Garden Enlightenment
Published in Garden Compass November/December 2003
Dramatic lighting may be the most powerful way of evoking interest and mood in an environment. If you’ve ever taken a nighttime drive across the uplit Golden Gate Bridge or seen the sparkling lights of Rockefeller Center at Christmas, then you’ve witnessed how creative lighting can transform interesting objects into breathtaking ones.
When applied in the garden, light effects do wonders to create the ambiance you desire. Whether your garden is the locale for an all-night birthday bash or a romantic dinner for two, lighting will set the tone.
James Fleming, lighting design director of Illuminating Interiors, has several lighting techniques he employs to make magical, bold statements. Statues are isolated and made to pop out of the landscape with narrow spots. Trees radiate light when lit from below. Another of Fleming’s tricks is to use colored lenses. “Foliage is so much more eye-catching if it’s blue-green and water features look incredible in amber,” he says.
A different approach achieves a more mysterious, quiet style. “Illuminating trees from above creates a wonderful moonlighting effect with intricate shadow patterns on the ground,” says Fleming. Colorful floodlights create watercolor-like washes, calling attention to careful plantings or textures on walls. “Dimmers are a must,” Fleming reminds, “because you can achieve several tones with the same lighting just by adjusting the switch.”
“We have the opportunity to paint with light in a variety of ways that will bring new life to the outdoors in the evening,” says Fleming. We’re providing you with our light fixture guide, self-installation instructions and decorative exterior lighting information so that you may become your own painter of light.