Light is a powerful tool in landscaping. A well-planned outdoor lighting can greatly improve even the smallest garden. Thanks to the various lighting effects you can transform even an unassuming space into an eye-catching work of art. Not everyone is a keen lighting designer though and some, especially older, landscape lighting systems are in dire need of improvement. So, what should you do to improve your garden’s lights? Here are some lighting tips that should come in handy.
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Where to start?
First, you should divide your garden into zones, as different parts of it require different lighting treatment. This will help you choose the right light fixtures for a given spot. For example, if you want to light up a long path, it might be better to use post lights rather than stake lights, depending on the available space. Also, an area that’s in need of security lights won’t benefit much from path lights, as it must be kept well lit.
If you’re not certain, what lighting effects you want to achieve, try experimenting with a torch. It can easily simulate e.g., spotlights, giving you a rough idea of possible solutions. It’s also an easy way to work out the best angles for landscape lighting before committing to any fixtures. Furthermore, it will help you work out spots where your current garden lighting is lacking.
Lastly, think about the power source. If your current outdoor lights that run on batteries aren’t sufficient, consider replacing them with solar- or mains-powered fixtures. Those two are far more reliable and don’t require as much maintenance. Especially solar-powered lights are great for low-maintenance gardens, as they turn on and off automatically, and don’t need frequent battery changes. Unfortunately, they won’t work as good in shaded areas.
Types of outdoor lights
Currently, there are thousands upon thousands of outdoor light fixtures available on the market. Despite that, they can be roughly divided into six categories:
1. Spotlights
They emit directed, relatively narrow beams that can create dramatic lighting effects (e.g., silhouetting majestic trees), highlight specific landscape features (like statues), or illuminate certain points of the garden – entrance, front door, patio, gazebo etc. They can be used both as security and accent lights.
2. Floodlights
Contrary to the aforementioned fixtures, floodlights emit a very wide beam meant for light-washing large stretches of the yard, exterior walls, and big flowerbeds. They can be surface- or ground-mounted and are mostly used for safety and security lighting.
3. Path lights
Lights of this type (e.g., post lights, stake/spike lights and bollard lights) serve mainly as safety lighting along driveways, paths, around obstacles or potential landscape hazards (e.g., stairs) and bodies of water. In addition, they also work good as illumination for garden furniture and flowerbeds – especially stake lights can be smoothly incorporated into them.
4. Facade/wall lights
In this category you can find some of the most stylish/decorative lamps made for outdoor use. You can choose from a plethora of both vintage- and modern-looking lanterns, sconces, and other lighting fixtures. They can be mounted on any vertical surface, be it a house wall, gazebo, fence, patio, or an oddly shaped garden wall. While browsing for wall-mounted landscape lighting, you should keep in mind that most of them are mains-powered, so they should be placed not far from the house. This also makes them harder to install properly, as wiring them to the mains requires some electrical proficiency.
5. Deck lights
Deck lights can be surface-mounted or recessed (into the ground or surface of the decking, depending on the model). They are discreet fixtures that emit soft, washing light great for safety and accent landscape lighting. Deck lighting is an especially popular solution for illuminating walkways, garden steps, gazebos, patios, and any other deckings. Some models with high enough pressure resistance can be used as driveways’ illumination without the risk of being crushed under the car’s weight.
6. Festoon/string lights
String lights (sometimes called fairy lights) are a series of smaller, fixed light bulbs connected by long cables. Festoons are similar fixtures with one big difference – they use bigger (even ‘regular-sized’) bulbs that can be individually replaced. Both are made with accent and mood lighting in mind, but can be used quite differently. Festoons work best for illuminating larger spaces, while string lights can be wrapped around objects, especially bushes and trees, adding fairy hue to them.
If you’re looking for LED-based garden lights, https://lucasled.ie/led-garden-lights will get you covered.
What to consider while browsing for a light fixture?
Type, style and overall looks are important factors, but they aren’t the only features you should pay attention to while looking for a perfectly matched fixture. Here are a few important ones:
Brightness
A garden light’s purpose is largely dictated by how bright it is. For example, a dim, soft light can illuminate the outline of a porch, but it won’t be sufficient for security. Those should be bright enough to dispel the dark in the yard and discourage unwanted night guests. So, always check the lamp’s lumens (measurement of brightness, not exactly correlated with wattage) to make sure it’ll be bright enough for its intended purpose.
Colour of the light
Although this may look like a purely decorative matter, the colour of light has a massive impact on the illuminated site and its overall feel. Therefore, a task lighting should be kept in cool white ranges, as they help to focus, while warm white or multicoloured lighting is better suited for relaxation spaces.
What does warm/cool light mean? It’s simple – temperature (measured in Kelvins) is one of light’s features. Cooler lights appear to be bluish (similar to clear sky daylight), while warmer ones fall into the yellow-orangish category (think candlelight). At first, this might be confusing as in the light’s case, the higher the temperature goes, the cooler it gets.
Some examples:
- <1900K – candlelight,
- 2700K – warm, yellowish light emitted by dim bulbs,
- 4000K – neutral white,
- 6500K – daylight (overcast sky).
IP rating
Any fixture meant for outdoor use should be able to withstand harsh weather conditions. Therefore, you should pay attention to its IP (Ingress Protection) rating. Those two numbers inform us on how good it’s protected against solid objects (first number that goes from 0 to 6) and moisture (second – up to 8).
The absolute minimum IP rating for landscape lighting is 44 – the lamps won’t get penetrated by objects >1 mm and are splashproof. The optimal option would be IP65 – it’s sufficient for anything that British weather can concoct. The waterproofing of 5+ is only needed when there’s an excess of water or if you plan to put the light in a pond. So lamps with that rating aren’t that common.
alt=”Stake Lights In A Flowerbed”
Outdoor lighting – ideas and inspirations
Now that we’ve taken care of the theory part, let’s look into some practical tips on landscape lighting tips.
Blend the lights with their surroundings
Especially string and stake lights are easy to weave into the scenery – their soft glow will add some dreamy vibes to your outdoor room. If you think that standard stake light won’t match your vision, reach for something less obvious. For example, if you want to preserve the natural look of your flowerbed or rockery, try some stone-shaped LED lights – a glowing rock will surely attract attention to it. String lights can be easily strung on a tree or a hedge – if you add some colour to it, you can create a truly magical patch of space.
Emphasize height
Are you a proud owner of a tall gazebo or a tree with extensive canopy? Add a few garlands of string lights to it to emphasize how majestic it is! This will not only decorate it, but also create a cascading lighting effect for bonus style points.
Add variety
Using the same fixtures or lighting effects all across the garden is a straight path to dull out the experience. Try experimenting with various options to find the ones that’ll work well with a given zone. But beware, as variety is a double-edged sword – it’s rather easy to overdo it and cram too much into small spaces. Stick to max 2-3 effects per zone to avoid light pollution.
Illuminate bodies of water
Light reflecting on the water’s surface can be used for mirroring images. So, a well-placed lamp will not only prevent unplanned baths, but also help in creating interesting visuals.
Improve your garden with LED lights
Outdoor lighting came a long way in the past few years – it stopped being purely functional feature and became a great decorating tool. Currently, LEDs are the best available option for lighting up your yard – they consume far less energy than halogen and incandescent lights and are far more long-lived. Despite being low-voltage lighting, LEDs can get really bright. Many LED bulbs also offer RGB options, enabling you to change their colour practically on a whim. So, if you want to improve your outdoor lighting, you should definitely go LED!
