Illuminating nightscapes
Photo by Limelight Illumination |
Modern outdoor living is as much about daytime enjoyment as it is evening relaxation and ambience. Illuminate your outdoor areas to make the most of your backyard by night.
Many moons ago, outdoor lighting was considered just to be a practical and functional element of any garden. Today, energy efficient garden lighting options are not only practical, but also create a wonderful atmosphere and stunning backdrop for any evening gathering.
One of the most exciting recent developments in garden lighting has been the arrival of LED lighting. LED lights are becoming increasingly popular, not least due to their ease of use, range of colours and the fact that they use 75% less power than halogen lights.
Lighting designers specialising in outdoor LED lighting are able to offer a complete LED garden lighting package. These ultra-low voltage lights are versatile, cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
“The effects of the new ranges of LED lights are only limited by your imagination,” says Judy Leach, director of Sydney’s Limelight Illuminations. “You can create any mood with this type of lighting –a luminous hue for romantic settings, a skeleton effect by lighting through branches or a soft wash for intimate dinner parties.
“And some LED lights can last up to 50,000 hours. They’re low maintenance with no globes to change and some are even cool to touch to protect curious little fingers. Not only that, LED lights don’t attract bugs as they have no infra red or UV in the lights which is great for the mozzie and moth seasons.”
Tricks of the trade
Once you’ve chosen the type of lighting to suit your garden area, it’s then time to step back and decide on the type of ambience you would like to create and which features you would like to illuminate.
“Think of landscape lighting as fulfilling three aspects: task lighting for your barbecue, steps and any level changes, ambient lighting to create mood and feature lighting for garden sculptures, water features andtrees,”says Nat Corrigan from Gardens at Night.
“Great effects can be created by silhouetting. For example, when architectural plants such as yucca, bamboo and Gymea lilies are planted in front of a wall, place a light behind the plant. And with large trees, achieve what is called moonlighting by placing fittings in the branches of the tree and light up the trunk for a dramatic effect.”
According to Nat,you should use multiple fittings of a lower wattage rather than just one with a high wattage as it gives the tree or feature volume and points of view. “It is also wiser to use a warm, white-coloured lamp as it gives a better rendering of colour and a welcoming feel. Using cool white can create a cold and ghostly feeling,” Nat adds.
As with any home project, if you don’t feel confident enough to have a go yourself, have a lighting plan done by a professional lighting design company. And you’ll soon be enjoying your garden by night.
Photo by Limelight Illumination | HALOGEN vs LED LED lights do not require globe changing and generally will last for many years. They draw very little power however when the life of the LED is finished, you will need to buy a whole new light. Before purchasing, check how many hours of burn time you should expect from your LED light. Halogen lights will require globe changing and the globe’s life is significantly shorter than an LED. How often you will need to change the globe will depend on the brand of light and again, check the recommended burn time of the globe. The advantage is you will only need to change the globe, not the entire light. The disadvantage is that a 100 watt halogen light will draw 75% more power than an LED light. Source: Spa Electrics
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