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If you’re struggling for lighting ideas for small garden areas, you’re not alone. A garden with lights can enhance your outdoor living space, but you may be worried about overdoing it in such a small space.
In this guide, we’ll offer small space exterior lighting ideas, as well as some general tips on lighting the garden.
Assessing Your Small Garden Space for Lighting
Before you get started on lighting your garden, it’s a good idea to know exactly what you are working with. By getting acquainted with your garden and understanding what elements you want to light exactly, you’ll be more content with the finished result.
Do a walk around and take some quick notes or even sketch out your plans. Think about elements such as any pathways, seating areas, fences, walls or other features you want to illuminate. You should also take into account where they are in the garden, especially in relation to the other lights.
Taking time to plan exterior lighting will also help you figure out priorities. Are you most concerned with adding safety lighting, or are aesthetics your top priority? The goals you want to achieve will ultimately influence the lights you’ll need to install.
Choosing the Right Lighting Fixtures
When it comes to outdoor lighting, there are many different fixture types you can choose from.
- GARDEN WALL LIGHTS. Outdoor wall lights are one of the most versatile fixtures you can add. From standard wall lights to wall washers and grazers, you can decorate your garden walls and add soft, indirect illumination at the same time.
- GARDEN UPLIGHTERS. Garden uplights are perfect for adding accent light into your garden. Use them to draw the eye to vertical features like sculptures, fountains and unique architecture. Uplighters tend to come in the form of spotlights and spike lights.
- GARDEN DOWNLIGHTS. Downlights shine light downward from above and have a lot of versatility. With downlights, you can provide ambient light in covered seating areas. You can also incorporate things such as fence downlights to enhance the perimeter. Furthermore, you may even create a moonlighting effect by installing them over trees and shrubs.
- LOW LEVEL GARDEN LIGHTING. Whether you want to create a soft, indirect glow of light in your garden or are hoping to increase safety, low level outdoor lighting is a must. In ground lights and recessed lights can do everything from illuminating pathways to delineating different zones in the garden.
Creating Layers with Different Types of Lighting
Layered lighting is an easy way to ensure balanced illumination throughout the space. Layering your lights is done by including the three layers of light together: ambient, accent and task lights.
Ambient Light
Ambient light is the main level of illumination in a given space. It provides the overall light source that is then supplemented by the other two layers. When it comes to lighting a small garden, lights such as bright wall fixtures or downlights make the best ambient lighting.
Task Light
Task light provides more focused illumination than general ambient light can give. Installing task lights makes performing certain activities easier. Therefore, including them in seating areas, outdoor cooking spots or other heavily used spaces is a must.
Accent Light
The final layer, accent lighting, is used to set a mood and highlight certain elements of the garden. Accent light can be incorporated in many ways, such as:
- hedge lights
- wall grazing lights
- flower beds
- architectural features
These are just some of the ways to include layered lighting into your garden. When you employ each layer of light in your space, you can enjoy consistent, even lighting throughout the entire garden.
Energy-Efficient Lighting Options for Small Gardens
Since garden lights usually stay on for most, if not all of the night, you may wish to prioritise energy efficiency. Fortunately, there are two ways that you can accomplish this.
Solar Lighting
Solar lighting is the most energy efficient way to light an outdoor space. Since there is no need for a connection to the mains power supply, you won’t be using any electricity or other resources to power it. Instead, solar lighting gets its power by charging in the sun during the day.
That said, there are a few downsides to solar lights. The most noticeable is the fact that solar lights are not nearly as bright as LED bulbs. If you live somewhere that gets a lot of rain and clouds, this is even more evident.
They tend to produce a weaker glow at night, even after the sunniest of days. Furthermore, they tend to be restricted to certain kinds of fixtures, such as ground lights.
LED Lighting
While solar lights may have their perks, they have enough drawbacks that you may want to avoid them. LED lights are much more popular in this regard. They boast numerous benefits that make them the superior choice for most homeowners. These bulbs are:
- ENERGY EFFICIENT. LED bulbs use as much as 80 percent less energy than traditional bulbs. Though it is not entirely electricity-free like solar, it is exponentially more efficient than halogen or incandescent light.
- ECO-FRIENDLY. Because LEDs require much less energy to run, they are kinder to the environment as well. Choosing LED bulbs can not only lower your carbon footprint; they can also be recycled so you won’t be further contributing to landfills.
- LONG LASTING LIFE. LED lights are rated to last tens of thousands of hours without needing to be changed.
- COST EFFECTIVENESS. A lower use of energy will translate to lower energy bills. Because you don’t have to replace them nearly as often, you’ll also save on upfront costs.
