Creative garden lighting -what is it?

Daylight gives us no choice about what we see in the garden or its surroundings. We see everything because everything is lit by the sun, whether it be the pleasing features within the garden, or the shed which the shrubs haven’t yet screened, neighbouring houses or overhead power lines behind our prized statue. But when night falls, we can take control of what we see, for “if you don’t light it you won’t see it” becomes the rule, except to the extent of moonlight or perhaps a little skyglow in the city. Dramatic uplighting provides a contrast to the bland downlit appearance we are used to in daylight. Garden lighting gives us the opportunity to create a fantasy scene within our own boundaries by lighting water features and focal points, graceful trees and architectural plants. Outdoor lighting can be more dramatic than interior illumination in most cases as the garden has scale on its side compared to rooms in the house. Entertaining on the patio or around the swimming pool, or just enjoying the expanse of the night sky overhead instead of a ceiling become priorities when the weather warms up. Apart from the visual panorama we can create in the garden, garden lighting will also promote al fresco activity by lighting paths and patios to provide confidence in movement, and the combination of ornamental and functional lighting can change the personality of these areas to provide a totally different outdoor experience.

Many of the techniques used in creative garden lighting derive from those used in theatre lighting – the creation of atmosphere, the moulding of backdrop to support the prominence of the leading players, the ability to change perception of time and season, and to change perspective itself so that the same set is viewed in contrasting ways for different scenes, even the use of lighting to reinforce the character of certain players. For the latter, we only have to think back to early silent films in which the use of uplighting was extensively used to create strong shadows and reinforce the menace of a sinister character’s face. In the theatre, of course, lighting is relatively powerful to suit the scale of the building in which it is performed and many of the tricks of theatre lighting are not easily weatherproofed at a smaller scale for exterior use, such as the use of subtle coloured gels and beam control devices such as barn doors. But a combination of technology and international trade has now given us affordable exterior and garden lights designed for miniaturised light sources which allow the use of low power, focused beams of light to create subtle, theatrical effects in our own gardens.

Creative garden lighting doesn’t imply that functional lighting is either ignored or compromised. In all our homes and gardens, we require lighting for safe access, security and such essential functions as transferring children and shopping from car to house. Increasingly we want to go further in being able to enjoy the garden when we are in it or when we look out upon it at night. Al fresco dining is only the start of this story – task lighting to cook by, lighting to enable us to appreciate the appetising appearance of our food as well as its aroma and flavour, amenity lighting to avoid a tumble down the steps from the kitchen – these are all essential. But outside we have no ceiling and probably fewer walls around us than in the dining room where these provide lighting platforms to downlight onto the table and to create mood by lighting the décor and art works. Substituting fresh air for interior décor prompts a demand for alternative interest in the surroundings, whether it be a panorama outside the garden or the “furnishings” within - planting, focal points, decorative paving, the sparkle of water. And as the sun sets, that’s where creative garden lighting comes into its own.

Creative garden lighting is concerned with subtle schemes to create atmosphere and enhance planting, garden features and architecture to provide a stimulating night time vista. It necessarily includes lighting of paths, steps, driveways and terraces which is both functional and decorative, and integration into the system of security lighting and other practical requirements in ways which don’t negate the creative lighting intent. The choice of light fittings comes last - not first. Our starting point is the objective of seeing a beautifully illuminated garden – without seeing the lights as far as is possible, and especially without experiencing the glare of an unshielded light source at night. For it is the visual effects that matter, not the light fittings – who wants their visitors to exclaim at the light fittings rather than the specimen plants, the graceful statue or the overall serenity of the garden as a whole? Along with visibility of the light fittings, the other most common mistake is overdoing the lighting. “I don’t want my garden to look like Blackpool” is a concern commonly expressed by homeowners embarking on a lighting design for their house and garden, whether attempting to design their own system or being able to give an adequate and expressive brief to a designer or contractor to do it for them.

The creative use of light and shadow is the key, as only this provides depth and true interest in the view: excessive lighting and the indiscriminate use of floodlights is the route to garish illumination and a “flat” perspective. “Painting with light” is a poetic expression which is sometimes used to describe what we are attempting, but in the artistic, selective sense rather than the bland task of covering a wall. Creative garden lighting is concerned with the illumination of features to exploit texture, form and colour in order to suggest a sense of depth. Combinations of light and shadow can create dramatic effects in complete contrast to the daylight scene and garden lighting can be all the more magical if the garden design embraces its potential from the start in the choice of features, materials and viewpoints. And just as good garden design will marry house to garden, so must the lighting; downlighting of a terrace can be combined with subtle façade lighting to link the two together, while front garden or driveway lighting is expected both to interpret the appearance of and the route through the front of the property and to provide a welcoming focus at the front door!

A creative garden lighting system is only partly a question of choosing areas and features to light; it also involves issues of layout, function and practicality. Selection of garden lighting subjects and outdoor lighting techniques can never be divorced from consideration of the different uses of the garden at night and the provision of switching which allows appropriate control – terrace wall lights on a different switch from the ornamental lighting circuit(s), for example, and security lighting which can be disabled conveniently to prevent floodlighting washing out the decorative scene. Except where they are chosen specifically to make a design statement, by an entrance for example, garden light fittings need to be hidden or camouflaged wherever possible, so we must seek out ones that can are recessed, small or in a finish that blends in with the surroundings (or all 3!). Good lighting depends fundamentally upon correct positioning, selecting the correct lamp type, wattage and coverage or beam angle. Don't make the mistake of choosing nice looking spotlights and then plonking them around the garden - design the lighting effects first and then choose the best fittings to achieve them

Size matters - choose your transformer with care!

