As the days get shorter, so does the opportunity to view your garden in all its glory. Here are some helpful tips to get your garden glowing in the cooler months:
Work with Shadow, not Against It.
Contrast is king in lighting, and it is just as much about the feature you are lighting as it is about the shadow surrounding. So make sure you choose lighting that highlights specific features, but doesn’t spill on to other aspects of your garden. This will help make the feature stand out even more!
Create a Scene
Transform a location with outdoor garden lighting as day turns to night. With the right lighting design, a space can evoke an entirely different mood than it does during the day. being able to highlight features while diverting focus from unsightly objects, like buildings next door, give you the power to create a new world. Try to pick out features with texture and colour and highlight them from below.
Find the Right Fitting
Investigate the types of lights available and use them to your advantage. By planning in advance, you can leverage light that may spill from paths onto your garden, or feature lighting that casts long shadows. That way you can reduce the amount of lights on the circuit as well as light your garden with subtle variation rather than a blanket flood of light.
Shine away from eyeline
Avoid situations that may cause lights to shine into people’s eyes by shining away from high traffic areas & using low lighting where people are likely to walk. Using hooded lighting or lights that have adjustable globes/stems(different word) is also an excellent way to avoid this. This is particularly important for deck up-lights. Where possible, place deck lighting on the perimeter of deck out of traffic areas. If a passer by is direct line-of-sight from a light source, the effect is completely drowned out by overpowering & immediate shock on eyes, even if the direct light is quite small.