The art of lighting landscapes has become much more understated, according to one leading designer, thanks in part to the use of LEDs. “The big thing I’m seeing in landscape lighting is those of us who have been in it for a while are becoming much more subtle,” says Janet Lennox Moyer, landscape lighting designer and founder of the Landscape Lighting Resource, an educational non-profit focused on landscape lighting. “Instead of using a lot of light, it’s more gentle and intricate in a very soft way that’s much prettier than it used to be.” LEDs’ unique properties have played a role in this new style of landscape lighting, Moyer says. “LEDs can do some things other light sources can’t due to their size and capability, and they’re lowering our wattage consumption, which is wonderful,” says Moyer. Moyer’s examples of this are small 1W and 2W LEDs that can be drilled into a rock wall to light the wall itself and “tunable” LED fixtures that are individually dimmable. However, Moyer is quick to point out that there are still some complications with LEDs. For instance, some LED light sources aren’t shielded properly by manufacturers, resulting in more glare, and heat can be a problem as well if not properly dissipated. Also, LEDs don’t get warmer in color as they dim like incandescents, and there are still compatibility issues with traditional dimmers. “I think we’re going to see more and more LEDs coming into the market,” Moyer says. “Right now, there are so many different platforms, but I think there will be a time when we’ll see less variation and more compatibility.”