Brighten up your garden

Can you install the lighting yourself?

In general, doing it yourself saves money. If your expectations are realistic and you're willing to be patient, you can come up with a perfectly suitable lighting plan. Don't expect to achieve the kind of spectacular results featured in books, however, as artistic lighting is a specialty requiring know-how, skill and sophisticated equipment.

For a lavish and spectacular result, your best bet is to hire a lighting designer. He or she will experiment with different types of lighting, as well as look at varying intensities and beam widths using professional-quality bulbs and light fixtures. It's not unusual for a pro to use up to 18 different bulb types in a single garden!

The five commandments of good neighbouring

Poorly designed, misdirected or excessive lighting can be blinding or intrusive. To avoid sowing discord with your neighbours:

1 Use the fewest fixtures possible for your lighting purposes.
2 Make sure the beams are pointed in such a way that they don't have a blinding effect on you or your neighbours.
3 Use minimum-intensity bulbs.
4 Use a lighting timer.
5 Devise a plan based on having separate lighting areas to highlight different sections of the garden.

Read more in Homes and Gardens