Installation of decorative garden lighting was once a simple affair. A few fixtures on the front path, perhaps a few downlights placed neatly under the trees and that was about all you had to think about. Now, we’re all keeping up with the Joneses. Many people don’t immediately see the possibilities in their own gardens, thinking that they have nothing worth illuminating on their property, but usually this is simply because they haven’t looked hard enough. Garden lights play two key roles for you: security (both from intruders and health & safety) and beauty. The two main functions for garden lighting is for security and Aesthetic appearance.
Using Decorative Garden Lighting To Improve the Appearance of Your Property.
Decorative garden lighting is quickly becoming more of an art than merely a necessity, and I’m not just referring to the neighbours in your street who get a bit carried away with their Christmas lights. Now people see it as a finishing touch to any house, illuminating certain features with certain colours in a way that can really accentuate and complete a house. When correctly placed, string garden lights can dramatize that beautiful old tree in your front yard, and highlight the most beautiful parts of the yard, drawing the eye to the most exquisite parts of the landscape on your property. It is an art to recognizing where the focal points are on a property, and deciding the appropriate amount of lighting to draw the eye to these.
The rule of thumb in getting garden lighting right is to hone in on architectural features. Perhaps you think that your house has a particularly beautiful arbor or façade? Brush the side of your house with some solar garden lights. You particularly like a fence because of it’s rough texture? Illuminate it with some low voltage garden lights. Perhaps you might want to install some pond lighting in your favourite water feature?
The key concept to master in creating attractive garden lighting is to go for a minimalistic approach, favouring soft, natural low voltage garden lights. The look you should be going for is to mimic moonlight on your property. Don’t overdo it. When done properly, what you should be seeing is the landscape, but not the lights. When installing the lights, conceal them behind a shrub, a tree branch and other naturally occurring features. Ideally when you turn the it on, the bulb should disappear entirely. This is mostly due to the fact that solar garden light usually comes from a source quite low to the ground, so if it catches your eye, it draws attention away from the feature to the light, which is counterproductive to what you want to achieve. There are decorative lights out there that are meant to be seen, but you’ll hopefully be able to work out the difference.
Using Garden Lighting To Improve the Safety and Security of Your Property.
Perhaps you have a more functional purpose in mind when installing some led solar garden lights. They can be installed
- under handrails
- stairs
- bench seating
- on decks for when you wish to entertain outdoors
- to illuminate a particularly dark part of your garden to discourage intruders
- along paths, driveways and hedges to prevent accidents.
You may also consider installing a motion detector to light up your house to provide protection even while you are away from your home. It has been well documented that motion detectors reduce the propensity of break-ins, so if your area is at all risky, this type of garden lighting is a must.
Originally posted 2010-06-09 13:33:14. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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