Bring extra glow, cosy feel to your home using garden lights

GARDENING|HOMES

Landscaping is one step in adding beauty to a home but installing garden lights is the peak of giving your home that extra radiance.

Francis Okoboi has his home garden fitted with lights. "Without garden lights, a home is not interesting in the night," he says. "Even if you landscape, you would also want to showcase a beautiful home in the night and what better way is there than use garden lights."

How we lit up our home garden

"Ours is a multi-layered compound; we built our garden on different levels," Okoboi says.

"We put large planters in our garden and used flood lights to light them up. Plus used the dim yellowish lights in the flowers. There is a balance between soft lights and bright lights in our garden," he adds.

What to consider for garden lighting

David Kato, an electrician says first you must have a design for the compound.

Also visit an electrical shop together with an electrician to decide on the garden lights you will need and additional accessories.

Also check for proper underground cables to be used in your garden to light up the garden.

 
Getting creative with your garden lights

Benon Kisomose, a technician and electrician at Facom Uganda says the creativity applied in setting up garden lights to enhance the beauty of your home, depends on the designer.

"The designer has to take into consideration the type of lights to be used, she/he may need to consider where to put the smoke lights and even dim lights for the neighbours not to intrude on your privacy, and ensure you enjoy your cosy time out in the garden or porch."

Kisomose says typography is also key and has to be taken into consideration. "Some gardens are on hilly areas, sloppy or slanted sites and some on flat land.

Depending on what you have, the creativity will be different and one will have to apply logic in designing and setting up the garden lights.

Also the kind of plants, trees in your compound will influence creativity in setting up garden lights.

For Okoboi and his wife, they used 10 inset lights, which clash well with the wall to give a beautiful glow in the garden

This was in addition to six flood lights used to illuminate the plants (tall grass and bush in the garden) to give radiance.  This is in addition to the normal security lights.

The lights also illuminate the stone works in the home. "The contrast of lights against the stones is very attractive. My wife and I decided to do something that would make us enjoy sitting out, in our home at night," he says.

Kisomose says garden lighting adds another aspect to your garden providing a totally different view from the day.

It does bring comfort and on damp and cold evenings brings warmth.

However, he says part of the garden lighting design process is about choosing and applying creative garden lighting effects.

The garden lights must be beautifully installed in the garden without one having to see the light fittings. Some lights go on the flowers, walkway, wall and trees in the home garden.

So one has to use professionals in choosing the correct garden lights for the compound, veranda and unique features in the garden like fountains or ponds for artistic garden lighting at home.

 
Type of lights

LED garden lights

Energy saving lights

Flood lights make good garden light but could darken some areas which need extra lighting

Solar garden lights which automatically switch on and stay lit through the dark

Accent lighting, these display interesting design elements in the garden.

Lantern garden lights take several forms; they hang on trees on walkway or wall.

Spotlight bulbs bring desired lighting effects for the perfect atmosphere.

The wiring

Kato explains that wiring depends on lights (voltage to be used) and any electrician has to consider using underground cables 2.5 in diameter.

Okoboi says the underground cables have to be proper. "When we put up our garden lights, the cables used were not proper, now we're digging them out to put up better ones which is extra costs," he says.

Solar versus electricity to light

Though Okoboi roots for solar as dependable, Kato questions what would happen in a rainy season.

"Electricity is better because even if you lay its supply cable over a long distance, the power voltage remains the same but for Solar, the voltage drops. You can't also build solar batteries on the ground," Kato explains.

This leaves the powering option for your home garden to either electricity or a mix of both solar and electricity.