Garden enlightenment

my first encounters with garden lighting go back a few years, watching my dad putting up temporary lighting for a party. At the end of the night, when all the guests had gone and I was cleaning up and stowing away the chairs, I looked around and was amazed at how groovy the garden looked. It was a whole new place. Wow! It was magical.

The neighbors with the swimming pool would light Tiki torches when they had a party, which gave the place a tropical vibe. Then there was the guy up the street who left his Christmas lights up all year round; that was home lighting design in the 50’s and 60’s.

Garden lighting has come a long way since then; there are all kinds of low-voltage lighting kits available for the do-it-yourselfer and the pro alike. Up lights, down lights, spotlights, floodlights, subtle glow lighting, path lights, moonlights and more can be found.

The first step toward “enlightenment” is determining your needs. Are you considering lighting for purely aesthetic reasons or there safety concerns? do you like to entertain? If so, garden lighting will lend ambience while greatly expanding and enhancing your party spaces. Perhaps you have more commercial considerations, such as illuminating your place of business. Whatever your reasons garden lighting can fun and easy.

The best way to get started is to get a few long extension cords, some clamp lights and a variety of small light bulbs. Go out at night and start experimenting with placements and amount of light. You may be surprised at how little light it takes to create your desired effect and how too much light can ruin it. Get creative and have a bit of fun throwing a shadow of a palm against a big bare wall or get dramatic and backlight an interesting succulent or tree. Interesting effects such as lighting up the inside canopy of a big tree can change your life in a good way; though you may wish to consult with neighbors so that they don’t feel under interrogation.

There are fancy bronze and copper fixtures that add elegance and flare. But the real magic comes from the light itself. No fixtures. No hardware showing, just ambient light coming from the ether creating a mysterious warmth and glow allowing one to navigate the nighttime garden. Natural or “moonlighting” appears to originate from mother Nature herself and for this you may need the help of a professional.

I look at garden lighting as a way for a homeowner to double his or her potential use of the garden. In fact nighttime may be the only time a person can spend leisure-time in their garden as weekdays and weekends are otherwise consumed with non-leisure endeavors.

Just for fun, take a lamp of some kind out into your landscape tonight and see if I was right as a kid about how groovy it looks. lisa

cullen

Lisa Cullen, landscape designer and organic gardener owns Montecito Landscape with her husband, Chris. She can be reached at 805.969.3984 or www. montecitolandscape.com. Follow her blog at www. gardengossipsb.blogspot.com and listen to Garden Gossip radio show on AM1290, Fridays at 11am and 9pm and Saturdays at 11am.