Fiona Outdoors logo My independent guide to the best of Scotland outdoors

How to create better outdoor lighting

Written by Fiona

June 01 2015

Have you ever wondered how large parks and festival areas achieve such amazing illuminations? The place that always makes me most intrigued is the Enchanted Forest.

It’s obvious really that lighting in outdoor environments, especially within larger areas such as amusement parks or zoos, need to be brighter, illuminate wider spaces and have a long life span. Furthermore, they need to be energy efficient for improved environmental friendliness and lower costs.

Therefore, you’ll see a lot of large energy-saving bulbs and hanging lighting installations.

Effective outdoor lighting in the garden

But how would you go about creating better lighting in your own garden space? Effective and efficient lighting for the garden can add a sense of prominence and prestige to your property. For example, why not add energy saving and cost-effective outdoor lighting from a store such as Tesco?

The illumination may not be comparable with that of an amusement park, but adding lighting features that bring out your garden’s personality and give you something to feel good about as you sip a chilled glass of wine on the decking on a later summer’s evening.

However, it is important that the lighting features you choose are suitable, and actually fit within your garden space. Over-illumination looks like a garden owner has tried too hard and spent money on unnecessary fixtures.

The advice is subtle and beautiful rather than bright and outlandish.

What types of lights to choose

LED lights are an ideal option to light up your garden. They are energy saving because they run on an extremely low wattage and are they are cost-effective because they can last for years. They can be installed on gazebos, around a shed or as an over-hanging security light. Moreover, LED lights can be housed in coloured bulbs and, thus, offer a distinctive and unique touch to your garden space.

Solar lights are obviously powered by the sun, but can come in a range of forms and colours. They are relatively cheap to maintain because you only pay the initial cost of the installation, and the celestial body above does the rest. Solar lights can be simple fixtures such as animal ornaments on a gravel bed, or more prominent fixtures like lanterns and traditional bollard lights.

Where to buy garden light fittings

Garden centres, DIY stores, supermarkets and on-line retailers sell wide ranges of garden lighting. Also seek out experts in stores t discus the right garden lighting for your plot.

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