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Lighting is an important aspect to consider when planning serious hard landscaping.
For many people in Bahrain, external lighting does not go much beyond a security light beaming down on the front garden to scare off intruders.
Once the sun has disappeared for the day, the garden disappears with it, and by not lighting our gardens, we pass up the opportunity to extend the time we spend outdoors. That is not to say that we should try to emulate the day light.
Lighting depends on you and what type of garden you have, or are creating. The garden size is very important. For example, if you light a very small courtyard, whether you are in the garden or viewing it from inside, the light will be enjoyed at close proximity.
The lighting scheme for a larger space needs to be treated very differently. Abstract qualities such as shadow, focus, and silhouetting can be all-important in the arrangement of lighting.
There are many different types of lighting units to give various effects, but initially it is a good idea to decide what you want to light and why.
Decorating with lights
The two basic types of lighting are spotlighting and floodlighting. A spotlight is focused so the light beam strikes a defined area, creating a distinct line between the lit and unlit areas.
A floodlight is more defuse, it covers a wide general area with gradual decline from well-lit to dark. By positioning and combing spotlights and floodlights, you can create a wide variety of decorative lighting effects.
Part of the art of designing is creating contrast.
To be artistically effective, light should be complemented by shadow. Of course, you could floodlight your entire property so everything is as clearly seen as in daylight but your garden will be more special, more mysterious, if you contrast lit areas with darker places.
Uplighting
Fix a spotlight or well light at ground level and focus it upward at a feature you want to illuminate. Well lights are designed to be buried; they employ a shade or sleeve in the housing that conceals the light source. Well lights create highlights and shadows on the underside of leaves and branches.
Downlighting
Use downlighting in areas where you need good light to see what you are doing, for example, in eating or cooking areas. However, a downlit pergola or arbour also look delightful, and indeed, a combination of downlit eating area and pergola be a useful lighting solution.
Coloured lighting
Again, this is an effect that can be tricky to use. If you embrace the whole synthetic nature of coloured light and use it for its own sake, it can look stunning - providing you know what you're doing.
Moonlighting
This variation on downlighting creates a moonlit effect by means of floodlights high in trees. The light filters down through the branches and leaves, casting complex shadows on the ground.
Silhouetting
This effect occurs when the background behind an interesting or semi-transparent structure is highlighted instead of the structure itself, which remains in darkness.
Route lighting
There are lights that have been designed specially to illuminate paths, and they usually take two forms; low-level lights or bollards.
Lighting water
Water features offer the perfect opportunity to show what lighting can really do.
Many exciting effects can be created using light on water surfaces, whether moving or still.
Underwater lighting in ponds, pools, fountains and swimming pools can look amazing, and lighting up features that are associated with water will create real atmosphere.
When installing lighting it is always sensible to employ a professional to do the electrical work - a local contractor may be all you need.
However, employing a professional lighting designer or a lighting company may show you how to maximise your budget to create more interesting and innovative schemes.
