How to Light Your Garden
by Christine
Garden lighting is one of the more intricate forms of lighting on your property. There are so many unique and different ways to light them up. You’ve likely noticed how different gardens look from house to house - this is even more true when it comes to night lighting.
Outdoor lighting is at its most interesting when used in a home garden setting. There are so many factors to consider, it is hard to know where to begin!
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to light your garden. You’ll learn a few simple strategies to light the whole garden well as well as some security tips to consider as you set it up.
If you would like to know more about lighting up your garden, then read on!
What Lights to Use
You can’t use the same lights that you would use inside your home in your garden - at least, not all of them. However, there are several main types of lights that work well in most garden settings.
The first type of light that we’ll be looking at is the lamppost. The lamppost is quite a typical outdoor light and can be used in many settings, including gardens. They’re installed from the ground and stand tall, like a post - hence the name, lamppost! These are good for lighting up taller plants as well as pathways.
Another common type of lighting to use in the garden is the hanging light. Hanging lights tend to be hung from trees or walls around the outside of the garden.
Fluorescent lighting is one of the most common types of lighting used in gardens. These halogen reflector lamps are perfect for lighting up the various levels of your garden. They’re also great for security purposes, which we’ll discuss later.
LED lights are also quite popular. LED lights last far longer than most and consume less electricity - they’re extremely efficient.
Solar powered lighting is popular for those of us who like to conserve energy. While solar-powered lights aren’t consistently as strong as some others, they gain power over the day from solar rays instead of using electricity from the mains source.
Porch lights and spotlights can also be considered garden lights. These are mainly used for security as they are usually placed near entrances to your home. The aesthetic brought by these lights is a nice addition.
Lighting a Path
Lighting up the pathways in your garden is incredibly important. This is especially true if your garden has a pond or any other potentially hazardous locations for someone to walk into while it’s dark.
There are a number of useful outdoor lighting types when it comes to illuminating a path. Lampposts can be quite good, but we don’t recommend lighting up the entire path with them. Placing one at each corner is usually enough.
When it comes to lighting up the entire path, smaller lights such as LED or solar-powered lights can be best. These lights are usually quite short but are strong enough to light the width of a pathway. You can set them up with a space between a half or full meter, depending on the wattage of each light. Our tip is to test one out to see how far the light reaches before setting up the rest.
Fluorescent lights can also light up a pathway quite well. Usually, these hang from trees or well-placed posts so that they cover the entire path. At the end of the day, any light that can efficiently light up the whole path and keep you from accidentally wandering off it is a good light to go with.
Lighting a Small Garden
If your garden is quite small, you don’t want to ruin it by using too many powerful lights. While your garden should be well-lit for the sake of ambiance and safety, there is such a thing as an overly bright garden.
We recommend using a few fluorescent lights of average power to reach the various corners and levels of your small garden. In addition to these, you can use some wall lamps and LED lights to cover the remaining dark spots. Try not to use any lights with more than 12 volts of power. Anything above this can overpower a small area.
Lighting a Patio
While we said earlier that lampposts aren’t the best for lighting up most garden paths, they are great for lighting up a patio. A lamppost at each outer edge of the patio works perfectly.
Most of the time, a patio will begin from one of your home’s entrances or walls and stretch out toward the central region of the garden. You should place the lampposts on the sides nearest the garden and light up the area closer to the home with hanging or pendant lights. You can also use porch lights and spotlights when the aesthetic fits.
If you really want to make your patio look amazing, consider using some small lamps or candles on the banister if there is one and add some subtle wall lamps. This will further improve the ambiance and potentially bring about a more restful or even romantic vibe.
Lighting as Security
As you plan out your garden lighting, be sure to include security as a factors to consider. The garden is a great place to relax, even at night. However, you still need to be able to see in any possible direction that a trespasser could come from.
Obviously, the best way to ensure your own lighting security is through porch lights and spotlights. You can set them up with dimmers so that you can adjust them depending on whether you are inside or outside. When you’re inside, these security lights should be bright enough that you would easily spot anyone in your garden or around your home when they shouldn’t be. Motion sensor lights are another good security measure.
Ensure that your lighting doesn’t reach your neighbor’s property either. Security is important, but so is neighbourly etiquette!
Now you know how to efficiently light your garden! As always there are many ways to design aesthetically pleasing garden lighting, so feel free to try out patterns of your own. Have a go using our tips and see what you end up with!