Moonlit Magic: Exploring the Wonders of Landscape Lighting

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant, JC Raulston Arboretum

There's a new trend in home landscape garden extension here to light up our lives: outdoor landscape lighting, and we aren't talking about simple runway style lights down the side of your driveway stuck a foot above the ground. Not at all—landscape lighting is all about the ambiance. Especially as the days get shorter, it's harder and harder to make it home in time to enjoy our gardens and the fruit of all the work we put into them. But here in North Carolina with our pleasantly subtle cool season weather, landscape lighting can not only help to create a dramatic mood in your garden but also give you more time to enjoy it.

At the JC Raulston Arboretum, we are committed to partnering with gardeners to provide them the resources they need to be successful in their home gardens. That's why we are excited to announce the return of Moonlight in the Garden. This six-night event, in partnership with Southern Lights of Raleigh, Inc., delivers nighttime wonder, as attendees can explore a variety of our gardens lit up after nightfall. Moving beyond basic runway style lights can be difficult without creative inspiration, but the Moonlight event is all about helping gardeners find the perfect balance between function and beauty. 

John Garner, founder and president of Southern Lights of Raleigh, spoke with us about the exciting installations he has planned for this year's event, and his goal is to include as many unique displays as possible. Last year, John experimented with color and light temperature in a brilliant display which illuminated our Asian Valley plantings. Hues of green, red, and blue drenched the elephant ears in vibrant light. This year, John hopes to experiment with motion and light. He plans to "install whirligigs, you know, those wind sculptures, and light different sides of those to cast shadows as they move in the wind." In addition, due to the growing popularity of water garden lighting, John plans to light the waterfall next to the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center, playing with the "shimmer of light shining through the water."

Additionally, John will be creating unique lighting features for three new garden spaces this year: the Klein-Pringle White Garden, the Great Lawn, and the whimsical Necessary (an architecturally interesting building). Two-thirds of our entire garden will be lit. Given the great variety of garden spaces here at the Arboretum, there will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to gain inspiration for their own home gardens, whatever their personal style may be.

Incorporating Outdoor Landscape Lighting in Your Own Home Landscape

Landscape lighting began as a safety feature for homeowners, and John mentioned that safety is still a primary benefit of landscape lighting. While security and aesthetics are two big drivers of landscape lighting installation, simple practicality is also a huge draw.  "It increases the usability of the garden," John explains. "People can use their garden after dark, and it fosters activities such as entertaining and grilling." Landscape lighting can also move beyond lighting intimate outdoor spaces to lighting more public spaces as well, "announcing your place on the street and making it easier for guests to find you." Some people even choose to use their landscape lighting as a privacy feature. By focusing a spotlight on different focal points from the outside perimeter of their landscape, John's team is able to create a light screen that keeps neighbors from having a direct view into the client's backyard.

When creating a plan to incorporate landscape lighting into your own home, John says it is most important to consider what aspects of your space hold the most value for you. For example, do you want to emphasize pathways or architecture? Interesting plants or general visibility? A successful design limits the primary area of focus to one or two key features, and utilizes accent lighting for other secondary features. In addition, it is also important to keep in mind smaller, more logistical details such as how much traffic the area receives, or what kind of control panel you want to work with. Finally, John recommends designing a plan that is appropriate for the style of your neighborhood and the location and lifestyles of your neighbors.

There are many types of fixtures available for use, and John pulls from over thirty different lines in his own designs, "cherry picking the best options for each project." While there is a great variety in the style of fixtures available, there are five main in use. First, uplights are placed at ground level and shine upward, highlighting the important focal points of the landscape, such as architecture or interesting plants. Downlights are the opposite fixture, and are placed above the landscape to imitate natural light such as moonlight or to provide additional security. Third, backlights light a feature from behind, and are used to create shadows for artistic effect. Pathlights, the genesis of the landscape lighting movement, are placed just above grade level along sidewalks, informal pathways, and driveways for safety and ease of access. Finally, specialty lights are used to create certain moods, such as the color lighting systems John occasionally incorporates into his design. Homeowners often have the most difficulty successfully installing specialty lights on their own. If you are interested in exploring these ideas further, we'd definitely recommend that you come out to the Arboretum's Moonlight event to gain a first-hand look at some of the options available and talk to John and his highly trained staff.

Moonlight in the Garden: A Symbiotic Relationship

When asked why he chooses to partner with the Arboretum to create the Moonlight in the Garden, John mentions the importance of giving back to the landscape community. "The Arboretum helps the landscape industry by introducing new plants that landscapers can use every year, so we felt it was appropriate to help them." Moonlight in the Garden is the JC Raulston Arboretum's biggest yearly fundraiser, and is what helps the Arboretum keep its gates open to the public without admission 365 days a year. "We hope we have great crowds," John continued. "It's a great opportunity to learn what lighting can do in the garden, with lots of examples of how to include it in their landscape. And I'll be around to answer questions, too. We hope we raise lots of money. We want the Arboretum to benefit."

In addition to John's spectacular light creations, the Moonlight event this year will feature an interactive scene setting station, displays of the ever-popular Simchock Stones and Kelly Francis Illumination lights which will be available to purchase, children's activities, live music, food trucks, and fire pits. "It's a rare event," John explains, "to see the gardens after dark." We hope you'll come out and join us to learn more about the beauty of landscape lighting and the benefit of supporting the JC Raulston Arboretum.

JC Raulston Arboretum will be hosting The 2017 Moonlight in the Garden event for two weekends: November 9–11 and November 16–18. Advance tickets are available at jcra.ncsu.edu/moonlight/ or at the Arboretum front desk. Please call (919) 515-3132 for more details.

References

Garner, John. 2017. Phone interview by Sarah Alford. October 5, 2017.
McDilda, Katherine Woodford. 2000. "The Romantic Ambiance of the Nightscape." Irrigation & Green Industry, September 1, 2000. http://igin.com/article-382-the_romantic_ambiance_of_the_nightscape.html.
Schalau, Jeff. 2009. "Outdoor Landscape Lighting." Backyard Gardener. Last modified March 18, 2009. https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/outdoorlandscapelighting.html.