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If you have a beautiful garden, then it seems a shame to hide it when it gets dark. Landscape lighting can help turn your gloomy garden into a place of beauty at night, making it both a magical place for parties and entertaining, as well as a relaxing place for you to relax in when the evening falls.
- Deciding where to place exterior lights is more a matter of taste than anything else. You might want more bright lights around your patio and barbecue area, or subtle ones throughout the garden. Look out of your windows and see where the focal points should be, maybe you have certain plants you'd like to light up. Generally less is more when it comes to lighting. If you use too many lights, then it will be too bright and you might as well just use a floodlight. You're aiming for texture and shadow, highlighting the parts of the garden that you love most.
- If you want to permanently illuminate your home's garden at night, rather than for a special one off occasion, then you'll need to provide an electricity point for your outdoor light fixtures. First off, you'll need to buy a transformer. This handy gadget converts your household electricity into a form which can power 12 volt outdoor light fixtures, and is weatherproof so it's perfectly safe. It's straightforward to install, and you can purchase it with a timer so that you can control it easily.
- Next, you'll need to buy some low voltage wire. Visit your local lighting store, which will either be able to sell you some or advise you where to go. Strip off the end of the wire for about 1 ½” and attach it to the transformer using wire nuts. Do this for as many lights as you've chosen to install, and lightly bury the wires in the earth. You don't need to bury them deep - just deep enough that they're not an eyesore. Then place the lights, and see what a wonderful effect landscape lighting can have.
- For special occasions you could try adding ropes of lights to trees, or adding strings of lanterns for that magic look. Or why not try using traditional candles? They can look beautiful in an exterior outdoor setting, particularly on a table top, or floating in bowls of water.
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