The Importance of Warm Lighting in Outdoor Spaces
Getting the colour temperature right is an important step in creating your lighting design. Colour temperature is simply a way to measure a light’s perceived coolness or warmth. The temperatures exist on a scale ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 Kelvin. The higher numbers indicate cool lights, while the lower numbers reference warmer hues.
Both cool and warm lights have their places, but when it comes to garden and courtyard lights, warm lighting is the best. Warm lighting provides a soft, gentle glow that is bright enough to easily see by but not glaring and harsh.
This is especially true for fulfilling your flower bed lighting ideas and your dreams of moonlit trees. Warm light provides the warm illumination organic matter needs to look its best.
Beyond that, entertainment areas benefit most from warm lighting. You don’t want harsh, cool lights in your face while enjoying a romantic outdoor dinner or having drinks with friends. You want something cosier, more intimate, and warm lighting provides just that.
Highlighting Vertical Features with Lighting
One of the first things you’ll notice about courtyard lighting is the emphasis on space. All of that space opens sightlines to the architecture of the walls and surrounding buildings. Such open space draws the eye to vertical structures more easily, so lighting them becomes a priority.
Vertical features in the garden may vary, from tall sculptures to pillars and columns. Lighting them properly requires that you use a technique known as uplighting. As their name suggests, uplights shine illumination upwards from below. Lights are brighter on the bottom of the vertical feature and get softer as it goes up.
Using uplights placed close to the feature, you can create a bolder contrast of the vertical element against the rest of the garden. Most commonly, this is accomplished through spotlights and other low level lighting.
Lighting for Safety and Functionality
Since you will be enjoying your lighted garden at night, safety and functionality come into play. You want to make sure that you and your guests can easily navigate the garden and can use the space to its fullest.
Some of the best ways to improve safety in the garden is with path lights. Path lights give a clearer view of where to step, reducing the risk of trips and falls. You may also want to rely on task lighting on the patio to make entertaining a more comfortable activity.
From a security standpoint, having lights along the perimeter or anywhere your CCTV camera is pointed makes it easier to surveil. A well-lit garden is less likely to attract intruders, as there are fewer shadows for them to sneak up in. And in the event that they do, your brightly lit garden will help your cameras more clearly pick up on details of their appearance and activities.
Using Smart Lighting and Timers for Convenience
One way to ensure your outdoor lights are as energy efficient as possible is to set them on timers. Putting them on a schedule will allow them to turn on when it gets dark, and turn off again when the sun rises.
This is not only a more energy efficient way to use your lights, but is far more convenient as well. Timers can be set manually, or you can incorporate them into your smart lighting routines and control them with your voice.
Conclusion
Lighting a small garden doesn’t have to be a difficult experience. With the right fixtures and attention to detail, you can make your outdoor living space into one you’ll never want to leave. Follow our guide to transform your garden with ease.
Small Garden Lighting Ideas
The ODL701 3 Watt Round Black Recessed Outdoor Wall Light provides beautiful low level lighting, perfect for pathways and garden walls. This light fixture generates 300 lumens of 3000K warm white light that shines downward onto the ground below. It is fashioned out of durable aluminium and rated IP65, making it resistant to the elements. This fixture is finished in a sleek black and measures 83 millimeters in diameter.
Light up patios, garden walls and more with the LWA215 6 Watt LED Black Outdoor Wall Down Light. This downlight attaches to the wall and shines 430 lumens of 3000K warm white light down onto the wall beneath it. The durable fixture comes in a neutral, anodized black finish applied to its resilient aluminium build. It measures 120 millimeters in height with an 80 millimeter projection from the wall, making it easy to install anywhere. Its IP65 rating makes it resilient against rain and wind.
Light up your vertical features and trees beautifully with the ODL035 6 Watt LED Black Finish Garden Spike Light. This spike light shines 420 lumens of 3000K warm white light onto the feature, bathing in it a soft, warm glow. The aluminium body comes finished in anodized black, making it subtle and sleek. It measures 181 millimeters in height and has an IP67 rating that resists damages from precipitation and debris.
Light up your deck or patio with the ODL047 1 Watt Round Brass Finish LED Ground or Decking Light. This fixture recesses into the surface, giving it an out-of-the way, low profile. Each small light outputs 70 lumens of 3000K warm white illumination at a 30 degree beam angle. It measures 38 millimeters in diameter and is finished in elegant, polished brass. Thanks to its IP67 rating, it is waterproof and resistant to the effects of weather exposure.