A frequently asked question is “how many garden lights can I run from one transformer”? In fact, garden lighting transformers are available in a wide range of wattage ratings, so we need to look at the question in reverse: “what size of transformer do I need to power a group of garden lights”? This is simply a matter of multiplying the wattage and numbers of the lamps (bulbs) used in the garden light fittings (or “luminaire”) to be connected to the transformer - there is a help sheet on the subject which you can download.

In most cases we need to consider some spare capacity within the transformer rating so that we have scope to increase some lamp wattages as plants grow, or to allow for some flexibility in adding an extra spotlight or other garden light in future. This helps the garden lighting to “grow” with the garden. Allow at least 20% spare capacity in finalising the transformer choice. Transformer ratings are available in 50 or 100 watt steps, so it is merely a question of choosing the next step up from the total wattage you have calculated

Check that the total load is at least two-thirds of the transformer rating you propose to use; don't make the mistake of using a big transformer with only a small load (one or a few garden lights with low lamp wattages) as this can result in "overvoltage”, which reduces lamp life and increases maintenance of your garden lighting system.

Make it fox-proof

Very occasionally I get asked about a garden where foxes or squirrels have caused damage to a garden lighting system.

It rarely is squirrels damaging lighting in trees, but very occasionally squirrels have mistaken cables at the bottom of a tree for a new kind of food. So its a good idea to stop feeding squirrels and birds by throwing food onto the ground in areas where garden lights may be installed in the near future - or irrigation systems for that matter; plastic irrigation and garden lighting fittings will always get chewed before robust metal ones.

More usually the problem is foxes, especially the cubs when they reach the teething stage and are looking for yummy objects to excercise their new teeth on. And the problem always seems worse in certain urban ecnlaves than in the country - tell me why Ealing suffers more than Epping. You can design a garden lighting system to be fox-resistant if you know its a problem area for foxes. Using recessed lights made out of heavy brass makes lighting difficult to dig up. Use heavy brass spotlights such as Megabay's M2520 which aren't so easy to lift and also feature a cable entry through the spike, so if the cable is buried in a thick layer of mulch there is no loose cable coming out of the spotlight to chew on as there is with most other designs. You can go further depending on how much flexibility in positioning your garden lights you are willing to accept, possibly pinning down low voltage cables with tent pegs under a thick mulch helps to avoid any flexible bits which can be snagged and lifted - or you can install the low voltage cable in metal conduit. Don't use plastic conduit - they'll get through that - use metal conduit, possible the flexible kind made by suppliers like Kopex which are in galvanised steel and also available with PVC outer sheath. 240v cables should nearly alwys be steel wire armoured tyeps or mechanically protected to the same standard.

Using ground burial transformers and buried junction boxes filled with ground burial sealant resin such as T9968 from Lighting for Gardens is another way of keeping your garden lighting electrics off the dinner table. Otherwise you can ground recess them in manholes or recessed irrigation gear boxes provided your ground is well drained.

For those of you with a fox or squirrel problem and an existing garden lighting (or electrical or irrigation) system, I found some good advice on a local government site about urban fox pest control. Old wives tails offered to me include smearing cables with silicon sealant, which I'm told is effective but may not comply with usage regulations!

Installation and the law

In 2006 Part ‘P’ was added to Building Regulations to try to reduce the dangers of cowboy electrical installations and the DIY electrician . It is now against the law to carry out an electrical installation outdoors, including additions to an existing garden lighting system, with out either informing the local Building Control department, for which there will be a significant charge, or have the installation done by a company registered for self certification. This is the case no matter how qualified or experienced your electrician is - if he hasn't registered as a "competent person" in compliance with Part P then he can't give you the Part P certificate which you should keep with all the other building approvals which will be required by your purchaser's solicitor when you come to sell your home. And can you really do without the peace of mind of having employed a fully registered electrician. Many electricians will have achieved certification through registration with the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting or the Electrical Contractors' Association, details of whose members are listed in Yellow Pages.

My tip is to ask for details for their experience in installing garden lighting systems - how many projects have they installed in the last 6 months, do they work regularly with local landscapers and garden designers, do they have photographs of systems they have installed. Read up on Part P at the NICEIC website so you can quiz them about having done your homework first. Or you can ask us to recommend an installer for your system, or a design associate who can design a creative garden lighting system for you as well. He can also ensure that the equipment used will comply with regulations, be suitable for purpose and have the levels of design achievement and production quality to make sure your garden lighting will be reliable as well as creative.

And for the customers who tell me they have a degree in electronics or electrical engineering and can handle their own installation, I can only ask - have you really got the experience and the test equipment to match your academic qualification, do you really want to responsible for an illegal installation in a garden which could be dangerous to your pets or your family if you get it wrong? And do you really think John Prescott wasn't talking about you when he introduced Part P to save lives in gardens. Put away your stetson and six-guns and get it done properly.