Where to start! Lighting is so subjective. Lighting can be practical, aesthetic and sometime both. It can be compared to that inside a home with table lamps, ceiling lights, spotlights, uplighters and candles.
What you chose depends on the look you’re after, what you’re going to do in the garden and what you like and of course don’t like. I’ve tried to set out below what we might use and why.
String, garland or fairy lights
This is possibly one of my favourites for informal lighting, it is generally LED and can be tiny dots of light, styled like old fashioned bulbs, various shapes eg flowers, snowflakes, balls etc and in white or coloured. My preference is for tiny dots in warm white.
Depending how long it is and how much you drape it will alter the amount of light given. For example putting two looping horizontal lines will give out a fair amount of light, just one obviously gives less.
You can put string lights on practically anything, trees, shrubs, walls, pergolas, arches, fencing, along the fascia of your house, looped between posts, honestly the options are practically endless.
Lights for trees – moonlighters or downlighters
Whilst uplighting a tree can look stunning we prefer to use moonlights where possible as they don’t light up the sky and therefore interrupt wildlife.
A moonlight is placed low in the canopy and shines down through the branches just like the moon, hence the name.
Just one or two of these lights placed in your trees can be really effective, adding drama to your garden from outside and in.
Spike lights
A few of these lights amongst the planting or alongside a path give a wash of light that can point people in the direction to go or lighten a bed/border adjacent to a patio or terrace. Again, less is more and we generally use an odd number.
Directional spike lights are the best version to use and they come in a range of muted colours. Whist you can get them in any RAL colour we find the standard black, green or copper do a great job.
Eyelid or brick step and wall lights
I’ve covered two types of light here as essentially, they fulfil a similar role, they both throw light across a surface. The eyelid light is typically used in the sides of steps as it sends a beam across the step tread. The brick light can be used in the same way on steps or in walls adjacent to paths or terraces. These lights are for practical use but that doesn’t mean they can’t be aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Again the standard range of colours is more than suitable.
Power source
Whilst the second two types of lighting will be mains wired and connected to the house fuse box, they will likely need a transformer as they run on a lower wattage than house lights. Care must be taken to ensure cables cannot be chewed through.
You can often control these lights via an app on your phone so you don’t have to go inside at dusk to continue enjoying your garden. Nor do you have to go into your garden to turn on the lighting to alter the view out of your window.
String lights have different power sources, mains, solar and battery. I’ve had all three and have to say the longest lasting are mains powered. As we are keen to promote dark skies and not light our gardens unnecessarily using solar which folk often don’t turn off is not something I personally promote.
Dark skies initiative
This is the issue with lighting impacting wildlife, insects and the wider planet.
The simple rules for a dark skies scheme are:
- Downward or horizontal plane illuminating – not upwards.
- Avoid illumination near waterways and hedgerows.
- Use warm lighting – 1800K being the best viable option.
- Use the lighting only when needed.
- Ideally cap lighting at 2m high – bats fly at around 2m and above.
- Fade the lighting towards the boundary for subtlety.
We are fully behind this initiative and as such never specify uplighters for example.
Much of the information above is from Hudson Lighting who design and make their fittings in Surrey, UK. Chris Hudson and his team are on hand to work with garden designers and landscape architects to put the best lighting layout possible into gardens, with fittings, connections and all the technical elements which are built to last and importantly can be individually changed without having to replace the whole system. Another sign of their eco outlook and measure to put sustainability at the heart of what they do.
How a garden designer can help
We can help to plan your outdoor space and get the most out of it. Suggesting lighting is something we usually offer.