Spending time out in the garden is one of the most relaxing ways you can spend your afternoon. When the sun sets, and you think it is time to head back inside your home, a beautifully-lighted garden will keep you in your garden a little bit longer.
While sunlight can help brighten up the inside of your home, moonlight can perfectly illuminate your garden on the other hand. If you want to have a beautiful garden design, having the right lighting schemes for it is vital. You can ask for help from a lighting professional like Blingle! in Portland for a fun and creative lighting system.”
A well-lit garden will inspire you to host enjoyable outdoor gatherings with your family and friends. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, good lighting in your garden is also essential to ensure people’s safety and avoid potential accidents. Do not get discouraged if you have a small garden. There are still plenty of ways you can make your garden cozy, comfortable, and well-lit even on a budget.
With everyone spending more time at home because of COVID-19, why not take your garden to the next level by upgrading your garden’s lighting setup?
Here’s what you need to know about how you can style and light your garden.
- Illuminated Garden
Illumination is light, and nothing is more important than light when you are outside. Here are various lighting techniques that you can try to illuminate your garden:
- Play with different types of lighting and bulbs
An effective way to provide atmospheric lighting is by placing candles and lanterns in your space. You can make a bold and sophisticated statement with yard orbs or garden orbs, which are spherical balls of light.
These orbs come in different sizes that you can dot around your area to create beautiful scenery. Feel free to play around and experiment with various color schemes. Garden lights do not need to be white all the time. You can inject some fun into your space by installing colorful bulbs. These will give your garden a more festive look for the next time you have a social gathering.
- Hang some string lights
Fairy lights have evolved from traditional Christmas lights to a modern design suitable for both indoors and outdoors. This is a simple and inexpensive way to illuminate your garden. Just hang it anywhere – on trees, canopies, walls, and fences.
If you are going for a more rustic approach, rope fairy lights are a captivating alternative that will give an organic and natural feel to your space. If you want more pronounced lighting, try attaching some strip light to the edges of your garden. The individual LED mounted along the strip will have your garden exude light. You can also opt for a gentler alternative with warm lights. There are endless creative ways for you to install string lights.
- Pendant lights can work too
Hanging outdoor pendant lights can refine any outdoor affair. There are different types of pendant lights that you can choose to help you create an ambient glow. From spherical to exposed-bulb, or single pendant to multi-pendant, you can hang the lighting of your choosing from a terrace ceiling, under the deck, or in a gazebo.
- Layer lights
Just like how we dress in layers, you can keep things interesting by playing with layered lights in your garden. Apply layered illumination by installing lighting fixtures that will accentuate key features in your garden.
For the full effect, tone down the surrounding areas with more subdued lighting. By installing warm lights, you can give your garden that dramatic effect.
- Keep it light and warm
When it comes to autumn and winter evenings, nothing can discourage us more from going outside than when the temperature drops. Install a fire pit so that you can combine light and heat at the same time.
You can pick inexpensive freestanding braziers or a more costly custom-built version. A fire pit will allow you to enjoy your beautiful garden throughout the year.
Aside from fire pits, consider installing pillar candles clustered together in large numbers. Make sure that you use glass or ceramic surfaces for these candles to avoid accidental fires. Candles not only provide illumination but can also generate that much-needed heat during chilly evenings.
- Illuminated Dining Area
Alfresco dining is one of the most enjoyable activities that you can do in an outdoor garden. Dress up your outdoor area through beautiful decorations of foliage and lights.
Festoon lights are a type of string light that you can hang above your outdoor dining area. Not only does it instantly create a rustic vibe, but it also makes your space feel more welcoming while providing illumination for your social gathering.
If you want to go for something different, you can invest in a light table and light chairs that light up themselves. This type of dining furniture creates a gentle glow directed towards the floor giving diners a unique experience.
- Illuminated Pathways
Since natural evening light is insufficient in providing outdoor lighting, make sure that your garden’s pathways are well-lighted. While having a well-illuminated pathway can make your garden prettier, it also serves the more functional purpose of letting you move around your garden without tripping or accidentally stepping into hazardous areas.
Go with a subtle illumination by putting up fairy lights draped across bushes, and foliage or you can go for a bolder statement with garden path lights and bollard lamps installed at intervals.
You can also install lanterns of different shapes and sizes that will help create a more playful vibe. These lights can be powered by batteries or solar power, making them easy for you to install without having to worry about wiring.
- Illuminated Landscape
While the dining or seating area is a key accent in an outdoor garden, the surrounding greenery can sometimes be overlooked. Your garden is a natural space for trees and other foliage, and you should highlight it as well.
Showcase your greenery in your outdoor space through accent lighting. Showcase your greenery by hanging some string lights around your topiary trees. If you want a more dramatic effect, you can go add spotlights angled toward your trees. Take advantage of those tree branches by hanging pendant lights and lanterns that create a beautiful majestic glow.
Garden beds can also be decorated with fairy lights, which will accentuate those flowers among the leafy foliage. Rock lights can also be placed along shrubs and flower beds to give them an inconspicuous glow.
- Illuminate with LEDs
When it comes to garden lighting, you need to know what kind of bulb you should use. According to the team from Apex Electric, “LED bulbs are energy-efficient and can be bright as you need it to be. Aside from being safe and sturdy, LED bulbs also have low-voltage and can easily be installed.”
They also emit less heat compared with the traditional incandescent bulb. Several types of waterproof LED light fixtures can make your garden look warm and inviting for years to come without you needing to spend so much.
Garden lights not only give your outside space the proper illumination it needs, but it also makes your home’s exterior look finished and put together. Create a beautiful and safe outdoor space for your family and friends with a well-lit garden.
