Garden Lighting

We’ve just about changed all of the old light bulbs in the house to LED’s. 

These low energy bulbs come on full in an instance and use only a fraction of the power the old fluorescent and incandescent ones used. You could be in and out of a room before the light was even on with some of the old type bulbs.

I did overdo things a bit getting an LED strip light in the kitchen, I think it was made for a room five times the size and you need to put sunglasses on  when you’re doing the washing up. Now we are used to it though I wouldn’t change it for a lower wattage one. I think the neighbours would complain too as I think their kitchens are lit up by the light shining from our window.

I’ve noticed the night time light is getting very bright now as the old phosphorous street lights are being phased out and replaced with white LED’s. I’ve also noticed more gardens are lighting up in the evenings too. Gone are the days when the odd porch had a red hot halogen bulb fixed in the eaves to light up the windowsill. Some houses have a wide array of illumination all around the house. It’s like Christmas every day of the year. 

The low running costs of these bulbs and the growth of effective solar panel lights has made lighting up the garden a very affordable thing too. There is still room for the electric lights to be put into new build gardens, running heavy cables underground but if your garden is already established you can get it lit up like the Northern Lights with very little disruption.

The garden can be enjoyed just as much at night as in the daytime and subtle lighting in discreet areas can really set a mood.

Solar Garden Lighting

Solar lighting is available in quite a few different styles, from stake lights that stand alone to illuminated stepping stones. There are even solar string lights available from some manufacturers.

They all use solar collectors to absorb sunlight during the daylight hours. That energy is stored in an internal battery, which kicks in when the ambient light drops below a certain level, or you turn them on.

LED Garden Lighting

Individual LEDs are very small, you will need quite a few of them to equal the amount of light emitted from conventional lights but will be easier to run.

They’re an ideal option for pairing with solar technology due to their low power consumption, which can add hours of use time. 

Plug and Play Garden Lighting

Add instant light to the garden with 12-volt systems that can be installed by just about anyone. All you need to do is mount the light(s), connect them to the transformer, and then plug them in. 

Garden Wall Lighting

Walls can be the perfect place to install lighting. When choosing wall lighting, consider the aesthetics of your outdoor area and the overall design that you want to achieve, whether you’re going for sleek and contemporary, rustic, or avant-garde.

Garden Patio Lighting

Patio lighting can be as simple as a couple of tiki torches, or as elegant as strings of lights suspended from posts over the patio area. Ideally, the lights can remain up all year long without suffering damage. 

Contemporary Garden Lighting

Contemporary garden lighting is distinct from rustic and traditional lighting. Stainless steel housings are very popular because they offer outstanding durability and weather resistance, while providing a clean, modern look. Bronze is also popular, as are aluminium and glass.

Garden Party Lighting

Your garden area can be an ideal option for these gatherings during the warmer months of the year. Look for multi-coloured string lights to add a touch of whimsy to your events, or go for paper lanterns that add flair 

Garden Decking Lighting

These are generally flat in design, with disc-shaped LED lights that emit blue, cool white or warm white light depending on your goals and the overall aesthetic of your outdoor space. There are also solar deck lights on offer if you don’t want to connect to the mains.

Garden Security Lighting

Keeping your garden area secure and protected is important, and there are many security lighting solutions out there. Motion-detection systems turn on a bright spot light, usually when a leaf blows past the sensor but they can be very useful.

There are loads of illuminating ideas for the garden and we haven’t even mentioned Christmas lights.

November in the Garden

 Harvesting mung beans

I tend to ignore a lot of gardening advice when it comes to autumn.  I don’t really see the need to trim back herbaceous plants and find the dead flower stems are a great place for insects to over winter so they stay in place too.  

One other bit of advice that I pass on is digging the ground to let the frost break down the soil.  We don’t get enough frost here for it to effectively break down soil and what really happens is that we get heavy rain which washes the soil away – and kills the worms as they can’t live in waterlogged soil.

The best thing to do is to leave a layer of old plants in place and let the worms do the work for you. Either mulch the ground with compost, cardboard or seaweed and let them get to work, they can rise above the wet soil. You could put a cover over the mulch but again, that’s not really necessary if the layer of well-rotted material is thick enough.  I don’t really see the point in making work  for myself and when it gets really cold and wet I have a hard time just getting outside to the bins, let alone doing any work in the garden. 

There are things we can do when the sun does shine though and here is a bit of a compilation of jobs you can choose to either ignore or tick off as you wish. 

Jobs to do in November

If you have a fish pond the fish will be less active now so you could stop feeding them and if you have any pumps or filters they could do with a service.

I was on our shed roof the other day securing a ridge tile. I’d suggest you check over shed roofs and also fence panels and posts for anything that’s rocking in the wind and secure before any really big storms.

November is a good time to plant bare root trees, shrubs and roses, hardy herbaceous plants, fruit trees and bushes. This saves you having to water them too and the roots will establish over the spring.

If you want blackcurrant bushes take pencil sized cuttings from an established clump and push into the ground. They will root in no time.

Insulate any non-frost hardy pots you have with a bit of bubblewrap. If you have plants that are on the tender side, move them into a shed/garage or closer to the house where it’ll be a bit warmer and more sheltered.

Keep checking the drains and guttering for fallen leaves. This year I have invested in some drain covers that stop leaves accumulating. I’ll let you know how effective they are.

Swap your summer hanging baskets for winter plants such as ivy, primulas, pansies and cyclamen. Keep the chain a bit shorter too as this will help reduce the basket being blown about too much and banging on the door at three o’clock in the morning.

Take hardwood cuttings of shrubs.

Collect seaweed from the beaches after any strong winds. This is a perfect mulch for the veggie patch.

Lawn repairs can be done now and the ground should still be firm enough to lay turf if you have any bare patches.

Lift and divide rhubarb if you have it in the garden. This keeps the parent plant healthy and increases your supply.  

Sweet peas can be sown in autumn and if I remember I’ll also be sowing some broad beans too so we can get an early crop next year. I say this every year but always forget so this is a reminder to myself.

If you are just not interested in doing much in the garden until spring there are things you can grow on the windowsills. Try a few herbs on the kitchen sill where you can add a few leaves to your meals. We have some mung beans growing in a cupboard at the moment (they need a bit of dark to establish and get plump) These can be put on the windowsills too along with other sprouting seeds.

 We have trays of wheatgrass coming along in the window at the front of the hall which can be juiced in the kitchen where it’s nice and warm. So I can still garden in the worst weather and I don’t even have to put my hat, coat and boots on.