Pond Lighting – Few things are as serene and mesmerising as watching the water flow and ripple in a backyard pond as you kick your feet up after a long day’s work. Those of us fortunate enough to have a little glimpse of paradise within our own homes know the extent of how calming and therapeutic it can be – with the low burbling of water and the gentle hum of our surroundings.
Since the nighttime is that part of the day when things start quiet down a fair bit, with many of us retreating to our separate abodes for the night, why not add a little something to make that evening tranquil experience even more special? After all, you can’t appreciate the natural beauty of your aquatic haven to its full potential during the night without a little extra bit of illumination.
How Do You Illuminate a Pond?
The way you incorporate lights into the whole setup might vary from person to person, but it requires an eye for detail and knowledge of what works well with the layout you have in mind. These days, there are plenty of charming and bright pond lighting solutions that work in a variety of settings, including:
Submersible Lighting
The first option is what people have in mind when they think of pond lighting. These flickers of light can be placed directly in the water, underneath rocks, or even in garden vases to give the pond a sense of twinkle and sparkle.
They’re generally used to highlight specific areas of the pond, rather than to fill it with a blanket of light. Their subtle glow and ethereal aura create a majestic atmosphere, especially when you pair them with colour-changing models to cycle through the rainbow of hues.
The tricky part is to not overdo it with the lighting solutions. You’ll want to aim for a less is more approach when it comes to setting up your layout because otherwise there’s a risk of it looking a bit too artificial and gaudy. Look for a balance between natural and artificial elements, with clever uses of space and colour to create a truly serene atmosphere.
Deck Lights
Next up are the deck lights, which are recess-mounted fixtures along the edge of the pond. This is a particularly convenient solution if you have a wooden pathway or patio surrounding the body of water since these fixtures can easily be mounted onto those surfaces.
Not to mention, they’ll provide a pleasant, ambient illumination that’s essentially going to highlight the shape and texture of whatever’s around the pond. Deck lights are also a great choice if you want to draw attention to certain areas of your backyard, such as flower beds or seating arrangements.
Water Feature Lights – Pond Lighting
This is where things start to get interesting – these unique fixtures are specifically designed to add an extraordinary and stunning visual effect to your garden, so you can expect a little bit of a wow factor with this one.
For instance, mist maker kits emit a low fog of water droplets over a specific area, creating a somewhat mystical scene with the help of its piercing bluish-purple light. Spouts and bubbler lights, on the other hand, take things in a different direction with their sprinkle system – each one has its way of showing off the beauty and tranquillity of water.
Garden Spotlights
The last garden light solution you can consider is the spotlight. These generally emit a slightly brighter beam than the rest, with a strong focus on a certain area or object. You can use them to highlight your favourite plants and flowers, while also being able to set the intensity of the beam according to your preference.
When it comes to incorporating spotlights, you’ll need to pay close attention to their positioning and angles – after all, they’re the most powerful lights in this list and can potentially create an imbalance in the overall lighting setup. Models that are closer to the ground tend to be more inviting and subtle, while those that are mounted onto the sides of walls or higher up can create a rather commanding presence.
How Are Pond Lights Powered?
Aside from the specific mounting and layout options, you’ll also need to consider the power source of your outdoor garden lights. This would largely be determined by your current layout as well as the resources you have available. Either way, you’d have to opt for one of the two following possibilities:
Solar Powered
Starting with what is arguably the most efficient and environmentally-friendly option, solar-powered lighting relies on the sun’s energy to provide a steady stream of illumination throughout the night. In most cases, these systems come with a miniature solar panel attached to the top, which collects the energy from the sun during the day and stores it in an internal battery for nighttime activities.
You can use a transformer for your modern solar garden lights to convert the electrical current from 220V down to 12V, which is necessary for any submersible fixtures. This is a particularly convenient approach if you don’t have access to a power outlet nearby or you can’t make use of the solar option straight away. And since there’s no sunlight at night, this is exactly what you should use to power your fixtures.
Not only does this save you a great deal of effort when it comes to dealing with power cables, but it also helps reduce the impact on your electricity bill. When you make use of readily available natural resources, such as the sun’s energy, you can save up on your utility costs and become more sustainable in the process.
Plus, the fact that you don’t have to depend on a separate power source for this type of lighting means that you can get creative with their placement and be a little bit more flexible in terms of the overall scheme. This can be anything from a dimly lit path to an illuminated pond – the way you arrange all of the fixtures is entirely up to you.
Plug-and-Play Lighting
Finally, we have the standard plug-and-play lighting systems. These are often used in smaller gardens and pond layouts since they require a direct connection to an external power source. The predetermined power requirements may vary based on the size of your pond, so make sure you double-check the manufacturer’s instructions before you start setting everything up.
Other than that, using this kind of illumination is a relatively straightforward process. All you have to do is plug the fixture into a power outlet, position each bulb in the desired location and adjust their brightness levels. This does require a bit more effort since you’d have to run the power cables all around the garden, but it is still a very convenient option for smaller spaces.
Pond Lighting is a feature post