No matter how big or sophisticated your garden is, outdoor lights are an integral part of modern landscape design. Professionally planned and installed, garden lightning will not just make your backyard and driveway safer but it can help to outline the virtues and conceal possible flaws of your property.

The possibilities to instantly enhance your outside with garden lighting are almost limitless. However, there are some ground rules to observe. They will help you benefit the most from your investment in outside lighting and not overdo it, turning your backyard into a nighttime mini golf field. 

That is why it is important to address a professional once you decide to install garden lighting. With their rich experience and knowledge, MySparkyAus professionals will help you to choose the best outdoor lighting scheme for your property. They will execute the project fast and according to the highest safety standards.

Now let`s take a look at the most popular types of outside lighting and their functions.

Why install garden lighting?

Outside lighting has four main functions and every household, no matter how big, remote or old it is, will instantly benefit from thought-through and professionally installed garden lights.• Aesthetics – when you are proud of your house and garden, you want people to have a chance to see and admire it 24/7. By the way, outside lighting is seen from the inside of your house, significantly enhancing the view at night.• Security – statistically, well-lit properties hardly become victims of burglaries or any other unauthorized trespassing.• Accessibility – once you invite someone in, you want your friend feel safe and welcome while approaching your house.• Versatility – garden lighting may turn your backyard into an extension of your house. You may spend time outside with your friends and family, hold parties or enjoy warm summer nights.

Garden lighting effects and how they work

Once you start to learn about outdoor lighting schemes and their role in the landscape design, it is pretty easy to get overwhelmed with the endless flow of information, technical characteristics and specific terms.

Here is an easy-to-follow guide to modern outdoor lighting effects that will help you understand which ones are the most suitable for your property.

Up-Lighting

Installed mostly on buildings or constructions like gazebo, arbor or a sculpture, Up-Lighting emphasizes the attention on a specific object in the garden, making it the focal point of the landscape design.

However, they work great with trees also. Install up-lighting on an Oak or any other mature tree to emphasize its beauty and spreading canopy.

Downlighting

Also called Moonlighting, these garden lights kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, they create a breathtaking mysterious atmosphere of a full-moon night in your garden, build perspective and may visually extend the space. But at the same time, downlighting has a strong safety feature, illuminating not only certain objects in the garden but spreading light around them.

The lights and lamps are usually established way above the eyesight, which allows getting the most illumination effect. You may choose between various garden lights – from stand-lamps to those hanging on tree branches.

Spotlighting

As you may understand from the very name, spotlight puts a strong emphasis on one particular object in the garden. This effect is perfect for statues, flagpoles, address signs, etc.

With a strong narrow-focused beam of light, spotlight garden illumination makes it impossible to ignore or miss that one object in your garden you are particularly proud of.

Path Lighting

By placing lighting fixes along a path in your garden, you highlight the way and create a perspective. Path lights are low fixes that also have shields on top that prevent the light flare.

You may also use them for stars or any other parts of the garden where you would like to provide safe passage during the night. Another perfect use of path lighting is to put it around flowerbeds to underline its beauty and prevent accidental stepping on your precious flowers at night.

Backlighting

Not that much of lighting, backlights help to create an aura or a glowing effect around a certain object. Most of the direct light will be blocked by the thing you want to emphasize building a mysterious and extremely attractive atmosphere in your garden.

Backlights are perfect for vases, geometric statues, poles or any other monumental or architect design elements.

Those are the most common types of Garden Lighting that can instantly enhance your outdoor space. However, here at MySparkyAus, we treat every project individually, offering original and unconventional outdoor lighting solutions for our customers all over Sydney.