Garden light isn’t just about safety and security, it can also create a sense of drama and atmosphere. When carefully considered and installed, lighting can magnify the beauty of the plants that we’ve worked so hard to grow and it can transform our home and garden at night. It’s a chance to celebrate the efforts we put in during the day, and it can remind us of those moments that make gardening so rewarding.
The best garden lights are subtle and tucked away, rather than in your face, and this is particularly important when it comes to planting beds. It’s best to start by creating a map of your garden and marking the key areas that you want to highlight. Once you’ve decided on the main areas, you can decide on the effect you’re going for – whether it’s providing a soft ambient glow, highlighting certain features or drawing the eye to a particular plant.
To illuminate trees and shrubs, it’s a good idea to use uplighting to reveal the trunk and foliage or downlighting to create dramatic silhouettes. Spike lights are easy to push into the soil of bedding areas and will subtly illuminate architectural plants or tree stems and foliage (moonlighting). Recessed lighting, such as those seen under stepping stones or benches, is useful for illuminating paths in a discreet way and for adding a little extra detail to your landscape.
Finally, if you have an ornamental pond or water feature in the garden, it’s worth installing a floodlight to illuminate the area at night. These lights will protect your investment and help to keep the wildlife that visits your garden safe. Ideally, look for lighting with an ingress protection rating of IP68 as this will offer the highest level of protection from moisture and foreign matter.