June 2023
Garden Lighting
Year-round garden lighting, seasons and responsible use.
Neil Parslow
,
A1 Lighting
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“Garden lighting is often associated with the warmer summer months when people venture out and spend more time in their gardens. However, a carefully designed lighting scheme can provide all year-round enjoyment which can entice you into the garden, or, just allow for that visual connection to be from inside out through a window when the weather is not at its best.
Garden lighting differs considerably from interior lighting, and this is mostly due to the continual change occurring in the landscape throughout the seasons and years as planting matures.
Illuminating evergreen shrubs and trees as well as deciduous planting will ensure equal interest, no matter what the season. Tree mount downlights coupled with in-ground or spike uplights will provide balance and cohesion in a lighting design.
Lighting can be enjoyed for longer periods during the autumn and winter months as the nights are much longer, and this can provide a dramatic image especially when lighting dormant mature trees which have majestic branching structures.
In the winter, many of us leave for work in the morning and also return home whilst it is still dark, and this is when garden lighting can reconnect us to our gardens.
Controls are also an important component of any garden lighting scheme, with smart controls able to adjust automatically throughout the year to the varying seasons.
Even though garden lighting typically requires much lower light levels than interior lighting, responsible lighting use should still be encouraged. If you are not using the lighting, only turn it on when required, and have timers turn off at 10pm or 11pm, where possible.
When designing a garden lighting scheme, there are several environmental factors which should be considered during the design stages, including light pollution, which can be heavily reduced by using lower output luminaires, and ensuring the fittings are aimed correctly and not just illuminating the night sky.
Wildlife including bats and insects can also be affected by artificial lighting when over bright light sources and cooler colour temperatures are used, but a few simple precautions can be used to reduce these issues.”