Whether you’re wishing to illuminate a fountain, border, path or wall, all of them need to be lit in a different way as they are completely different outdoor areas. Achieving the effect you desire requires using various lighting techniques like uplighting and downlighting to more sophisticated lighting strategies such as moonlighting or grazing.
Here are 10 garden lighting techniques to know.
Downlighting: this is when lighting is pointed down from a structure to provide a pool of light on a surface or feature below. Downlighting is a useful way to illuminate dining tables, paths, walls, and flowering plants.
Uplighting: superb for producing a lighting effect that really demands attention as it reverses the effect of daylight by pointing upwards. Recessed uplights are recommended in flat areas whilst a spike-mount spotlight is good because they can be placed and moved in a variety of places.
Grazing: a technique when lighting at an acute angle helps to highlight where a texture is an obvious aspect of a feature or surface. When placed in this way, the light is ‘grazing’ the surface as well as emphasising its colour. For example, when placed close to the surface of a tree trunk, it brings out the texture and pattern in the bark. This can be achieved with both uplighting and downlighting.
Washing: provides a coverage of light on a wall, is called washing or ‘wall washing’ and can be used for multiple purposes. In modern garden environments with painted rendered walls lacking in texture, washing draws attention to colour or reflects light to define the space and create an intimate atmosphere. Wall washing can also be used to illuminate hedges and provide visual links to individually lit features.
Cross Lighting: occurs when the luminaire is placed to the side of the subject so that light travels across an object. It’s most often used where the light is coming from the side to highlight texture and form. Spike-mount luminaires provide the most flexibility for this type of lighting.
Accent Lighting: uses directional lighting to individual plants, focal points and other features stand out against dark backgrounds or areas which aren’t well lit. Can be achieved via downlighting, uplighting and cross lighting objects intensely.
Spotlighting: refers to when the light is placed at some distance from the subject to be lit. Examples include spotlights under the eaves of a building used to illuminate focal points or paving features at ground level or lighting the canopy of a tree from a planted border some distance from the trunk to avoid the use of a spike-mounted light in an intervening lawn area.
Mirroring: achieved by accent lighting a feature on the far side of a body of water so that its image is mirrored in the water. The best subjects are those with a light colour and clear outline reflected in sharp focus on the water.
Silhouetting: this effect happens when a dark image of a subject is created by lighting a wall or other vertical surface behind it. While the colour and texture of the subject are hidden, the interesting shape of a small tree, an architectural plant or an object with a distinctive outline can make an interesting focal point.
Floodlighting: the ultimate type of area lighting which is designed to mimic the high power and bland spread of daylight. Its main purpose in domestic settings is as security lighting, whilst floodlights can be used for illuminating planting, paths and entrances.