Do brass no matter!!! More on reddit.com

So I used to do mostly high end landscape lighting about 2 years ago there were 3 real solutions Light logic by unique lighting systems fx digital transformers Or switch leg ran to the transformer you want to control and controlled by home automation like insteon , zwave, lutron or whatever your favorite brand is. The unique system is actually well developed and works well reliably. But it's a bit clunky. When I worked with it every thing ran off a remote a central control unit and a radio switch plug into the timer plug for each transformer to be controlled. It allows you to control different scenes from a remote. However if you don't schedule the lights and can't find the remote you have to turn them on manually. The layout on the remote is also clunky. The second is my least favorite which are digital transformers that switch on the low voltage side to control your lights. Initially these seemed really cool because you could control independentally different zones on 1 transformer. Unfortunately these transformers were crap. Some other companies tried to make their own, I believe kichler briefly experimented with these. But ultimately they were unreliable prone to water damage and just became a huge headache. The third option is my favorite. Install your lighting like normal and where you mount your transformer mount a box and an outlet for each transformer. Tap power from your outlet to the box where you install these for every zone you need. So say you have a path light zone, an uplight zone and a backyard zone. This means you need 3 transformers, 3 inline links, 3 GFCI outlets a hub and a box. Now this sounds way more complicated, but it is pretty reliable very expandable and very easy to diagnose. The only down fall are things like electric motors or devices that create alot of noise in the line. Most homeowners dont have this problem. These links don't use wifi, instead they send a signal through the common wire to communicate to the devices so it works everytime and distance isn't an issue like it is with zwave. The links also can fit into a single gang box with the outlet if you like but it's tight if there are more than 4 wires. I like to mount them in a box to keep everything clean and accessible. Also this route adds alot of options. Like gps control, so your lights will turn on as you arrive, dimming with ramp rate controls, Alex, Google integration. You can even hook up motion sensors that can activate your lights. You also get full control via phone app and they have some of the coolest switches you can find The scenes really add to the complication. Each scene needs its own transformer and each transformer needs its own outlet and link module and obviously each scene needs to be wired independently of every other scene. Don't cut transformer cords unless you don't care about your warranty. But when you get it all working it really is some magical stuff. Edit: insteon turned into a massive pile of garbage and all the switches needed to be replaced. More on reddit.com

Honestly low voltage landscaping is the best option unless you really want/need color. I would suggest piecing together whatever pieces you need from a good company, like Volt Lighting instead of those cheap kits you purchase at the hardware stores. The advantage with regular low voltage lighting is that if something breaks, or you want to add more, you can simply add a new light. They are standard two conductor wiring that you can get anywhere which also makes repairing or replacing easy. You can turn them on/off with most automation systems now as it only takes a smart plug and that is it. You do not need conduit but it would make it better in the long run. Direct burial wire is okay to bury without conduit. More on reddit.com

Look for a siteone, Ewing, central, Aquarius or any other irrigation/landscape supply house in your area. You'll be able to get products from the brands the pros use. You'll be paying retail prices though unless you have a Tax ID that you can start a contractor account with but even then you're not gonna get the best pricing. Home Depot has Kichler stuff. I really like their smart transformer. Home Depot also has deals on their stuff so you can get close to or even below contractor pricing at the right time. Brilliance makes great LED strip lights but they are expensive. FX Luxor line for integrated ZDC fixtures and highly customizable zoning. Really good stuff but ridiculously expensive. Volt is sold at Home Depot and you can order direct from them. I think they sell packages of transformer and fixtures. Their quality is middle or the road. They have a lot of drop in fixtures that are cast bronze which is better than painted aluminum. Depending on where you are located you are going to want to weigh differences between brass and bronze when picking fixtures. Most professionals are going with integrated fixtures which have their benefits over a drop in lamp style fixture. More on reddit.com