We got back from our vacation yesterday and the plants on our deck look great! The hanging baskets and the planters all received enough water and sunshine. Our grass is looking a little dry and I need to start thinking about installing an automatic sprinkler system for our lawn now

Based on my experience just before we headed out on our vacation I have one more pointer to add to the list in my previous post on July 8, 2010.

Once your drip irrigation is all set up, don't let anyone play with the water tap. For the watering controller I have if you shut the water off it shuts the system down, so even if you turn the water back on you need to program it again.

I found this out because two days before we left on vacation it was a really hot day and they boys set up a slip and slide in the backyard. This shouldn't be a problem because I have a splitter at the tap and they were using the second fixture, but when they were finished playing they shut off the whole tap and not just the one they were using.

Luckily I noticed this in the evening and I was able to reprogram it the next morning.

For reference, here is a link to the original post watering your plants while on vacation.

Summer is finally here and we are starting to plan our vacation. One worry I won't have on this vacation is our hanging baskets and planters getting enough water. This is because a few years ago I installed a drip irrigation system on our deck. It's setup to water two hanging baskets and four planters.

Please click installing drip irrigation system if you want the details on how I set up the system for the hanging baskets. To add the planters to the system I used a tee connector to split water to a different area and then another tee connector to water each planter. Just remember to adjust each mister when you add a new one to balance the system. I like to ensure the hanging baskets get more water because they usually need it.

Here are a few more pointers when you are setting up your system to go on vacation:

Run the system once it is installed to understand how long it takes to water your plants and write this time down. Use this time when you are setting irrigation timer.

I run the water until it starts run out of the bottom of the hanging baskets.

As the summer gets hotter increase the time you water the plants.

As the summer cools off you can decrease the time you water the plants.

Don't wait until the last day before your vacation before you set up your automatic watering system. With my system, I set the timer and then I had to wait 24 hours to ensure it turns on. You want at least a couple of days to ensure it is working properly.

Good luck and have a great summer.

(ARA) - Summer is a great time for outdoor home improvement projects, but it's also supposed to be a time to relax and have fun with family and friends. That makes quick-to-do projects that add to the "family fun factor" appealing to homeowners, who also need to spend their limited home improvement dollars wisely.

"If you are looking for an easy project that will make an immediate difference in your summertime quality of life, add outdoor lights to your deck or patio. Lighting turns your outdoor space into an entertaining place and a favorite new spot for hanging out at night," says Chelsea Gardner, an outdoor living expert from Dallas.

When looking for outdoor lighting products, don't limit yourself to the local home improvement stores. Many manufacturers sell direct to the consumer, and online retailers may offer wider selections. Best of all, buying online means home delivery, saving you a trip to the store and time on your project from the very start.

Jay Savignac of Aurora Deck Lighting in Whitewater, Wis., says outdoor deck lighting offers immediate pay-back in terms of style, comfort and safety. His company is a leading manufacturer of top quality deck, fence and landscape light products that are designed as much for ease of installation as they are for energy efficiency and style.

"Our primary customer has traditionally been the remodeling contractor, deck or fence builder, and the easier a product is to install, the more builders like it. Over the last several years as the home improvement craze has grown, we've seen a large increase in the number of do-it-yourself homeowners who buy direct from us. This has focused us even more on designing products that homeowners can get creative with and easily install," Savignac says.

For the 2010 summer season, Aurora introduced two new outdoor lighting kits: the Phoenix Recessed Lighting Kit and the Odyssey LED Strip Lights Kit. Both kits come complete with enough lights to create a custom outdoor lighting installation on a standard size deck or porch. The tiny Phoenix Recessed LED Lights come fully wired, 10 to a kit. The kit also contains the transformer/power source, easy to use connectors,100 feet of twisted wire and a convenient remote control.

"Homeowners buy the recessed lights primarily to add safety to the stairs on their deck or porch. They also look great along the edge of a deck, and they are small enough to tuck under a rail. They are easy to install and offer unlimited options for creativity," Savignac says.

The Odyssey LED Strip Lights come in narrow strips of tiny yet bright LED lights in four sizes. Each kit comes with four strips in the designated size, transformer, connectors, wire and remote control. Odyssey lights focus a curtain of LED light downward for dramatic lighting that adds both safety and sophisticated style.

Both kits can be viewed online at www.auroradecklighting.com. Kits can be ordered from an online retailer like www.deckdepot.com.

Rockler offers three kits with different styles of recessed lighting fixtures: paver, deck/dock and in-deck lighting disks. They use a low voltage lighting system so they are safe and easy to install.

Each kit comes with everything you need to install the system including:

8 outdoor lighting fixtures
8 lamps, sockets and connectors
1 12volt transformer
50 feet of low voltage cable

You can view the three kits and get more information at recessed deck lighting.

Nantucket Post Cap Company has also released a new lighting product for the summer season that offers the perfect lighting solution for homeowners who have a cedar or redwood deck or fence, with installation that couldn't be any easier.

The Nantucket Bar Harbor Solar Light is the first all-wood solar LED post cap light.

As for ease of installation: the only thing needed to install a solar post cap is wood glue or sealant and a screwdriver. The post cap lights are available in a range of sizes, with a light available to fit any size fence or deck post. The Bar Harbor Solar Lights are built with the same craftsmanship as the company's beautiful redwood arbors, gates and trellises. You can order the products direct from the company online at www.nantucketpostcap.com.

Gardner says another benefit to adding landscape lighting, apart from the ease of installation and the ability to enjoy outdoor spaces at night, is the value and style it adds to decks, fences, porches and landscapes.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

When you want to add a new design to your home outdoors the best way to do that is with low voltage lighting. There are many different styles available that you can choose to add to your home.

Not only will these lighting fixtures add design and a good look for your home, but they will also not cost you a lot of money to use them regularly.

Low voltage lighting fixtures are good to use in many different places such as you yard, deck or stairs.

Knowing what the different styles of low voltage outdoor lighting will help you make a more informed decision about which ones would be right to add to your particular home. Here are a few of the different styles that you can use.

1. Deck lights – There are many styles of these lights that can be installed on your deck for a variety of applications. Here is a list of the most popular ones:
- Post lights - install on the top of your deck post. They usually come in two sizes to fit the two different post sizes, so make sure you purchase the correct one. They are also called post cap lights.

To continue reading the different styles and design tips, please click - low voltage lighting.