Garden Lighting

This week I had the pleasure of attending a garden lighting master class at John Cullen Lighting run by the eminently knowledgeable Sally. What stood out most for me is the huge progress made in the development of low energy LED's. It is now possible to light your garden using the same amount of energy as a single table lamp inside the house. Two fittings stood out, the Kew spiked spotlight and the Lucca recessed wall or uplight. Both these lamps are just one watt and give a lovely warm light similar to tungsten. The strength of the beam is impressive for the wattage and you could easily and effectively light an urban garden with just these two fittings.

While we are talking lighting, for a real extravaganza of a show I recommend the Enchanted Woodland Xmas Walk held each year at Sion House in Kew. This outing has become a family tradition for us although it always takes us by surprise how early in December it closes so don't be caught out by that as we were last year.

The walk culminates in a stroll through the amazing Great Conservatory which is said to have inspired Joseph Paxton in his designs for the Crystal Palace. Things have been shaken up a little since then, I wonder what he would have made of the laser show set to music.

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