Since your son has expertise go for it but I wouldn't use low voltage if it was given to me, they just aren't worth what I have seen, I'd rather go with regular.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

I used Malibu Low Voltage at my last house and loved them. They were super easy to install, I did them myself then put in a set for my MIL for a Mothers day gift. My only words of advice is to make sure you get your connections solid, and you may want to wrap the connection with a little electrical tape after getting the connection made. Just a little added protection. They are easy on bulbs, you won't have much maintenance at all after the install. I'm still debating myself on what I want to use. I'm leaning toward solar because of the size of my area now that I want to include. You do get a nice amount of light from the spots for uplighting. This should do a nice job for you. And having your son with some expertise helps a bunch!! Good luck and post some pics of the final product!!

Thank you Nannerbelle - we're going to assess the siting this weekend. I'm not wary of the electrical install, more of how the wires will run thru hardscaping and thru now fully leafed out perennials to the power source without damage, but think we have a plan.

Bullthistle, thanks for the reply, but I'm not sure what you meant.

Zigzag, not sure if this will help or not, but I had mature beds I ran my wires thru and a mature yard, I'll try to find a pic of it and post for you. I ran thru the beds along my border and it made it easy to do. Across the lawn, I simply used a flat edge shovel and took out a small trench carefully then planted the turf back down. You almost couldn't tell immediatly and within a week or two you couldn't tell a wire was there. The wire is very water restistant and can be buried easily to suit your needs.

Again thanks, Nannerbelle - every little bit of info is appreciated.

Today it's a wonderfully gray, gentle rainy day (whoo-hoo!) so I'm getting a mental grip on how/where to run the wires. Since my lot is super-small and is tightly enclosed by side fencing and a timber retaining wall on the back, this is looking easier and easier. And I have no grass to ditch-witch thru - this will be all perimeter work. Just gotta keep my Big Footed sons from smoshing stuff!

Watching the back yard this gray morning, it occured to me that I do, indeed, have a huge squirrel following (despite the best efforts of the beagle, but she can't be on patrol 24/7 !) And said squirrels dig and chew ...... are they a real hazard to the wiring? How deep should I bury the wiring - is there a magic formula? It'll be easy digging along the perimeters so do tell, if you have any suggestions!

Meanwhile, per usual I'm turning this into a bit of a monster (like the rest of my house!) and am thinking about Malibu walkway lights lining a semi-circle (more for show than utilization) flagstone walk in the front yard. (yeah, this started w/the backyard, but oh can it grow!)

Oy vey - I might need an intervention real soon ! :o)

LOL this sounds so familiar!! I had a small lot with the house where I installed the lighting. I also did front and back systems, with walkway lighting. And a huge squirrel population as well. I buried mine about 6 to 8 inches down, never had a problem with them. I even had a squirrel feeding area next to a couple of them in the back. I installed all of mine with hand tools and a shovel. No ditch witch required unless you are REALLY buring the wires, and that isn't necessary. The lighting stuff is very addictive, I warn you. I really enjoyed seeing things come to life after dark, and am steadily building my plan for this house. I have 15 acres now so my plan is getting more and more extensive as I go on and this is one of the main reasons I'm using a lot of solar even though I am not as impressed with the lighting or the look. In certain areas, yes, they work very well. Such as apperance, accent light and such. But for backlighting or uplighting, stick with the low voltage, wired lights. The solar simply doesn't have the Ummph to do it well. I can see my landscape being a combo of both types. And drat, I keep finding perimeter areas I want light in. Like the end of my drive coming up to the house about 600FT away! Believe me, this is a very fun and easy project. If you aren't using a pre-matched kit they sell, be sure to pay attention to the transformer and make sure you have the correct rating for the length of wire, and the number of lights. Also, make sure to buy a small roll of extension wire for the lights and some electrical tape, something will take a few more feet to get the light exactly where you want it and it's an easy splice. It's easy formulas and any of the big box home improvement stores have a info sheet right in the store for you to use to caculate what you need if you decide to put your own scheme together.

Thanks again, Nannerbelle - all your wisdom is much appreciated! I've been mentally running wire all week, trying to restrain myself from overdoing my teeny bit of real estate here!

Tomorrow I get command appearances from my sons (Mother's Day - they'd better show!!) and since it's forecast to be rainy, we'll take measurements, figure out how to install without destroying plants and then make the trip to Lowes and/or HD to see what's on the shelves and take it from there. Stay tuned ..... ! :o)