Until you have achieved a lovely night picture or more than one in your garden, you cannot imagine what great pleasure you are missing —and missing all year round, for the dead of winter, lighted, is quite as lovely as the height of summer.
Having installed some high house corner “burglar” lights for practical rather than aesthetic reasons.
I discovered one snowy evening as I looked out from the darkened house that my white birch clump at the kitchen window was an exquisite sight.
I decided to work out panoramas for other windows and start at once, even though it was January and there was snow.
The Importance of Lighting Considerations
In carrying out my plans—and there needs to be plenty of time to consider lighting effects—I had the assistance of my always-interested contractor, Phil Punzelt, who has patiently helped with all my house and garden schemes, both wild and sane.
Now, he waded back and forth through the snow on the lawn and the cliff-side of the brook until we found what we thought was the just-right placement and angle for lights.
But in spring, they were moved again to the house side of the brook. The experiment was easily managed with temporary lights on a 200-foot extension cord plugged into an outside outlet on the terrace. There, they stayed all winter.
You will find that such an experiment helps select your favorite view—the tree garden or landscape area you wish to light for evening enjoyment.
You want to discover what is worth fighting, to find out from what windows or doors of your house you are most likely to get pleasure from night pictures.
You need to consider both summer and winter effects. Of course, you want to avoid overdoing it; the desired effect is ethereal— not amusement-park brilliance.
Choosing The Right Lighting Setup
After trying temporary lighting on both sides of the brook, I found that a double 100-watt projector floodlight set high on the near-house bank —and at the foot of a concealing elm tree—gave just the effect I wanted.
The lights were adjustable, so I pointed one out a little to the right to pick up the line of the stone wall; the other light was directed somewhat to the left and pointed up a little to catch the sweep of the curving woodland path.
The glow on the cliff was unbelievably beautiful. So, too, were the shadows cast by the great oaks. As you work on your picture, do consider shadows. They can add great beauty to your picture.
Creating a Charming Atmosphere
From the dining and living room windows and the terrace where we sit on warm evenings, the Brook Cliff panorama is handsomely brought to life from my bedroom, too. It is a charming sight.
Guests at a winter dinner party lit only by candles have perhaps the greatest enjoyment as they look through the wide windows to the almost frozen brook and the great gray rock beyond.
Sitting in a darkened living room around a blazing fire and gazing at a lighted snow scene is also a lovely experience.
Process of Installing Outdoor Lighting
The permanent installation was neither difficult nor expensive. I had a 12-inch-deep trench, some 30’ feet long, dug from house to tree.
The electrician laid the cable in this. Then, permanently place the fixture composed of two 100-watt amber bulbs that give a softer light than the whites.
For control, he installed an indoor switch on the dining room wall. (You could also have an automatic timer and have your garden start to glow with light just as the sun goes down.)
Choosing The Right Concealment and Protection
A carpenter made the concealing and protecting box. This is a 14- 14-inch-high wooden box with a 21-inch opening at the front, sides 12” inches deep, and a 13-inch-wide back.
The box is hidden by the tree trunk and painted to match the trunk. This turned out to be a lavender-gray.
(Green paint was my first thought for outside, but any shade of green showed up harshly against the winter-bare bank and the grayish tree trunk. If you have a box to paint, take thought of the actual color of the plant materials you are matching.)
Options For Ground Covering
Finally, a ground-covering vine that can be grown up over the box is useful. English ivy is fine where it is hardy; Baltic ivy is safer for a New England winter. Then there is creeping euonymus or Virginia creeper and, pretty in summer, Clematis paniculata.
The ground cover is a minor matter, a concealing detail of the contrivance that adds to the perfection of the lighting. This, then, is how I have lighted my place.
Alternative Methods For Outdoor Lighting
There are, of course, many other ways besides this one involving a trench. Cords can be standing out from the house and through a tree, a floodlight fastened to the branch.
Burglar lights, along with caves or at house corners on the ground or high up, can also light a garden picture if you strategically direct them.
Perhaps you want outdoor lights for use and beauty on a barbecue area or a game court. Maybe you want lights to work at night; a friend lighted her garden so she could cultivate it on sleepless nights—a fine substitute for sleeping pills.
You may want to feature a doorway at Christmas or draw attention to a great holly or pine at that season. Your electrician can help you work out any of these plans once you know what you want.
My point is that outdoor lighting is neither complicated nor costly—and the resulting garden pleasure is delightful beyond your dreams.
44659 by Helen Van Pelt Wilson