Paint a picture with light and shade

When designing your scheme, try to think of it in its entirety, rather than as separate bits. All the elements should hang together and be in balance. Remember that things visible during the day can be left in darkness, so you have the opportunity to make dramatic changes to your visible landscape.

Less really is more

Shadow is as important to your scheme as light, so don’t try to light everything. Instead, retain some mystery. Also, keep it subtle – very bright garden lighting can look brash and artificial.

Hide your light under a bushel

Many modern light fittings are beautifully designed, but ultimately it’s the lighting effect you want to see, not the fitting. So wherever possible, hide the light source – behind a shrub, perhaps, a rock, a pot or a wall.

Avoid glare

When it comes to garden lighting, there’s no razzle in dazzle. So try to angle the light beams away from your lines of sight. Where this isn’t possible, glare guards can reduce the dazzle factor.

Placing lights near plants

If you’re installing lights in winter, remember that your herbaceous plants will be growing in the summer. Try to avoid placing lights where they will be swamped by summer foliage.

Wattage and beam angles

The wide choice of beam angles, Wattages, mounts and options such as frosted lenses means you can tailor each light source to create a precise effect. If you need to increase the beam throw of a lamp, try using the same wattage lamp with a narrower. beam angle, rather than upgrading to a more powerful LED

Changing lamps

We fit LED lamps whenever we can because of their low running costs and long life. When you’re replacing a lamp, check it’s the right Wattage, beam angle, colour temperaure (in Kelvin) & that the LED driver is suitable. Avoid cheap lamps, they are a false economy.

Keep your stainless steel stainless

If you opt for stainless steel fittings, regular washing to remove salt spray will prevent staining. There are also cleaning products especially for stainless steel.

Taking care of your cable

Black low voltage electrical cable is fairly invisible when placed on soil, but you can hide it by burying it in an inch or two of soil, or under a mulch. Keen gardeners might prefer to keep the cable visible to avoid accidentally damaging it when digging.

Heat

Metal Halide light sources do generate a considerable amount of heat therefore precautions should be taken when considering their location, particularly at low level where children may come into contact. Normally there is always a solutions, therefore, if in doubt please contact us for advice.