The garden can serve a variety of functions other than just a beautiful through-way to the house. It can be a place to play, party, or to relax. Such activities can be done during either the day or night. For these reasons, you should consider adding some lighting features to your garden.
Lighting creates an impressive backdrop to your soft landscaping and house. The beauty of your yard will be visible to your guests at night. As a tip, you should only illuminate the area which you need to highlight and keeping the other areas in the dark.
Make Informed Choices
There are various factors that you need to consider when deciding how to bring lighting to your garden. You need to start by planning everything out before you buy any lighting equipment.
There are a few tips that you should have in mind when making choices. For starters, fewer lights will probably be better than what you think. The idea should not be to illuminate each square inch of the garden. Figure out only the strategic places to put lights.
You can also consider creative types of lighting to bring in a dramatic effect. Moonlighting is one such example, where a spotlight is placed in a tree to create pools of light. The intensity of the light should also not be too much that it feels like a security light instead of being attractive.
Another great idea is to try to create some contrast in the garden. Using different shades of white light, or different light colours are examples of how you can achieve this contrast.
Design a Safe Lighting Scheme
The lighting in your garden should be as adequate as it can be, but also safe. The effect of illumination may even be ruined if connections and cable are left showing. You need to identify hidden places, where the waterproof boxes and conduits will be fixed to keep them out of sight. You can also opt to use mesh-reinforced tubing for the cables, which will not only hide the wires but also prevent pests from chewing and damaging them. If you choose for lighting that is recessed into the ground, make sure that water drains well around it to avoid a build-up of water around the electrical charge.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Given the fact that lighting usually draws the eye, you need to ensure that you place the right lights in the right places. The brightest light, for example, is what will draw the most attention. You, therefore, need to ensure that it is placed in the most inspiring position in the garden to create the best first and overall impression. You should also avoid placing lights in the general line of sight, such as opposite the deck.
Lighting your garden increases the number of ways that you can use it, including night-time activities. It can even be a place to dine with friends and family during the warm summer seasons. All this makes it imperative to invest in garden lighting.