a reason.