Enjoy your home at night as well as by day. A beautifully landscaped yard deserves to be in the spotlight at night as well. Illuminating specimen trees, walkways, or water features at night creates dramatic patterns of light and shadow after dark. Night lighting also adds an element of safety and security. There are different types of lights, each having their own benefits. Downlighting can cast pools of light on steps and paths, or when mounted on a tree can create an ethereal moonlit effect. Uplights cause foliage to glow and can produce intricate light and shadow effects when combined with downlighting. Diffused light filters through translucent materials and offers glare-free illumination over a patio or other large area. Accent lighting can focus attention on a plant, sculpture, or water feature. Well-planned nightlighting will add even more value to your landscape and enable you to enjoy your favorite features at night.

Garden Lighting Tips & Tricks

• Always conceal the light source when garden lighting, either with a glare guard on the luminaire or by tucking it behind a shrub, large branch, wall, or rock. Ideally, you will be unable to see where the exterior light originates.
• Avoid installing garden lights in the undergrowth of low shrubs or tall grasses, when exterior lighting. The beam of light needs unimpeded passage from the fixture to the focal point so there are no distracting spots of reflected light (unless you want a shadowy effect, in which case the opposite applies)
• Don't over light. Less is more!!! Extremely bright garden lighting often has a garish, theatrical look. We therefore recommend only using bulkhead luminaries for security and commercial applications.
• Experiment with backlighting. Lighting trees in the background of a forested area creates silhouettes in the foreground. An up lighted hedge behind a shrub or tree will do the same.
• Don't illuminate every surface when garden lighting. Shadows work to define lighted areas.
• Create a different look with outdoor garden lighting at night than it has during the day. The night view will often be more dramatic than the day view. We use the term ‘Picking out’ as will only see what you light at night not the entire surrounding area!
• Take advantage of the many beam angles, frosted lenses and mounts available so that your garden lighting suits your situation.
• Use the highest quality equipment, and materials, your budget will allow; it will last longer and offer more options.
• When deck lighting pay particular attention to where people are sat and try to avoid glare. As with deck lights and other garden lights the light source needs to be positioned so that you are not looking directly at the luminaire.
• Driveway lighting should offer safe access for pedestrians at the same time as lighting the driveway for vehicles. Either lampposts or small post lights provide an excellent solution and alternative to bulk head luminaries, where driveway lights are required.

Outdoor Lighting Techniques

There are many outdoor lighting techniques that can be created using the lighting products available from All Weather Lighting. Below you will find a description of the outdoor lighting techniques.

Accent & Spotlighting. A quick way to add drama to a landscaped garden. Position intense and focussed lights near the base of statuary or trees or near a surfaced wall or trellis. This technique is very compelling but should be used sparingly.

Cross Outdoor Garden Lighting. If your aim is to show off a beautiful statue or an old gnarled tree, you'll love the softly flattering light that is produced by cross garden lighting. To do this, position a spotlight on either side of the object you wish to illuminate, whether natural or man - made. The multiple beams of light produce softer shadows and reveal more detail.

Downlighting. Downlighting is recommended as an effective and affordable method for security outdoor lighting. To illuminate large areas position bright spotlights near the roof of your home. To light a pathway, mount smaller luminaires near the ground.

Path and Outdoor Lighting. There is perhaps nothing more beckoning that a well lit garden path. Place low level on either side of a path or or walkway. As an added benefit, path garden lighting provides a safe walkway and adds to your home's security.

Shadowing. If you have a tree or statue with a striking profile in front of a wall or other surface, shadowing may be a very elegant way to add some drama to your exterior. Place recessed luminaires in front of the object to create shadows on the surface beyond.

Silhouetting. The opposite of shadowing, this garden and outdoor lighting technique is equally as simple. Just position a recessed luminaire behind and below the object to create a spectacular silhouette.

Spread Lighting. If you've invested in landscaping your garden with flowerbeds and low shrubs, you'll want to enhance its nighttime appeal with spread lighting. To do this, position luminaires to illuminate low lying landscaping and ground cover.

Moon Lighting. If you have a medium to large size tree try placing one or two low voltage lights, pond lights with glare guards and frosted lenses works well, onto the second or third tier of branches and angle the light through. This will create an artificial moonlight effect and be very subtly at the same time as casting light interestingly over the area below.

Uplighting. If a canopy of branches covers your garden, try this technique, place recessed garden and outdoor lighting luminaires in the ground and angle the lamp upwards. The illuminated branches or architecture will provide an interesting point of visual interest and reflect a soft light onto your garden and patio.