The last two summers in the UK have been miserable, to say the least and if you don’t have outdoor lighting you’ve probably hardly used your garden at all.  Given the experts’ prediction of even more wet summers ahead, it makes sense to get into the outdoor lighting field now so that you can maximise your garden enjoyment in the years to come.

It’s said that an English man’s garden is his own private ‘nation,’ and the fact is  you’ve probably spent oodles of time, wads of cash and barrow loads of effort in creating your tiny monarchy.  Why then wouldn’t you want to shed a little light on it? It’s just good sense, isn’t it?

Your outdoor lighting project can be as simple or as grand as you like but, for it to be successful, good planning is essential.  Decide what you want to achieve with your lighting before you go rushing in to buy the first sparklers that please your eye.  And don’t forget that a major aspect to any outdoor lighting scheme is security.

Don’t be misled though – security lights can be defined as any outside lighting that makes your home unattractive to intruders or that illumines any gloomy corners where people might hide.  So you could have wall lights, porch lights, deck lights, lamp posts – any type of light that makes your home less attractive to intruders can be classified as a security light.

Probably the best way to enter the security lighting arena is with a simple porch light, which you can upgrade with a movement sensor (known as a PIR sensor) if you wish.  The sensor will switch the light on when any movement is detected in the area it covers.

If you have more lofty aims, you could consider installing a lamp post close to your front door.  Not only do garden lampposts look very elegant, they are the bees’ knees when it comes to security lighting – their additional height means that they shed their light far and wide.  Can you imagine an opportunist intruder choosing a home with a working lamppost by the entrance?  No.  Quite.

And thinking about the huge range of available lamppost styles takes us neatly to the other, more exciting, aspect of planning your outdoor lighting – the looks that can be achieved.  From subtle sophistication to footballers’ wife flash, you can create your own oasis from the world outside your front door.

In these days of improving rather than moving, you can still expand by adding a few outdoor lights to reclaim your garden from the night.

Given the wet misery of the last two summers, if you don’t have garden lighting, its likely that you’ve had even less enjoyment than usual from your garden than ever before – and in the UK we don’t get that much garden time anyway, do we? With the weathermen telling us that the two summers past are indicative of summers to come, it’s probably time to investigate the world of outdoor lighting.

If you are like the rest of the British you have probably nurtured your garden to within an inch of its life: planting, weeding, cutting, hoeing; but to what end if you can’t spend time out there.  Illuminate it; show it off – go on, you know it makes sense!

It makes no matter whether you have the tiniest pocket handkerchief of a garden or huge, rolling acres of land, when it comes to illuminating your patch good planning is essential.  Before you go and buy the lamps and the bulbs, the cables and the switches, think about exactly what it is you want to achieve with your lighting.  Bear in mind though that, generally, all outdoor lighting must fulfil two functions – decoration and security.

It is quite possible for decorative lighting to double as security lighting – all that we ask of our security lighting is that it throws light into dark corners and makes a would-be intruder pass on to the house next door.  So, whatever style of light you choose, as long as you position it correctly it can act as both security and decoration.[DFR::13f8bbf1-25e3-7ae8-d5cb-061ea8f8dfb9-2687-af|align_left_1]

Probably the best way to enter the security lighting arena is with a simple porch light, which you can upgrade with a movement sensor (known as a PIR sensor) if you wish.  The sensor will switch the light on when any movement is detected in the area it covers.

If you have the space and the inclination, you could even put in a garden lamp post.  Why not! Not only do lampposts look very stylish, their extra height and the wide arc of light they shed make for excellent security.  Only a very determined intruder would choose a home illuminated by a lamp post. Most burglars only want an easy life and are far more likely to go next door if you have one of these outside your front door.

Lampposts look good too, which brings us on to the fun part of outdoor lighting – the effects that can be achieved. Whether rural or urban, child friendly or decidedly adults’ play ground, you can create a night time wonderland in your own backyard. Literally.

In these days of improving rather than moving, you can still expand by adding a few outdoor lights to reclaim your garden from the night.