Garden Lighting: Enhancing Beauty, Safety, and Security

Why Light Your Garden?

If you've created something beautiful, it's a sadness not to appreciate it after sunset. Thinking of the garden as another room, it's odd to have a room unusable after dark. Garden lighting—even a single light—is worth the trouble: to make a large-leafed plant at the far end more interesting, admire the garden's magic on rare snow-covered nights, and disguise shortcomings in artificial light.

Drama Through Angle of Light

Lighting's drama and contrast come from artificial light tending to come from the side or below the plant, whereas nature's daylight comes from above. This different angle creates dramatic effects.

Security Benefits

Lighting is an excellent deterrent against intruders, recommended by Crime Watch as one of the best ways to reduce break-ins over garden walls and through back yards or tiny gardens.

Practical Installation Tips

• Simple garden lights aren't expensive. Try to have the switch inside so you can turn on the light from indoors if you hear a noise (even just the cat). Small price for personal and property safety.
• Locks and lights make good sense. False security to think "nothing to steal, no one will bother." Intruders don't know you have nothing until they're inside looking; if you disturb them, you'll wish you had lights.
• Illuminate side passages, patios, terraces, back yards, front gardens if dark with a simple utility garden light. It's worth it.
• High-powered mains systems lighting the whole garden are expensive luxuries needing careful planning: electric points strategically placed, main switch conveniently inside kitchen door. If you must crawl to a shed to operate it, it won't be used.
• Light a special feature (fountain, statue, tree) if not doing whole garden—especially in town gardens. Switch must be easily accessible inside; consider at planning stage and professionally install. Even an ordinary ornament or pot lit by low-power light takes on fresh dimension.
• Low-voltage garden lights are less expensive and satisfactory for small gardens if you don't want a mains system.
• Garden candles, hurricane lamps, fairy lights are pretty for parties, but for daily use a simple electric light fixed to the house back is invaluable and practical. Always extinguish candles after use; don't leave them to start fires; place on stone paving or non-inflammable surface.
• Experiment with angles: focus light at different angles for most interesting/exciting effect; if it doesn't look right, try a new angle.

Important Safety Considerations

• Children and lights: Complicated lighting systems not advisable with children. One or two security lights fixed to the house are safe and adequate.
• Ponds and electricity should always be avoided with young children.

Preparation for Future Lighting

If redesigning your whole garden and can't afford lighting at construction stage, lay cables or pipes (ducts) under paving or underground. This saves money and inconvenience later. Important: put a piece of nylon string through the duct to draw cable through later. Secure the string end where you can find it again, otherwise preparation is wasted.