Posts Tagged ‘outdoor lighting’

Don’t Make These Outdoor Lighting Mistakes

Thursday, July 8th, 2010


Landscape lighting is a subject rich in false ideas and mistakes that are all too easy to make yet quite simple to avoid. So let’s examine some of the more common myths and pitfalls out there.

As you might have guessed, there are more than a few landscape professionals who would prefer that folk continue to believe that installing garden lighting is a specialist job. This however is simply not true. Anyone can create fantastic landscape lighting if they follow a few straightforward principles. The single best piece of advice for getting a “designer” look in the garden (or indeed anywhere) is to plagiarize like mad. The world is awash with gardening programs and magazines and of course gardens – see what appeals to you and just steal the ideas you like most.

The second great myth/mistake that lots of people fall for is the idea that a garden should be lit up like Times Square at night. Please, don’t do this. Landscape lighting is all about subtlety and mood, suggestions and hints. The aim is to enhance natural features, exaggerating some and playing down others to create the impression that there are two quite distinct gardens – a daytime one and a night time one – not just the daytime one with the lights full on.

The follow on to the belief that bright is best is that you can also never have too much. Well actually you can. What makes outdoor lighting different from its indoors cousin is that darkness very much provides the backdrop to the whole effect. Over light it and the effect is wrecked.

It’s the contrast and the fact that you can’t actually see those areas that aren’t illuminated that provides much of the visual appeal. It permits you to design a different look at night by making some parts of the garden disappear and by emphasizing others.

The belief that solar lighting is “free” is as remarkably common as it is remarkably wrong. Apart from the initial purchase, solar lights operate by recharging batteries which have a finite number of recharge cycles before they won’t work any more.

It’s remarkably common to find supposedly “knowledgeable” folk who criticize LED outdoor lighting for their alleged lack of power. It’s certainly true that LED lights used to be up to little more than decorative effects, but not any more. Modern LED outdoor lighting easily matches traditional low voltage garden lighting and comes with a host of other benefits. Very low energy consumption, no heat, variety of formats and colors, and high durability being among them.

In conclusion:

you don’t need to pay an expensive professional; brightness is not as it happens important; nor is quantity; solar lighting is not equivalent to free lighting; LED garden lighting is the future.

If you found this article interesting then you’ll want to follow these links to discover more about LED outdoor lights, and low voltage garden lighting.

Garden lighting is a major part of a garden and will make the tables and chairs stand out in your outdoor entertainment space.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009


If you want a nice relaxing garden then you should consider buying some garden lighting to ensure your garden is stylish and enjoyable. You can find garden lighting in a variety of shapes and sizes so you shouldn’t have a problem finding some that’ll suit your needs and tastes.

Garden lighting and chairs, benches, tables and loungers make a garden stylish and very relaxing so you can enjoy it. There are plenty of options available, even for small gardens. Garden lighting is suitable for almost any garden size and shape.

Relaxing in your garden is easy when you buy garden lighting – a lot of people who have purchased garden lighting have never looked back. If you buy yourself some tables and chairs then you should consider where to place them. Patio or decking areas are ideal.

Chairs and tables are an important part of your garden lighting design because they are the centre of entertainment in your garden. Garden lighting that is sleek and stylish is very popular these days. Tables and chairs can be hard to choose but stick to simplistic designs.

Garden lighting such as tables have plenty of options available such as wood, metal, glass, round, square, rectangle etc. So choose the option that you like best. Once you have your table sorted you’ll be able to buy your chairs that match and you’ll be ready to move on to more garden lighting.

Garden lighting such as sun loungers should be your next choice because they make a garden perfect for relaxation. There are tons of different garden lighting sun loungers available and there are lots of shapes and sizes to choose from.

If you want stylish garden lighting then you should definitely look at sun loungers. Try and choose a set that are sleek. Sun lounger designs vary a lot so you should do some research into what designs you like before you decide to purchase.

Garden lighting stores both online and offline sell sun loungers so you shouldn’t have a problem finding some to buy. You will need to think about how much you are willing to spend on your garden lighting so make sure you plan a budget.

You’ll also need to know where to buy your garden lighting. There are several places such as large garden stores. The most popular places in the UK to buy garden lighting are probably B&Q and Homebase or in catalogues.

You will be able to consider the ranges available once you have decided on a shop and a budget for your garden lighting. Providing you have done your research, you should find buying garden lighting for your home and easy and fun thing to do.

If you have a lot of parties or BBQs then garden lighting is a must for your home even if you only have limited space. Garden lighting is available for all sizes of garden so you should be able to find what you’re looking for no problem.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your garden is, if you can sit outside and enjoy the sun you’ll be happy. Even if you don’t have a huge budget you can still buy garden lighting that’ll help you enjoy your outside space.

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The Right Place For Your Outdoor Lighting

Saturday, February 21st, 2009


If you do not plan your lighting carefully, it can make or break your landscape. The entire reason for having outdoor lighting is for two purposes:

1.) To improve the value of your garden 2.) To create a certain ambiance in your garden

In more cases than not, you will find your backyard garden decorated with lighting in one of two ways. The first, is an all purpose lighting, with the main function of lighting up the space for use during the night.

The second type of lighting is used with great effort for adding an ambiance or mood to your garden. This king of special purpose lighting, can be witnessed around rock gardens, fountains or being a large tree for lighting and shadowing effects.

One of the main advantages of landscape lighting is not just for lighting, but also to use the shadows cast around artificial or natural objects. There are unlimited chances for a splendid show of lighting effects you can use in your garden. You can use a Japanese garden lamp carved in stone along the path to create a lovely effect for a small budget.

Landscape lighting needs to be planned during the initial design stage. When you want to create a landscape plan for your garden, it is important to note the position of lighting in your plans so that electric wiring can be run underground prior to starting any pathway or lawn construction.

Another important aspect in the field of landscape lighting is the use of solar powered landscape lights. Just as the name suggests, these lights use direct sunlight and convert it into electricity and store it in a batter for later use.

In the early stages of development, these lights used to be powered by a battery made of lead and acid, now this form has been replaced by a nickel-cadmium battery which allows for longer storage and better performance.

The light bulb has now been replaced by an LED light. It used to be a standard incandescent bulb, but this consumed more electricity and has a short life span. If you are planning to use these types in your garden, you must plan their position first, this is to ensure they receive the direct sunlight required for usage.

You should not position these landscaping lights in a place where shadows will fall on trees even where shadows on the house will fall. Look for the areas that get direct sunlight and this will ensure maximum usage of every outdoor light that you will use.

You can cater to the problem of special solar landscape lighting, there are other types available which the solar cell and battery are located away from the light fixture. This means you can put them in a location where they will get direct sunlight exposure. This means wiring will have to be run from the solar cell or battery and to the fixture in your garden. You will gain from planning this at the design stage, which will save you time and length of wiring, which also saves you money.

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