Choosing Area and Type of Outdoor Lighting for Garden

Outdoor lighting type and design should considering several lighting effects, by placing the light at the base of a wall or hedge the light 'cover' over the surface creating a soft glow effect. However this can also be achieved by 'lifting' the light at certain angles to cover the desired area eg. garden area. Good areas and features to concentrate on:- Dining and seating areas, walkways, sculptures, water features, pots, specimen planting, trees, architectural features, garden features, buildings, etc can all be highlighted in a garden to create wonderful, varied ‘textures’ of light.

Uplighting, down lighting, mid-level lighting, step lighting, etc?

You may want to take into consideration how the garden will be used and how the garden will be viewed from the house. Also, consider security aspects, lighting can deter unwanted intruders! Consider how the lights are going to be ‘switched on’ – exteior switch or interior switch? How many lights are required to be switched on at any one time? If you require some areas of the lighting to be separate from others you will require different lighting ‘circuits’. You may want to consider ‘remote control’ lighting, whereby the lighting can be operated with a small keyfob, as opposed to using a switch. Do you require ‘sensors’? [greenways]