Tips For Choosing Lighting For Your Garden

Garden lighting fixtures can be used to illuminate areas for the comfort and convenience of visitors and to compliment plants and water features.

Lighting fixtures along paths and shining on areas of pedestrian traffic need to be placed in a way that illuminates the area but should not be overly bright. They should be installed in a configuration that does not shine directly into the eyes but still gives appropriate lighting.

Many garden lights are controlled by a timer or solar cell that turns them on and off automatically, eliminating the need for switches and special wiring. Less frequented areas are a good location for motion sensor lights that can be set to turn on when approached. They are designed to ignore animals and can be adjusted to stay lighted for various periods of duration.

Solar powered lights, which depend on the sun recharging them each day, need to be in an area where they can gather full sunlight into their solar cells. Other areas can be illuminated with low voltage or standard voltage lighting.

Gas lights are available for garden lighting, but care must be taken to have the lines that feed them properly installed. They should be placed in such a way that they will not interfere with future cultivation. The same caution should be observed when installing wiring for electrical lighting.

Lighting fixtures should be installed in such a way that they do not draw attention to themselves during daylight hours. Placing them behind rocks or statuary and tucking them in behind plants serves well as long as they are kept properly trimmed to avoid overgrowth.

At night, they should compliment the plants they illuminate and should be of proper wattage so they are not too bright in relation to other lights in the garden.

Trees and large plants create a pleasurable appearance when their limbs and branches are illuminated with up lights, but caution should be taken so that the area is not over illuminated.

In areas where other gardens are in close proximity, care should be taken so lights do not invade neighbors' windows or interfere with other garden lighting.

Choose lighting that highlights the favoured areas of the garden, and select subdued lighting for areas of less interest or importance. A transposition from light to dark is a good design feature as long as proper lighting for walking safely is preserved. Small lights that illuminate the earth or stones along a path serve this purpose well.

Water features offer an excellent area for lighting to be creatively placed. Underwater lighting is available in many variations and is especially attractive in a small pond with fish swimming about. Care should be taken to use lighting that is properly installed and is specifically designed to be placed underwater.

Waterfalls and fountains totally change in appearance when lighting is added to their areas of the garden.
Both natural light and lights of various colours can make water features the focus of attention or an attractive background for plants.

Choosing Lighting For Your Garden can be an enjoyable experience and can be done over a period of time stretching out the cost and allowing designing as the seasons change.