The Magic of Garden Lighting

By Sheila Dearing, RHS Garden Rosemoor

Many of us enjoy decorative lighting in the house during the festive period, but lighting in the garden looks good all year. There is a huge range of lights available, to give any number of effects, from up-lighting specimen trees to casting dramatic shadows on walls and fences to stylish lighting on steps and paths and for seating areas.

If you are thinking of redesigning or making alterations to your garden, it is best not to leave plans for the lighting until after the hard landscaping has been completed – it is much easier to install at the build stage. You might also want to consider planting specimens that would make good subjects for night time focal points such as a multi-stemmed silver birch or the coloured culms of bamboo.

Deciding on exactly what to light can cause a lot of head-scratching, so a good way to start is by walking around the garden with a floodlight to see what effects you can create. Shine it into the canopy of a tree, down onto a sculpture or water feature; try different angles, different wattages and even colours. In a small garden especially, keep it simple. Just a string of fairy lights or a few lanterns can have a surprisingly striking effect. The internet is a useful source of information and inspiration on effects and design ideas.

Probably the most important considerations when designing your outside lighting is the environment, wildlife and your neighbours. Studies have shown that bats in particular are disturbed by bright bluish white lights and may travel for miles out of their way to avoid them, using up valuable energy reserves; so it is important to choose lights coloured yellowish white through red. To help our bats, make sure your security PIR lights are correctly set up. They should go off within two minutes of triggering and the sensitivity should be set so that they are only triggered by an intruder and not by a small animal or even the bats themselves.

Use anti-glare shields to reduce upward light spill; moths navigate by light sources such as the moon and may become disorientated by artificial lights. Lighting is most effective when kept localised; an adjustable light over the BBQ area is much more stylish than one powerful floodlight over the whole of the back of the house. Don’t forget that a little light goes a long way; a lamp as low as a 3w LED is surprisingly bright at night as it does not have to compete with daylight. These low energy LED lamps have a low carbon rating helping to reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint.

To gain inspiration, visit Rosemoor’s Glow which is now an established event in the calendar. Starting on November 18, 2021 will see our longest trail yet and will be extended through the Lower Woodland Walk. Selected sculptures on the sculpture trail, trees, shrubs and water features will all be illuminated to magical effect. For details visit rhs.org.uk/rosemoor or phone 0845 2658072. Please book early to avoid disappointment as entry is by pre-booked tickets only.

Top Tips for November and December

  • To prevent waterlogging in your pots from the winter rains, raise them up onto pot feet.
  • Wind rock can be a problem with roses, so prune them now before windy weather becomes more frequent.
  • Now is a good time to plant tulip bulbs. There is such a huge variety to choose from, but try and keep to just one or two colours to make a real impact.
  • November is also a good time to plant out winger bedding, so if you have not sown your own seeds, visit a garden centre soon, before all the best plants have been snapped up.
  • Winter moth on fruit trees can cause a lot of damage but can be effectively controlled with grease bands around the trunk and tree stake (if present) to intercept the wingless females.
  • Now is the time to prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls which should be done in August)
  • Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding.
  • There is still plenty of time to plant bare root deciduous trees and hedges or to transplant any trees and shrubs that need to be moved.
  • House plants do not need as much watering at this time of year, so water carefully.

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