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Winter lighting

BOTBBOTB Posts: 92
in Garden design
I want to highlight my bamboo plants. I have solar lighting which in the summer months has really showed them off beautifully. Now it’s coming to darker days, is there any lighting specifically for the winter months? Or more powerful solar panels?

thanks
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Posts

  • Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 347
    I'm not a lover of solar lighting. It's never bright enough and in the winter as we don't get enough sun. Others may think differently.

    We've a lot of lights in our garden.

    This may be of interest to anyone thinking to install garden lighting. I've seen some dangerous "lash ups" in my time.

    All our lights are controlled by four switches behind the lounge curtains, from the supply in the garage. (except for three PIR security lights). I laid a multi-strand armoured cable between the house and the garage before the concrete raft for the patio went down thirty -odd years ago.
    We've also 3 PIR security lights in the garden.

    We've 5 mains porch lights.
    12v lamps in the two Japanese lanterns, (ex-pool lights).
    Two low voltage 30w spotlights, one behind the pagoda next to the bamboo along the back fence and one trained on the illuminated Massarelli fountain which has a dedicated switch smongst the four.

    Three sets of fairy lights.

    The low voltage cables are attached to the concrete base panels of the side fence, the transformers on the tea-house ceiling. There's a 15w striplight on the ceiling behind the opaque tea-house doors.
    We do have several of those cheap solar lights on "sticks" but I'll take them in,  take out the batteries and put them away as they are not very effective in the winter.

    Having said all that, I rarely turn them on. But I know they are "there" if I want to.
    Sort of "set and forget."

    I did  a bit of a re-wire earlier this year (for somethiong to do and to feel more secure in my old age) and even cables in the garage are now in plastic trunking.  I number everything so that anyone would know, "what's what."

    There's no exposed mains cables anywhere in the garden.
    You can't be too careful with electricity.
    This is "mission control" I installed in the garage.


    httpwwwsimpleimageresizercom_uploadsphotos9574f932P1040047_50jpg

    Power for the garage and old filter room where we now  keep two back-up freezers.
    Lights for the same.
    Garden lighting.
    Water heater over the sink in that room



    This is esential, I installed it when I built the koi pool. It's connected to an old fashioned fuse box  with a wire fuse (leave well alone if it's working) then by a pyro cable under the drive  to the dedicated garage mini-breaker in the house consumer unit. Best to test them regularly.



    It also supplies a separate consumer unit for the shed on the back of the garage and the tea-house. The cables are in an alkathene pipe buried 9" down next to the little wall of the narrow bed between the two.


    Here's a few photos of the lights.







  • Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 347
    edited October 2021
    Posy said:
    I appreciate everyone's right to make their own choices but, that said, I would really ask people to think VERY carefully about this issue. Light pollution is a bigger and bigger problem these days. So many gardeners want to preserve wildlife but they don't seem to care about the skies above us. It's really important to have enough light for safety, but please, please think about the wonder of darkness before you illuminate your garden.

    Good advice.

    The people in the house behind ours have their garden lights, two long strings of mains lights, on all evening every night. Why do it and then close the curtains?
    I usually only turn ours on for a few seconds just before we go to bed (just to make sure they still work which will mean the freezers in the garage haven't gone off!)
    Or on special occasions when we have visitors on warm summer evenings (which isn't that often).
  • BOTBBOTB Posts: 92
    Doghouse Riley said:
    I'm not a lover of solar lighting. It's never bright enough and in the winter as we don't get enough sun. Others may think differently.

    We've a lot of lights in our garden.

    This may be of interest to anyone thinking to install garden lighting. I've seen some dangerous "lash ups" in my time.

    All our lights are controlled by four switches behind the lounge curtains, from the supply in the garage. (except for three PIR security lights). I laid a multi-strand armoured cable between the house and the garage before the concrete raft for the patio went down thirty -odd years ago.
    We've also 3 PIR security lights in the garden.

    We've 5 mains porch lights.
    12v lamps in the two Japanese lanterns, (ex-pool lights).
    Two low voltage 30w spotlights, one behind the pagoda next to the bamboo along the back fence and one trained on the illuminated Massarelli fountain which has a dedicated switch smongst the four.

    Three sets of fairy lights.

