How to Plan Garden Lighting
With all this free time we have been given and the amazing weather on top of it, a lot more of us are spending more time relaxing in our gardens. This may have got you thinking about how you can upgrade your outdoor space and give your garden a little makeover, especially with long, warm summer evenings on the horizon. Here, we have a quick guide on how you can spruce up your evenings in the garden with some new lighting features, with tips on how to plan and design it!
5 Steps to Planning Garden Lighting
1. Where to Position Your Garden Lighting
The first thing you need to consider is where the lighting should go. Take into account the different areas of your garden such as steps, a pathway, decorative features or a seating area, and think about how those areas may be enhanced. On the other hand, you may want certain areas in your garden to be less enhanced and not part of the main focal points, such as your shed or a patch of earth that needs some TLC.
2. Choosing the Type of Lighting Fixture
Next, would be to think about what type of lighting fixture would work best for that particular area. There are so many types of lighting to choose from, including outdoor fairy lights, solar garden lights, lanterns, wall fixed lights, security lighting and many more. Certain types will give you different kinds of atmosphere, it’s up to you to think about what kind of ambience you want. For example, fairy lights and lanterns hanging around your seating area could give you a cosy, and enchanting atmosphere. Whereas wall lights could give a smart, sleek mood. It’s best to stick to one colour of lighting, as having cool white lights mixed with warmer toned lights it could make the design seem mismatched.
3. Consider Cabling, Switches etc
If you want lighting features that need a cable to power them then you need to consider a few things. Firstly, if that cable is going to be powered from inside the house, you need to think about how that will work best for the way your garden is set up and if it’s a good option for you. Where will you turn them on from? Are they going to have switches inside the house and out in the garden? If they do turn on from inside the house, then a new switch outlet may have to be installed. As with every electric appliance, the safety of them is the top priority. Outside in the garden, the lights will be exposed to the elements, the most dangerous being water. As soon as water enters it the external fitting will fail, which is why finding the best quality outdoor fitting you can is essential.
4. Consider Your Neighbours and Wildlife
No one likes to be disturbed by their neighbours, so take care in ensuring that your lighting isn’t shining into their property. Bright floodlight style lights could easily glare through their curtains in the evening, so be sympathetic to that issue. If you live in an area with a lot of wildlife you may want to consider how your lighting will affect it. Insects and other animals can have their natural behaviour disturbed by cool bright lights. Opting for low-intensity lights that emit a warmer glow can help to reduce the impact of disturbance. For more info on how you can look after the wildlife within your garden lighting check out the advice from the Royal Horticultural Society.
5. Installation
Lastly, always hire a qualified technician for any installation work. Save yourself the risk and danger of trying to fit the items yourself. During this pandemic, we encourage you to buy now, install later. Spend this free time to start designing and planning your garden, ready to be created when the restrictions allow.
Please Note:
Currently, we are temporarily closed and will remain so until it is safe for us to fully reopen again. Our services remain in place for electrical emergencies for domestic, industrial and commercial customers. If you have a genuine electrical emergency, please call us on 01752 338495 or 07802 827636. Please stay home and stay safe.
