You can highlight and accentuate landscaping when you use lighting in the garden. A lack of lighting makes your garden appear dim in the dark. Make it stand out with the right lighting.
Lighting with different functions
Garden lighting can have different purposes. Path lighting is used, for example, for safety. With illuminated objects or plants set accents. For example, they can create a great atmosphere with indirect or soft lighting when you use lighting in the garden.
Use lighting in the garden to increase safety
Some areas of your garden may be at risk for you and your guests in the dark. These include, for example, uneven paths, a garden pond or a pool. You can counteract this danger by illuminating the areas.
Garden paths illuminate
We walk in the dark along an unlit path and suddenly we stumble – over a stone, a hole in the ground or over a tree root. You can easily counteract this problem in your yard when you light the paths.
Pedestal and bollard lighting with a height of up to 1.5 meters provide very good illumination around the lighting. On the other hand, light spots embedded in the ground radiate the light upwards and thus illuminate a smaller area. This makes it necessary to install the spots at shorter intervals than is the case with base and bollard lights. But they do not represent a trip hazard trap.
Of course, you can also put on lights that are simply stuck in the ground. These offer the advantage that they can be used flexibly. At the same time they have the disadvantage that they are not as robust as pedestal and bollard lights as well as light spots are.
Illuminated steps are less dangerous
Do you also know the feeling of stepping into the dark in the darkness, because suddenly a staircase leads down there, which you did not see? Depending on the height of the stairs, this can have serious consequences if you lose your balance and fall down. A pair of spotlights aimed specifically at the steps or light spots integrated into the steps reduce this danger immensely. But make sure that the light sources used do not dazzle you and your guests.
Garden pond and pool light
If you have a garden pond or a pool, there is always the danger that it will be overlooked in the dark. This is a real source of danger. Place light sources around the pond or around the pool so that you and your guests will not miss it and accidentally fall into it.
Atmospheric lighting for a feel-good atmosphere
As already mentioned, you can immerse your garden in an atmospheric light. The rule is: less is more. Too much lighting would overload the garden and make anything but comfortable. I have a few suggestions for you to create an atmospheric atmosphere.
Fairytale garden pond
If you own a garden pond, you can give it a fairytale look with the right lighting. Play it quietly with different lighting effects. How about, for example, a water feature with changing colors or glowing spheres floating on the water like giant soap bubbles? There are also spotlights that you can install under water, so that the water surface is illuminated selectively from below. And a waterproof string of lights can also be used here. There are no limits to your imagination.
Flickering fire conjures up romance
If I think about romance, I immediately think of candles. On the terrace during a cozy get-together, lanterns or lanterns can create a really nice atmosphere. But also hanging in trees or placed on paths because they spray a very special charm, because they light up the environment in a warm light.
Garden torches also spread a pleasant romantic atmosphere. Here, however, there is an increased risk of fire when they fall over.
Set accents by lighting
Do you have objects in your garden that you would like to highlight? A tree or a statue? For this purpose are very well suitable small spotlights, which are simply stuck with the ground anchors in the ground. During the day, they can disappear behind stones and plants and in the dark, they put the desired object in excellent scene. Depending on the position, color and direction of the spotlights you can achieve unique lighting effects. For example, trees that may seem totally uninteresting during the day may suddenly seem totally fascinating.
Practical Tips & Tricks
When selecting the lighting, make sure that the lamps have the required IP rating for the intended application. The IP code consists of two codes. The first indicator is for protection against the ingress of foreign bodies, the second for the penetration of water. The IP rating lets you see how well a lamp is protected against ingress of solid foreign bodies and liquids.
For example, a light with protection class IP44 is protected against the penetration of foreign objects as small as 1 millimeter and against the ingress of spray water. This means that neither insects, nor splashing water, such as rainwater that splashes on the lamp, get inside the lamp. Lights of this protection class are used, for example, as wall lights.
IP68 lights are protected against the ingress of dust and must be treated with a high-pressure cleaner / steam cleaner to prevent the ingress of water, even when using the light under water. Lights of this type of protection are therefore extremely insensitive to the penetration of solid and liquid foreign bodies and can even be installed under water. Such lights are used for example in the pond or as recessed floor lights in unprotected locations.
Solar lamps are a very good alternative to electric lighting. A sensor inside the lamp ensures that the lamp starts to light automatically when it gets dark outside. But you have to keep in mind that the solar cells get as much sun as possible. You should also clean the solar cells from time to time. Only then can the solar lamps emit enough light in the dark.
Too much lighting will not only make the garden look boring, it may also boost the electricity bill. Therefore, set in the garden design on individual deliberately set lighting effects.
In addition to solar lights, you can also rely on LED lighting , energy-saving lamps or timers to reduce power consumption. Note, however, that power in the garden can also be dangerous. Therefore, you should rather have a specialist install the garden lighting if you do not want to use solar lamps.
Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.
