Get Switched on to Outdoor Lighting!

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Outdoor lighting has become increasingly popular

Outdoor lighting is an exciting medium as it helps us see our gardens, and everything in them, in new ways. You can transform your outdoor space into a magical inviting place to be at night with outdoor lighting.

Inspired outdoor lighting combinations provides our gardens with a fresh new look in the twilight hours.

More and more people are transforming their gardens with the addition of outdoor lighting.

Buy From Art.comoutdoor garden lighting

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.

Some Outdoor Lighting Techniques

The effects achieved by using different colored outdoor lighting

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.

Other Outdoor Lighting Techniques

The effects achieved by placing your outdoor lighting in deffierent positions

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.

Outdoor Lighting Techniques On Video

Outdoor lighting design tips

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A Range Of Outdoor Lighting On Amazon

Get everything you need to light up your garden online

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Solar Powered and Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting

Which will you choose for your outdoor lighting solution?

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.
Garden Centre

Solar Accent Lights

These stainless steel solar powered lights are ideal as path markers

SohoDecor 6 Pack Metal color Painted Solar Garden Lights - New 2005 8 LEDs version with Ultra High Sensitive monocrystalline Solar Panel /ECO Bonus Edition

Amazon Price: (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

Accent lighting is where a single plant or feature is picked out with a spotlight but they can also be used along the edges of driveways, walkways, paths and entrances to homes, garages and other buildings.
The easiest way to light a path is to place solar or low voltage lights along the course of the path so that they softly illuminate parts of the walkway.

Solar Lanterns

Solar powered outdoor lanterns can be placed wherever they are needed

Could not locate item B000HHPMOK. Please try again.Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Solar Motion Sensor Lights

Floodlight Solar Powered Motion Activated. 20 Watt Halogen Bulb Security Flood light

Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Perfect for lighting those areas that you only want illuminated when you or an intruder approaches. They enhance the safety and security of your home for you and all of your family.
Because solar lights are easy to install they can be located in those places where traditional lights and the wiring required are a problem.

Solar Spot Lights

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Solar Flood Lights

Malibu 3 Pack Solar Landscape Plastic Flood Light Set with Remote Panel, Textured Black #LZ413

Amazon Price: (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

If you want to light a much larger area then solar flood lights will help you to do this. Again they can be mounted low for a very dramatic effect or even used to light up a large area of a wall or side of a building to give a silhouette effect to any trees or bushes etc which are located in front of them.

Solar Sign Lights And Address Numbers

Great for illuminating the entrance to your home

EZView Solar Powered Address Numbers

Amazon Price: $7.50 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

No need to get electricity down to the end of your driveway anymore if you want to illuminate the number of your house at night. Just use a solar powered sign light to get a great effect and allow everyone who is visiting you to find you really easily.
Alternatively you can use solar powered house numbers just like these.

Top Sellers in Pond Lights

Solar Powered Christmas Outdoor Lighting

Light up your garden for the Christmas season

Solar Powered White Christmas Lights

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

Yes, you now even get solar Christmas lights for your tree or other features outside and around your home. But you don't have to just use them at Christmas as they can be hung in any tree or bush or other suitable object at any time of the year, even all year if you want. Great for parties and other special occasions

Fun Christmas Outdoor Lighting on eBay

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Candles Are One Of The Cheapest Outdoor Lighting Solutions

Candles are also great for keeping insects at bay

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.

Candles and more...

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Garden Lighting Videos on You Tube

Get some tips on outdoor lighting here

Vote for your favourite video here or add your own to the list... and don't forget to vote for it.

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Light Talk...

Do you have a tip about lighting your garden... or something to say about our site? Leave your comments here...

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  • gbjuno Jul 27, 2011 @ 2:34 pm | delete
    Cool lens! I like watching the video--thanks for putting it online
  • James C May 26, 2011 @ 6:51 am | delete
    informative lens. solar light is one of the best thing for your garden light. you can also easily set up a solar panel system in your home or in the garden for this garden light purpose and can save the electricity bills.
  • Heatherseesthelight May 3, 2011 @ 6:51 pm | delete
    I never knew there were so many garden lighting options! Thanks for the fun lens--the video was a huge help! http://www.squidoo.com/brilliant-outdoors
  • Feb 12, 2011 @ 5:40 am | delete
    Good lens and nice techniques thanks for sharing these great ideas of outdoor lightning.

    Sydney industrial electrician
  • eLightSpot Nov 12, 2010 @ 5:05 pm | delete
    Great lens! The right kind of lighting can really help to accentuate every aspect of your garden, really helping to make the natural design pop!
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