Light Up Your Evening Garden to Extend Your Leisure Time

There’s something about us Brits where we can’t help but to comment on the weather. You’d think we would be used to it by now, but even though we have the same volatility of climate, week in, week out, it still manages to get lots of our air time. It’s the same with the dark evenings creeping up on us. At this time of year, it always makes us smile when we hear folk commenting on how dark it is at 4.30 in the afternoon once the clocks have gone back.

Get a Full 24-Hours Out of Your Garden With Lighting

But joking aside, it can be tempting to feel like the garden is almost out of bounds during the darker nights, so let’s take a look at what we can do with the lighting in our gardens during those winter months when our sunlight is a little more elusive.

Lighting is Simply Essential for All Gardens

Without installing lighting in your garden, you’re restricting yourself to only using it when it is naturally well lit. Adding a few well thought out lights or a lighting scheme can really help you maximise the use you get out of your garden around the clock should you choose to. Lighting steps, features or obstacles will help you to navigate the garden more safely, as well as it being that visual reminder that the garden is still open for use in the evening too.

Warm Coloured Lighting to Brush of the Cold

Another benefit of using lighting in your garden that you’ve thought about first is the gorgeous glow that it can add to an otherwise dark area. If you managed to catch our video in the Facebook group last week, you’ll see that we shared how instead of lighting up the garden as a whole, you can strategically place a few warmer lights in sections of the garden to highlight areas that you would enjoy all year round.

If you have a patio area or hot tub for instance, with some warm mood lighting placed around this area it would be far more enticing on our cooler evenings.

Use Your Senses to Establish Lighting Locations

One of the beautiful aspects of gardening, and having an outside area to enjoy, is that it engages all of the senses. From the scents of your flora and fauna, through to the rustle of the leaves in a breeze, let’s not overlook how much this all really helps with your emotional state.

The dark evenings can be challenging for some people making them feel cooped up and with the lockdowns, people probably realise now more than ever the power of getting yourself outside. Having the use of your garden in the evenings after a day at work, by using a clever lighting scheme can be what makes you come alive again to actually enjoy your evening in your garden.

Using Lighting to Define Separate Areas

Where lighting can really shine, pun definitely intended, is to use it to create zones or features within your garden. If you have a larger garden, you’d probably not use all of it in the evening if it wasn’t well lit. With bespoke lighting themes, you can break up the larger area into cosier or individually appealing spaces.

Using a few types of lights dotted throughout the garden draws the eye in a different way, so having practical lighting to light some steps for instance, would have a different type of light to a warmer uplighting theme which could be used to make a sociable area.

Balanced Lighting Provides Enough Light Without Creating a Sun Spot

Garden lighting in many formats, can be used to create a magical twilight garden to be enjoyed all winter too, whether its time spent in the garden or viewing it from your house. There are many simple ways to give your garden the wow factor, from built-in electrics to classy solar lights, there are options for all uses.

When exploring the options of garden lighting its important to not go overboard, lighting should be suitable and with a purpose, you don’t want your garden flooded with light like a football pitch! Garden lighting is not only used for the obvious but also adds a further dimension to a garden. Lighting built into flower beds picks up the texture of leaves or even bark on specimen plants and can take your garden to the next level but too much lighting and you can cheapen the effect, it then loses its subtly and could end up looking like a floodlight lit football pitch. Pick a sweet spot carefully or call in the professionals.

Popular Adjustable Spot Lights With Spikes Into the Ground

Adjustable in angle, spike lights are one of the most popular garden lights. Often used amongst planting to define a tree or to add depth to a flower border at night with warm LED light. They simply push into the ground and can easily be moved around, connecting to wired electrics. Spike lights can, of course, can be solar but be sure to pick good sturdy ones for the best quality light.

Creating Cosiness

If you want to create a cosy seating area, zone off a secluded spot on the patio using elegant garden wall lights to cast a warm glow over you, teamed with an open bowl fire pit and a few faux fur blankets you’ve got yourself a romantic setting in your very own back garden.

String festoon lighting powered from the mains electric hooked onto a pergola or covered shelter Add a whimsical sparkle to your garden. Traditional string lights bring a magical quality to any garden, and traditional festoon versions work beautifully in woodland settings. Remember, a little light goes a long way at night, use lighting selectively and remember that darkness can be used to conceal areas.

 

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Want to maximise your garden during the evening? Call our design team on 0116 210 0760 to discuss your lighting options.