Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Highlight Your Garden Features With Subtle Outdoor Lighting

By Marci Glover


During the daylight hours, we all feel far more secure because we can easily see what is going on outside. However, as the light starts to fade, we can become uncertain of our surroundings, and also who is approaching. Places that we are familiar with, such as our garden or local streets, become strangely unfamiliar.

When somebody calls at your home on a dark night, and there is no lighting it is difficult to make out who they are. If only for your own security, you should install some outdoor lighting. However, as well as being practical, these lamps can also enhance your outdoor space.

This form of illumination can take many styles. You are no longer limited to having cabled floodlights which could also be a hazard by dazzling visitors. Outdoor lights can take the form of poles that highlight walkways, or even just switch themselves on as people move towards them, therefore only be temporary, but serving a very useful purpose.

The way you intend to use the lights will have a great bearing on how best to power them. If you intend to use security lamps that are on throughout the long dark nights it would be sensible to connect them to the mains supply. However, if you are using them to make your garden safer to walk through in early evening, or to work with motion detectors, solar powered lamps should be adequate.

If you enjoy holding parties or barbecues in your garden area, if there is not any lighting outside you have to send everybody home when dusk falls. Just by installing a few lamps would mean your parties could go on longer into the evening. This is because the guests would feel more relaxed and still be able to move around without risk of hurting themselves.

Well-positioned garden lamps could also double as security lamps. A lot depends on your needs, and the lamps that you buy, as you can get some that work on motion sensors, or timers. If you plan to install some outside lighting at the same time as having your garden landscaped, cabling could be laid, and lamp positioning be determined, at that point. However, if you already have a beautiful garden, solar powered lamps will probably be the best solution as they can be repositioned easily.

If you are to use powerful lamps close to public areas there are a lot of things that you have to bear in mind. It is important that the lamps do not shine directly into the eyes of passes by, especially if they are driving vehicles. This can be extremely dangerous, particularly when the lights are very bright and operate by motion detectors, as the sudden light could temporarily blind a driver.

Landscapers and lighting specialists have the experience to help you when it comes to the placement of lamps, but this could work out very expensive. A way of reducing the long-term cost of installing outside lights will be to use of portable solar powered lamps. These will be expensive initially, but extremely cheap to run. Once installed you will feel more secure, and make more use of your outdoor areas.




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