One of the best ways to make your garden more attractive is to add garden lighting to it. The lights can add a warm glow, make your house more attractive and also provide more light which can deter night break ins. Of course there are a number of different types of lights, and what you eventually choose will depend largely on your needs and the amount of light that your garden gets.
Solar Garden Lighting
Solar Powered Light by Solergy Australia
If you do have a lot of natural light during the day you may want to consider going solar. Solar powered lights will produce a warm yellow light, and are perfect to place anywhere, even remote locations because they do not require any wiring. They are also very cost effective, because they do not require electrical power, and you do not need to remember to turn them on or off.
There are however some disadvantages with solar, these are that if you do not get a good quality lamp the light they produce may only last an hour or two. In addition you have to factor in dull or cloudy days which could prevent your light from literally seeing the light of day.
Finally, a solar light will be less likely to produce as bright a light as electrical lights and are easier to steal, given they can just be pulled up out of the ground.
Low Voltage Lighting
Duncan 4 lantern Kit
Another option is to go for low voltage lighting, which will light up your garden all night without draining your electricity bill. Low voltage lights use only about 10 percent of the electricity usage of a normal lighting system.
They are also very safe as they will not short circuit in the way other lights could and are designed to operate in wet or moist areas.
The only disadvantage to low voltage lighting is that you may struggle to get it bright enough. Look around at the different ones available and how much light they emit. They are perfect to create mood lighting, but may not be bright enough.
Standard voltage lighting
The final option is normal lights, which will give the brightest light out of all three, plus it is not open to the elements like solar, so you will get reliably bright light all the time.
The disadvantages are that it is more costly to run and you need to seriously consider safety as you are installing them. Having your wires protected is essential, especially if you are going to bury them.
For all your outdoor lighting requirements, whether solar, low voltage or standard voltage, be sure to check out the DIY Bargain Bin Lighting / Indoor and Outdoor section first.
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