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With strategically placed illuminated water features and designed garden lighting schemes you can brighten up the winter months by enjoying the magic of your garden from the comfort and warmth of your home, thus getting year pleasure from your garden.
Garden lighting has come a long way from the glaring security lights of days gone by, however some people still have visions of Blackpool illuminations as soon as you suggest lighting in the garden! There is absolutely no need for this approach in modern day garden lighting, the aim is to create depth and interest instead of a flat landscape which results from the use of large halogen security lights.
Garden lighting is not just for the summer months it is an all year round feature, more so in the winter months with the early dark nights. We think of garden lighting only if we re out having a barbecue however, using lighting design techniques, you can transform your garden into a living moving outdoor showpiece.
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Garden Lighting
After spending thousand of pounds on conservatories or Bi-fold patio doors, why, come the hours of darkness do we just close the curtains or blinds? When left open and sitting in the warmth of your own home you can enjoy the changes in the seasons like you have never seen them before, with the wind, rain, snow and frost creating mesmerising effects.
The role of garden lighting is two-fold; they help to guide you around your garden at night and they also add drama and magic to your garden. Get the most out of your garden by being able to enjoy its beauty both at night as well as during daylight hours.
Water always adds an extra dimension to your garden especially if it is moving. The sight and sound of water can be soothing or invigorating, depending on the flow and brings liveliness light and movement unmatched by anything else. Combining water with effective lighting can transform your garden into a brilliant and enchanted place.
Lighting can also create different effects in your garden giving you a whole different
view during the hours of darkness. Of course gardens are great for dining, entertaining
and for parties, use dramatic lighting to transform your garden into a stylish venue
as t
he sun sets.
Uplighting
Lighting from below a feature produces an effect that demands attention because it reverses the effect of daylight. The light should be aimed away from where you would be viewing the illuminated feature so that the beauty can be appreciated without glare or seeing where the light originates.
Although uplighting can be thought of as a ground based function, it can also be achieved by spotlights mounted on walls, structures such as pergolas and branches.
Downlighting
Lighting in a downward direction from a structure to provide a pool of light on a surface or feature below can provide great illumination for appearance as well as safety and security, it also provides a contrast to the uplighting of other features. You could include a downlight from a pergola or a wall onto a dining table or path below.
Crosslighting
Features with texture and form such as statues and urns can appear as a flat cut-out when lit from the front. Lighting from one side will often display the shape and texture well, although this sometimes means that part of the shape is lost in shadow. This can be rectified by adding another light on the opposite side, a little further away. Spike mounted lights offer the most flexibility in achieving a lighting balance, however wall mounted spotlights can be an effective alternative.
Accent lighting uses directional lights to emphasize individual plants, focal points or other features so that they stand out within the view, either against a dark background or where the backdrop of a hedge, wall or planting area is less brightly illuminated. It can be achieved by any positional technique uplighting, downlighting or crosslighting and from any point of origin in a tree, in the ground or on a wall or structure. It is achieved by focusing the beam of light on the subject but requires careful positioning and aiming to avoid over lighting which creates a washed out appearance or light spilling beyond the focal point to project ugly shadows on adjacent surfaces.
Washing
Ground recessed lights placed evenly along a painted rendered wall lacking in texture will draw attention to a strong painted colour or reflect the light from light coloured walls to define the space and create an intimate atmosphere. The key to this effect is to use a low level of lighting to create a subtle ambience.
Grazing
Where texture is an obvious aspect of a feature or surface, for example a stone wall or the distinctive foliage or a plant or tree or the trunk of a tree, lighting at an acute angle from a position near the surface will emphasize its texture as well as its colour by casting a strong shadow. This effect is often achieved by uplighting but can also be achieved by downlighting using wall mounted spotlights.
By lighting a wall or other vertical surface behind a feature with a distinctive outline such as a small tree or an architectural plant a silhouette is achieved. Although the colour and texture of the subject are hidden the distinctive outline can make a fascinating focal point.
Step Lighting
Where overhead lighting is not an available option, lighting at step level becomes necessary. Each individual tread should receive direct lighting without being shadowed by the riser above. Step lights should ideally be set into a flanking wall, bank or balustrade. Sometimes the only option available is to fix the lights into the risers of the steps; however this is far from ideal as the beam will be in your line of vision as your eyes check the route forward for your eyes to follow.
Spread Lighting
This is the use of low level lights to provide a glare free circular pool of light for a path, step or patio. The lights, which are visible, fulfil essential safety functions in lighting paths and steps.
Moonlighting
Trees can be excellent lighting platforms for illuminating all manner of garden features and areas below including shrub borders, terraces, lawns, driveways, paths, steps and seating areas by suspending spotlights from branches.
Alternatively spotlights can be used to shadow the lower branches and foliage of the tree onto the ground below. This provides a wonderfully subtle, dappled lighting effect over a tree seat and is also a creative way of integrating the lawn into the lighting scene. This should always be accompanied by uplighting of the trunk to anchor the tree to the ground, avoiding an impression of glowing foliage floating above the ground!
Mirroring is achieved quite simply by accent lighting a feature on the far side of a body of water so that its image is mirrored in the water when it is seen from a viewpoint on the patio, in the house or from a strategically placed seat.
Shadowing
The shadow of a plant or small tree can be projected onto a wall behind by placing a spotlight in front of the plant so that the light shines through the foliage towards the wall. By varying the distance between the light and the object you can alter the size of the image that is projected onto the wall.
Mr & Mrs R
Pontefract
K & B
Ackworth
K & B
Ackworth
Mr & Mrs B
Wakefield
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