Get Switched on to Outdoor Lighting!

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The past few years has seen us try to make the most of the way our gardens look and the amount of time we can spend in them.

Today there is a much wider range of outdoor lighting available than ever before, ranging from mains powered fittings through to low voltage outdoor lighting, LED Lighting and solar lighting, which means that there is an outdoor lighting system available to suit every gardener, whatever your budget or style of garden.

Whether you want to create a contempory space or an alluring romantic haven there is something for you.

The addition of some carefully chosen outdoor lighting fixtures can bring your garden alive after dark by illuminating it with a range of coloured lights. Properly placed outdoor lighting fixtures can create the most wonderful ambience by silhouetting trees, highlighting favourite shrubs, accenting flowerbeds or reflecting the diamond like sparkle of droplets cascading from a water feature:

• Use your outdoor lighting to add warmth with tones of yellow or red



• The addition of a green light beneath foliage will make leaves appear greener



• Create a fresher, Nordic atmosphere with white or blue outdoor lighting. This is particularly effective if you have a lot of pine trees.

Lighting from the bottom up

This is the most widely used method in garden lighting design. Plants are lit up more at the bottom than the top. This allows the fading of the light higher up to avoid too large a contrast with the black sky beyond.


Frontal lighting

Frontal lighting on structural plants and focal points create a superb effect. Use direct frontal light for your main focal feature only. This draws the eyes to the strongest feature in your garden. The more diffused light of the surrounding plants will frame the focal point. If you leave out the diffused light around the focal point, the contrast will be too great. The flow will be disrupted and unity lost.


Backlighting

Use backlighting to create a silhouette effect of a structural plant. This effectively mimics a setting sun. The translucence of large foliage increases dramatically. The large leaves just look magnificent. A word of caution; make sure that the light will not shine directly into the eyes of guests!


Lighting from the top
Use flood lights to light up large areas from the top. This lights the area utilised for entertainment. If the whole garden is lit up this way, you effectively have the exact same garden as during the day. This is rather uncreative, but functional. Be selective in which areas you flood with light.

Lighting of water features


Use the water to create special effects. Ripples on a pond will cause reflecting light to dance in the shrubs.
Back light through a waterfall creates a beautiful sight. Submersed lights in a pond create a luminous effect.




Pathways

Light pathways up! Provide sufficient light for visitors to safely walk through the garden. Take particular attention to steps or changes in level. Used diffused well hidden lights placed very low on the ground. If you prefer, you can place lights higher up on suitable posts. This will clearly demarcate the pathway.

Two of the most common types of exterior lighting are solar fixtures and low voltage installations. Solar lighting requires no wiring and is easy to install and reposition, but the lights need to be placed where they receive enough sunlight during the day. If your garden is heavily shaded, low voltage lighting, which is designed for low power consumption and may be placed almost anywhere, may be a better choice.




Many of the options shown below are available in both solar and low voltage lighting, however, there will be considerable extra expense to have low voltage lighting installed by a qualified electrician. Solar lighting options are by far the cheapest and safest method if you want to carry out your garden lighting project yourself.

Solar lights

Solar lights might be the perfect solution to your outdoor lighting needs, there is now a wide variety to choose from and they can enhance your landscaping and provide illumination without the expense of installing electricity.
Have Fun with Solar Lights, use your imagination to get any lighting effect you desire. Outdoor solar lights will help you do it cheaply and easily while you have lots of fun.

I am a big fan of one of the cheapest forms of lights - candles!
They can be used to great effect in lots of different ways, keeping the night garden looking fresh. Whether you place 100 tea lights imaginatively around the garden or buy a stylish glass vase to hold a single large candle, they will add a magical light to your space.

Candlelight creates a very different mood to electric lighting and the gentle flicker of a candle's glow can be used to great effect by helping to set the scene for a romantic dinner.

Candles can throw out a surprising amount of light for both visual and practical effect. They are a great way to light a protected area and citronella candles also serve to keep mosquitoes at bay. Go for the outdoor types which have a thicker wick to stop gusts of wind blowing them out. there are loads of candle holders and oil lanterns available.

For a special occasion, line a path with candles or flares or group candles together for a magical feel. Storm lanterns will protect candles from being blown out by the wind.