    The low voltage cables are attached to the concrete base panels of the side fence, the transformers on the tea-house ceiling. There's a 15w striplight on the ceiling behind the opaque tea-house doors.
    We do have several of those cheap solar lights on "sticks" but I'll take them in,  take out the batteries and put them away as they are not very effective in the winter.

    Having said all that, I rarely turn them on. But I know they are "there" if I want to.
    Sort of "set and forget."

    I did  a bit of a re-wire earlier this year (for somethiong to do and to feel more secure in my old age) and even cables in the garage are now in plastic trunking.  I number everything so that anyone would know, "what's what."

    There's no exposed mains cables anywhere in the garden.
    You can't be too careful with electricity.
    This is "mission control" I installed in the garage.


    httpwwwsimpleimageresizercom_uploadsphotos9574f932P1040047_50jpg

    Power for the garage and old filter room where we now  keep two back-up freezers.
    Lights for the same.
    Garden lighting.
    Water heater over the sink in that room



    This is esential, I installed it when I built the koi pool. It's connected to an old fashioned fuse box  with a wire fuse (leave well alone if it's working) then by a pyro cable under the drive  to the dedicated garage mini-breaker in the house consumer unit. Best to test them regularly.



    It also supplies a separate consumer unit for the shed on the back of the garage and the tea-house. The cables are in an alkathene pipe buried 9" down next to the little wall of the narrow bed between the two.


    Here's a few photos of the lights.







    Wow your garden is stunning! Thank you for sharing. It really shows off your lovely garden. That’s given me an idea to explore ☺️
  • BOTBBOTB Posts: 92
    I live at the end of a close, it’s very dark with no street lighting. The two lights I have are very slight in brightness. I just wanted something for winter that would show off my trees and light the path at the same time. 
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    Please consider and research the effect of light pollution on wildlife, e.g. moths, bats and other nocturnal creatures. 
    East Anglia
  • Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 347
    BOTB said:
    I live at the end of a close, it’s very dark with no street lighting. The two lights I have are very slight in brightness. I just wanted something for winter that would show off my trees and light the path at the same time. 

    It depends on the cuircumstances. Are you talking about the back garden or the front one?
    I'm in favour of PIR spots, but they can annoy neighbours if they are on too long.

    We've one under a bedroom window at the front of the house, which I've set to only come on if someone steps over our curtilage. Plus a porch light, but that won't come on until you are ten feet away.

    I've two lights on the side of the house over the drive, they are mains but low wattage, enough for me to see my way down to the garage.

    You could get a couple of low voltage spotlights like mine. They should be enough.
    Mine are Blagdon, but I see they are quite expensive now. But isn't everything?


  • BOTBBOTB Posts: 92
    Doghouse Riley said:
    BOTB said:
    I live at the end of a close, it’s very dark with no street lighting. The two lights I have are very slight in brightness. I just wanted something for winter that would show off my trees and light the path at the same time. 

    It depends on the cuircumstances. Are you talking about the back garden or the front one?
    I'm in favour of PIR spots, but they can annoy neighbours if they are on too long.

    We've one under a bedroom window at the front of the house, which I've set to only come on if someone steps over our curtilage. Plus a porch light, but that won't come on until you are ten feet away.

    I've two lights on the side of the house over the drive, they are mains but low wattage, enough for me to see my way down to the garage.

    You could get a couple of low voltage spotlights like mine. They should be enough.
    Mine are Blagdon, but I see they are quite expensive now. But isn't everything?


    For the front. I have a spotlight that comes on with motion. 

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Asarum said:
    Please consider and research the effect of light pollution on wildlife, e.g. moths, bats and other nocturnal creatures. 
    And also please consider the effect on your near neighbours who might like a pitch black garden to appreciate the night sky.
    Devon.
  • BOTBBOTB Posts: 92
    Hostafan1 said:
    Asarum said:
    Please consider and research the effect of light pollution on wildlife, e.g. moths, bats and other nocturnal creatures. 
    And also please consider the effect on your near neighbours who might like a pitch black garden to appreciate the night sky.
    On the side where my bamboo is, is there to block out a nosey neighbour. 
    I doubt she’s bothered by nature and night skies. More interested in my comings and going’s 🙄
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