Light Up Your Garden

There’s nothing quite like long, sunny days lazing in the garden. But what happens when the sun goes down? Garden lighting can add a whole new dimension to your garden, allowing you to use it for longer, move safely around it in the dark and enjoy looking out onto it from indoors. In this blog, we share some of our tips on how to light up your garden.

Garden lighting can bring your garden to life at night

Garden lighting can bring your garden to life at night (A Sculpture Garden )

1. Landscape Lighting

For us, this is the key part of garden lighting. There are LOTS of styles to choose from and it all comes down to personal taste and what style suits the style of your garden. But what they do is as important as what they look like…

1a. Uplighters

We always recommend adding uplighters into a gardening scheme. They are often used to highlight feature trees and shrubs around the garden. Sometimes they are hidden amongst herbaceous providing a glow within borders. Often they are used to highlight focal points around the garden such as sculptures and water features.

Uplighters beside water features look effective and light up your garden

Uplighters beside a water feature and raised bed looks effective at night (A Garden With A View)

1b. Post or Bollard Lights

Post lights can be a wonderful way to help you navigate around the garden. Think about where you want to locate these – avoid putting them in lawn or they will get damaged when you cut the grass. They can look lovely positioned in borders at the side of a path, nestled amongst planting to add to the soft glow of the garden.

Post lights are a great way to light a path

Post lights are a great way to light a path (A Contemporary Wildlife Garden)

1c Wall/Fence Lights

Downlighters or brick lights on walls and fences are a great way to add interest around the garden in the evening. These can be shining down onto garden art or planting and can create a lovely glow to the perimeter of the garden. They can be used in rendered raised beds to great effect too.

Brick lights set into raised beds looks amazing and light up your garden

Brick lights set into raised beds looks amazing (A Contemporary Day And Night Garden)

1d. Deck lights

Deck lights are popular and easy to fit. Small round recessed lights are a great way to add lighting but there are other options to add wow to your decking such as lights fitted into the steps or large glass blocks with brick lighting underneath for a more dramatic effect.

Add big lights to decking for dramatic effect

Add big lights to decking for dramatic effect (A Contemporary Wildlife Garden)

1e LED strip lights

These are a great way to add a WOW to your garden. They can run along steps, in water features, raised beds or sit at the bottom of rendered walls to add a wonderful effect after dark.

Adding strips of LEDs can look stunning

Adding strips of LEDs can look stunning like this garden we designed and built in Devon Village

2. Festival Lights

The big trend in garden lighting at the moment is festival lighting. These trendy fairy lights add a fizz of excitement to the garden and turn the evening into an event. Also, look at the wide variety of fairy lights on offer – from meteor showers to LED curtains there will be something to suit your style and budget. Think about where they will plug in and how they will be strung for full effect.

Festival lighting can add a real feel of excitement in the evening and light up your garden

Festival lighting can add a real feel of excitement in the evening (A Garden With A View)

3. Solar Lighting

Technology is constantly improving and the quality of solar lighting is better than it has ever been. Resist the urge to buy bargains in budget stores and splash out on better quality solar lights in order for them to give a decent effect and to last longer than one summer!

Good solar lighting can be an effective alternative

Good solar lighting can be an effective alternative (A Contemporary Wildlife Garden)

4. Coloured Lighting

Our favourite colour of lighting is always warm white in gardens as we feel it gives the nicest glow but colour can be used to great effect in gardens. Too many colours in a small garden can look too much though so restrict your choice for the best effect.

Coloured lighting should be considered carefully for the best effect

Coloured lighting should be considered carefully for the best effect (A Wildlife Friendly Garden)

5. Security Lighting

Not to be forgotten, security lighting is important in ensuring your home and garden are kept safe at night. Using a PIR can ensure it comes on at the right time and can be used to guide you safely to the door too.

Uplighting in planting creates a gorgeous glow

Uplighting in planting creates a gorgeous glow (A Contemporary Wildlife Garden)

6. Smart Lights

As with so many parts of our lives these days, your garden lighting can also be controlled by your Alexa or a smartphone. They can also be set to come on at dusk for a certain amount of time, leaving you to just sit back and pour another drink!

At Vialii, we can help you design your garden lighting scheme so that you get the most out of your garden day AND night! Please get in touch for more information on how you can light up your garden.

Vialii

Spotlight On Garden Lighting

When we do our initial consultations with clients we have an extensive list of questions we go through to ensure we cover all aspects of gardens and deliver the garden of your dreams. One of the things we discuss is garden lighting. Lighting can transform your garden in the evening and extend its use. In our latest blog we explore some different options that are available which you may wish to consider…

Garden lighting

One of the gardens we designed, lit up at night

Directional lighting

Lighting can be an important addition to the garden to ensure you can move around the garden safely once the sun starts to set. Lights set into decking, patio and paths can help you safely navigate your garden as well as create an attractive glow while you relax and enjoy your outdoor space. There are a wide range of lights available to suit all applications, environments and tastes from recessed LEDs suitable for decks and patios or post lights which can lead you up the garden path (so to speak!)

Landscape lighting

Careful positioning of lights in key areas can give your garden a wonderful new lease of life in the evening. Spotlights on focal points such as sculptures or in certain planting can make the garden look magical. Stringing fairy lights around a pergola can create a wonderful feel which will make you want to spend even longer outdoors.

Garden lighting

Orbital” by Steve James, lit up at night in “A Sculpture Garden

Hard wired lighting v solar

Solar lighting has improved a lot in recent years and is worth considering in certain areas. It is certainly a better option if there are budgetary constraints or you are looking for a more environmentally friendly solution and solar spot lights can work well to light up planting such as a feature tree. If you are looking for lights for decking, paths or to provide a stronger, more longer lasting light we would recommend wired lighting.

Lighting built into walls and seating can look great

Lighting built into walls and seating can look great

Other considerations

You should always consider light pollution, effect on wildlife, effect on the environment etc when considering garden lighting. There are various solutions to these issues such as using anti-glare, choosing the lamp colour temperature etc which we can discuss.

Garden lighting

A garden lighting layout

Whatever your requirements we are happy to discuss this and the rest of your garden design with you. We can provide a lighting layout as part of your garden design if required. All lighting must be fitted by a qualified electrician (we can recommend one if you don’t already have someone you use) and good quality proprietary garden lighting should be used to ensure it will endure the rigours of outdoor use.
To arrange a free garden design consultation please get in touch.

Kind regards

All at Vialii