In The Garden
| NORTH YORKSHIRE |  | | | CLEVELAND | | | COUNTY DURHAM | | |
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See the light at night by harnessing the rays of the sun
I AM sprucing up my patio in
preparation for the summer
and have decided to add some
light to the scene to create atmosphere
when I'm chilling out
with my glass of wine in the
evening during the warmer
months.
A little light goes a long way at
night, so don't over-light the area
as extremely bright garden lighting
often has a garish, unwelcoming
look. Instead, decide what features
to light and to what
intensity. Use lighting selectively,
making use of darkness and enhancing
the best elements at the
same time as concealing the
worst.
There are so many different lights
on the market it's difficult to know
what to choose, but if you have
any borders around your patio,
subtle solar lights in flowerbeds or
along paths can create a relaxing
mood. I particularly like the new
Gardman Luna stainless steel
solar light (£12.99), a contemporary,
rust-proof light which provides
both good looks and a long
life (for stockists phone 01406-
372227).
You can buy patio umbrellas fitted
with solar lights in the canvas, but
they will only provide a limited
amount of light. Low voltage garden
lighting products are easy
enough to connect, but the transformer
connection and installation
of any other mains voltage
lights or equipment can lead to
dangerous situations if not done
correctly, so hire a registered electrician
to do the work.
The key to successful garden lighting
is flexibility: use spiked fittings
so the position of the lighting can
be changed to suit the changing
seasons and planting growth. You
can also buy water features which
have lights incorporated to create
a mood.
In a small shady planting area of
my patio I recently installed a textured
glass pyramid (Stonesdale,
£199.99), one of the Alan Titchmarsh
range of contemporary
water features, which has multicoloured
LED lights inside. At
first, I felt it was a bit of a throwback
to the 1970s with its changing
coloured lights, but now that I
have planted ferns and other
shade-loving plants, it looks more
subtle and certainly provides a
talking point among guests. Incidentally,
the Alan Titchmarsh
range includes polished stainless
steel balls, tubes and other contemporary
designs (for stockists
phone 0113-244-2299).
Think about highlighting individual
features. Big patio pots containing
impressive architectural
plants can be enhanced with
lighting underneath. You can buy
cheap plastic uplighters and push
them into containers to cast interesting
shadows in the evening.
Of course, the cheapest form of
lighting is candles, which can give
a surprising amount of light when
placed in groups on a table. Go for
the outdoor types which have a thicker wick to stop gusts of wind
blowing them out.
If you don't have easy access to
electricity, and want to avoid the
cost of an electrician, there are
loads of candle holders and oil
lanterns available. For a splash of
colour, place Weaver nest tea light
holders in colours of aqua, fuchsia,
olive or tangerine, on branches
of overhanging trees (available
from Fairwind, www.fairwindonline.
com/020-8374-6254).
Jobs this week
❃ Plant gladioli corms in succession
until the end of spring to extend
their flowering season.
❃ Plant out young sweet peas
raised from autumn sowings.
❃ Stand containers on pot feet or
bricks to ensure good drainage.
1:11pm Friday 2nd May 2008
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