Illuminate your garden at night with a mix of ambient and task lighting. Here’s how to achieve both function and style…
• Guide visitors to your front door with soft path lighting along the edge of a walkway or driveway. Make sure stairs and other potential trip hazards are well-lit and direct most of the light downward to avoid glare.
• There’s an endless array of outdoor lights to choose from. Pick a style that complements your garden and home’s architecture.
• Use wall-mounted lights to frame patio doors, light up an entrance or aim them at a specific garden feature, for instance. They also help to give a house a sense of height when used on balconies. Plan ahead when incorporating lighting into a wall though – always leave access to wiring for repairs or future maintenance.
• Hang lights from tree branches or wrap them with fairy lights to add some night-time sparkle.
• Set lights into your decking. It takes a bit more time and effort to install but it’s worth it in the long run. Use LEDs, as they produce very little heat and are safe to the touch.
• Use up-lighting to illuminate trees, project plant shadows and silhouette other features (like a garden bench or sculpture). Up-lighting is where the light fixture is mounted below or at ground level. For trees, the fixture is placed at the base to shine its way up the trunk. The effect is very striking and works well to illuminate focal-point objects, highlight strong shapes of foliage and add overall ambiance to the landscape.
• On the flipside, down-lighting creates ambient light that is perfect for entertaining. Simply hang a wide-angle, low-intensity light in a tree or trellis to cast shadows on the ground, similar to moonlight.
• When it comes to steps and decks, incorporate lights into the steps themselves, underneath railings and on posts.
• Use lanterns on patios by setting candles in them. (Use candles only where there is no chance that they will fall over and become a fire hazard.)
• Security lighting is always a good idea. Illuminate dark corners, but don’t go ‘prison break’ bright with floodlights that will light up the whole neighbourhood. Make sure you position spotlights to focus their beams away from windows and the neighbours.
• The same applies to motion sensors – less is more. Only use them in spots where it’s handy to have light for short periods.
• Run rope lighting around the edges of your garden beds for added glow.
• Always make sure that your house number is well lit for safety and for practical reasons.
• Consider running lighting in between rocks and stones to create interesting shapes and shadows.
• Adding ‘submerged lighting’ creates lovely, luminous light that shows off pools, fishponds and plants after dark. Just make sure that the lights you use are rated for water use.
More hints and tips
• Before you invest in outdoor lighting, grab a torch and walk around your garden at night. Where are you most likely to trip? Is it easy to find your way from A to B? Which areas would you like to highlight?
• Consider using dimmers so you can lower or turn up the amount of light to fit the mood or occasion.
• Some plants don’t like constant light at night, so keep an eye out for changes or damage to foliage.
• It’s hard on the eyes to move from a bright space to an unlit one, so try a subtle overall wash of light versus pops of light.
• Opt for solar solutions where possible – no wiring required. Simply place them in a sunny spot to absorb the rays and watch as they come on automatically after dark.
Image: iStock
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