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Lamps & Lighting

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Visible light is the light that our eyes detect, and the aim of artificial lighting is, on the whole, to provide conditions that approximate to natural light, so that we can see objects at night as we do during the day. To introduce a lighting system into your garden, you do not need to know that visible light is one of the types of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum; nor do you need to know that the visible light spectrum ranges through the colours of the rainbow. It will be helpful, however, if you understand the properties of light that affect the way that artificial light can be used. If you appreciate how these properties can be used and exploited within your garden, lighting design can become truly creative. Right: Choosing small light sources permits the use of luminaires hidden discreetly among planting and landscape features. Lighting Garden Features Of all the features in the garden, water is the one that most invites the use of lighting. Still, dark pools, rippling streams or cascading fountains and waterfalls present unparalleled opportunities for the creative and subtle use of light. Individual plants are also ideal subjects for lighting, whether it is the graceful form of an upright tree or the large, dramatic foliage of a shrub or perennial. Few gardens have no structures that can be lit - pergolas, summerhouses and arbours, for example, are all possible subjects. The structure and architecture of the house itself can be lit to emphasize striking features or disguise less attractive ones. Right: Subtle uplighting preserves the serenity of this oriental garden while underwater lighting provides a charismatic central focus. The purpose of lighting When you start to think about designing a lighting system for your garden you must first understand the roles lighting will play in the use and enjoyment of each part of your exterior space. The way you will use the garden and your choice of lighting will have fundamental implications for the planning of the system, including the sources of power, the number of circuits and the position and type of controls. Right: Underwater lighting on the wall fountain is framed by the lighting of the large urns, drawing the eye downward in this courtyard and away from the city lights outside. Downlighting the paved area adds foreground illumination for al fresco dinning. {.1.} {.2.}

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