Thursday, May 14, 2015

How to Create a Beautifully Lit Garden

Gardens are beautiful in the daylight… but what if you want to create a stunning garden heaven during the nighttime? Maybe you want to showcase your hard-worked landscape, the flowers, or of course, be able to simply sit and enjoy your garden at night. Well, in order to do that, you need to learn how to best light the garden.

Here are some tips to help light up your landscape!

Light Key Features
One of the best ways to illuminate your garden is to light a selected number of plants, trees or other features in your landscape. Garden spike lighting is the perfect fit for lighting hedges, bushes, planters, and terrace plants, and it can even be used in ponds or fountains. Adjustable heads will allow you to angle the light and create the effect you were looking for. This will add dramatic accents to the area, all the while creating a surreal nighttime landscape. With a few simple lighted-up features, a garden (and even the house) will look a lot brighter.

Draw Attention Away from Lamps
A mistake often made is the placement of lamps as a focus in the garden. Instead, you should be aiming to draw attention away from the lamps, and place the focus on particular garden features by using the highlighting effects of light. The actual lamps themselves may be better ‘hidden’ by placing them behind plants or other features.

Buy Only Suitable Products
Not every lamp or light bulb is created for outdoor use, and using products that are not suitable to this environment is dangerous. Only use ‘outdoor-safe’ lamps that are made to withstand outside conditions such as rain, mist, hail and so on. Use lighting products that provide outside illumination options like cables, lamps, Neon Lights, outdoor LEDS, and bulbs that are safe to use outside and are made for easy connectivity to the home’s electricity.

Path Lights
By placing small fixtures along the edge of walkways or driveways, you can create a beautifully illuminated path towards your home. Depending on the lamps and spacing you select, you can create a versatile look which also doubles as a safe walkway. Soft, subtle lights are more romantic, and you should avoid creating a ‘runway’ walkway of staggering, straight light that blinds more than lights.

Outline a Landscape Bed
Rope lighting on the edge a bed of plants can create a beautifully surreal effect. While inexpensive, it’s also relatively easy to install. You can roll out the tube lighting and then pin it carefully in place by using landscape staples. It will create a hidden and dim glow that outlines the landscape bed.
Underwater Lighting
If you have water elements in your garden, lighting them up at night can a wonderful way to place the features as a focal point. Use especially designed submerged lighting lamps to create a luminous light that can showcase your fish and plants. Only use products that are created for aquatic use, as anything else can be harmful to yourself and your fish.






8 comments:

Six Time Mommy TEST said...

Wow I would love the path lights like the one above. How gorgeous. I love gardens. Don't currently have one at my current house which is a huge reason I can't wait to move! - jeanine

Masshole Mommy said...

I would LOVE to have a garden all lit up like that. I would probably just sit and look at it all night LOL.

Terri Ramsey Beavers said...

What beautiful lighting, it sure makes a lawn look exciting even at night. I would like to add some garden spike lighting in a couple of my potted plants and beside my front door. Thanks for sharing.

April Grant said...

Have to say this is gorgeous. I would love to illuminate my walkway. I think I'll be working to create a garden soon enough.

MikiHope said...

If I had a back yard I would certainly take some of this advice. Lighting your patio/backyard makes it look so inviting!

Anonymous said...

That is a gorgeous view. I am going to have to use these tips, I am moving in a few weeks and I wanted to add a little extra lighting to the outside of my house.

Elizabeth O. said...

I love the lighting. How I wish we have a garden.

Dogvills said...

Those are awesome ideas. It is important to get sustainable products and stir away from too much lights