Expert-recommended garden lighting concepts shining a light on innovation

Lighting Up Your Garden: A Comprehensive Guide

Transform your garden into a magical haven after dark with our guide to outdoor lighting. From cost-effective festoon lights to sophisticated control systems, there's a solution for every budget and taste.

Festoon lights are a popular choice for adding atmosphere to your garden. Available in mains- or battery-powered options and various lengths, they are perfect for illuminating paths and creating a warm, inviting ambience.

Lighting along garden paths is not just aesthetically pleasing, but it also makes your garden more usable at night. Downlighters and border lights are effective choices for illuminating paths, with solar-powered lighting being a great option for minimal disruption.

Exploring tech solutions for outdoor lighting, you can link lighting schemes to phones via apps, allowing you to control your garden's illumination with the touch of a button. A sophisticated control system with scene setting can even balance outdoor and indoor lighting levels, creating a seamless transition between the two spaces.

Accent lighting can be used to make a feature of structural forms in the garden, such as a pergola, shed, or garden office. Highlighting a water feature or pond with lighting not only helps ensure safety but also adds an extra dimension to your garden design at night.

Creating different circuits for garden lighting allows you to tailor scenes to various lifestyles and extend the viewpoint with a pleasingly lit seating or socialising area. Some lighting options come with remotes that are particularly handy for deck lighting or lighting features at the far end of the garden.

Garden pendant lights are specialist designs for outdoor use, with IP44 or above ingress protection. They are perfect for adding a touch of sophistication to your garden lighting scheme.

Solar-powered garden lights are the least expensive option for garden lighting, offering fun and interest. However, they have shorter lifespans and are made of plastic. Warm white tone light fittings (2,700 kelvins) are recommended for a soft, welcoming look in garden lighting.

Finally, combining several types of lighting creates a layered look that addresses all functions and sets the desired atmosphere or mood. Ambient lighting from candles, festoon lights, and outdoor log burners can be used to create a social atmosphere in the garden.

Landscape architect Beth Chatto, with her horticultural qualifications, uses these principles as a basis for developing and implementing modern and contemporary gardens. By considering your garden's lighting needs, you too can create a space that is both practical and beautiful, day and night.