landscape plan

The importance of effective landscape lighting 

Why landscape lighting?  Landscape lighting has various functions, some more functional than others.  One obvious purpose of landscape lighting is to ensure the safety of people using the land at night.  Another purpose is to illuminate an object or structure so that it can be easily seen in the dark.  A further purpose is to illuminate a specific feature of the landscape for dramatic effect.  The choice of landscape lighting will therefore depend on its primary function. 

First, let us consider landscape lighting which is being installed purely for health and safety reasons.  This is most likely to be used in a municipal environment, such as a park, where people are allowed to walk at night.  The landscape lighting which is used in such an environment needs to illuminate the paths clearly enough so that people can see where they are going and avoid bumping into any static objects, but they must also create a feeling of safety and deter any criminal elements, who could otherwise see the location as an opportunity for theft or violence.  Moreover, landscape lighting to be used in this type of location needs to be vandal-proof.  The choice of landscape lighting to be chosen for this purpose needs to be primarily robust and to provide a strong, clear light.  This functional type of lighting may also be required in a private garden, both for the use of the owners and also to deter burglars.  In this case, the landscape lighting to be chosen need not necessarily be so robust and would probably be chosen with aesthetics in mind as well as function.  Lighting for gardens is often of the sensor type, which only comes on when someone (or something) is in the vicinity. 

Illuminating a specific object so that it may be seen in the dark is a further use for landscape lighting.  This could be done for safety reasons, for example to show where there is a pond or a wall in an otherwise dark part of the garden.  Alternatively it could be used for informative reasons, perhaps to light up a sign or a map in a public space.  Landscape lighting of this type may be subtle and unobtrusive, rather than wide-ranging. 

Finally, landscape lighting which is being used solely or primarily for effect needs to be chosen with the utmost care.  It must be sited in such a way that it both illuminates and enhances the object (whether living or not) that it is trained on.  Over-use of this type of landscape lighting will only nullify the effect, while too little of it will lose the point altogether.  This type of landscape lighting may be varied in situ by use of stronger or weaker bulbs, and choice of bright white, softer white or yellow coloured bulbs.  Also to be considered is the appearance of the light fitting itself, as it will be more visible in the daytime than it is at night.  It needs to be simple and unobtrusive. 

Landscape lighting is an important part of landscape design, as it makes the space concerned more accessible at all times and can also enhance it in a dramatic way.  Consider the purpose of your landscape lighting and choose with care.