How to light your garden
Which light fittings for your garden?
A garden is a living space in its own right: somewhere to escape, reconnect with nature and, above all, spend plenty of time when the weather is fine. We enjoy it alone, with family or with friends, by day and by night. That is why it is essential to install lighting that is both functional and stylish, giving even light across your whole garden. There are plenty of light fittings designed for outdoor use: lamp posts, table lamps, bollards, spike spotlights and more. To light your garden to its best, it is important to highlight its strongest features. This makes planning your lighting easier and creates a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere in your garden.
Identify the different areas to be lit
Just as the inside of a house is made up of several rooms, a garden is made up of several distinct areas: lawns and planting, the swimming pool, the garage, the back yard, other water features (stream, pond, fountain and so on), paths and activity areas. By taking into account the decorative strengths of each area, it becomes easier to create the right lighting atmosphere. Once you have applied this method to the whole garden, you will enjoy even, harmonious lighting. For an even richer, more elegant effect, combine several types of lighting and spread them out to give your outdoor space volume and depth.
Lighting paths and walkways
A garden usually has several paths linking the entrance to the house, as well as leading to the pool, relaxation areas or the garage. All these paths need to be lit to make every journey safer, without neglecting the look of the whole. To mark out a path, you can install a few bollards along its length, recessed spotlights (for paved paths and wooden or concrete steps) or lamp posts. While recessed spotlights are discreet and elegant, lamp posts and bollards add depth to your walkways. You can also install outdoor lights with a motion sensor that switches the light on automatically whenever someone passes. This creates a distinctive look while cutting your energy use. For maximum comfort every time you walk through your garden, choose fittings that give a low-intensity light with a warm, near-orange colour.
Showing off plants and trees
An excellent way to light your garden beautifully is to highlight specific features, especially the planting. This could be a shrub, a tree, a copse or a selection of particularly decorative plants. You can choose between ground-level lighting and hanging lighting. For ground-level lighting, choose recessed or spike spotlights giving a medium-intensity light. Depending on the shape of the planting you want to highlight, install narrow-beam or wide-beam spotlights. For a tall, slender tree such as a cypress, a narrow-beam spotlight works best. For broader, shorter trees, on the other hand, choose wide-beam spotlights to show off the branches and foliage. You can also hang string lights and paper lanterns to create a festive atmosphere while highlighting the surrounding greenery. To light your trees and shrubs successfully every time, place a high-intensity fitting near the trunk and choose a warm light for green and yellow foliage.
Lighting the lawn
Another key element of a stylish garden, lighting the lawn once again adds depth to your outdoor space. What's more, good lawn lighting lets you create different shades of light to suit the mood of the moment. Go for recessed spotlights and retractable floodlights. Garden lamps are an excellent alternative to spotlights for adding depth and a variety of colours to your lawn.
Bringing water features to life
Swimming pools, fountains, streams and ponds are all highly decorative features that deserve to be highlighted once night falls. As natural sources of reflection, water features play an important part in your garden lighting, allowing you to stage striking plays of light. To light your water features beautifully, you could, for example, float waterproof light-up balls on the pool or on a still stretch of water. This gives your pool a magical, cosy look. You can also install submersible spotlights with an IP67 protection rating in a fountain.
Making the most of the terrace
Acting as the link between the house and the garden, the terrace is the sociable heart of your outdoor space. Its lighting is just as important as its furniture. Depending on the space available and the style you want, you will need to put together lighting that is both functional and elegant. Highlight the dining area by hanging one or more pendants above it. For ambient lighting, choose lamp posts or portable lamps that you can place in the corners of the terrace. For a more design-led, modern style, wall lights and LED strips are recommended. Fitted directly under furniture, LED strips give powerful yet pleasant light and add volume and originality to your terrace. You can also light the edges of your terrace with recessed spotlights that will highlight its architecture.
Why choose LED bulbs?
LED bulbs have many advantages. First of all, they are economical: for the same light output, an LED bulb uses far less energy than a conventional bulb, with a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. LED bulbs are also easier to handle and install, and no toxic substances are needed to make them. What's more, LED bulbs come in a range of colour tones, so you can create any kind of atmosphere, whether indoors or in the garden.
The IP protection rating
Under the IEC 60529 standard, which covers the safety of users and electrical equipment, every light fitting must carry a code telling users how well it is protected against the ingress of solid objects and liquids. This applies to indoor and outdoor lights alike. Outdoor lights are particularly exposed to the elements, as well as to wear and malfunction caused by foreign bodies. Insects, dust, moisture and plant debris can all compromise both the quality of the light and the lifespan of an outdoor fitting. To help you find your way, the code showing a light's level of protection consists of the letters IP, for "Ingress Protection", followed by two digits from 0 to 8 representing the degree of protection against solids and liquids. The first digit indicates the level of protection against foreign bodies (insects, debris and so on), while the second indicates how watertight the fitting is. For garden lighting, all the fittings you install should have a protection rating of IP65 to IP68.