Tips to achieve that summer glow!

 Which is when some atmospheric lighting is needed, to continue the calm that the garden inspires and enable us to enjoy the garden at night.

 All too often, people go for the extremely bright halogen floodlights to illuminate entrances, driveways, patios, steps and other areas around the house, which do absolutely nothing for the atmosphere.

 If you want to create a wonderful atmosphere outside at night, the source of the light is better hidden, so that the shadows and the darkness remain the important feature.

 Of course, you may want lights to lead the way up a driveway or path, but go for lower level fittings that cast light across the surface, to light up the route you are taking rather than illuminating the top of your head.

 There are endless patio lights on the market, but it may be worthwhile looking out for lighting you can put in the garden to enliven ponds, plants and other elements which take on a different aura in the evening.

 Candles or flares can be effective and create atmosphere, especially if they are housed in different-coloured glass, but they will need constant replacement.

 Adjustable spotlights placed around the patio are useful for achieving dramatic effects, such as uplighting, downlighting or backlighting to pick out particular features or plants.

 Uplighters can be hidden away near ground level to highlight trees, architectural shrubs and structures such as statues or other ornaments within hedges. They allow the garden feature to remain in focus rather than drawing attention to the light itself.

 Downlighting should be positioned high up to cast shadows downwards and is suitable for putting in, say, a pergola adorned with climbers, to produce pools of light and atmospheric shadows.

 Spotlighting needs careful planning or it can simply look too brash in a garden, especially if it is too close to the subject you want to highlight.

 Make sure that any spotlight is far enough away from your feature and perhaps arrange it so that only one part of the feature is highlighted, which can add drama.

 Mirror lighting can work wonderfully if you have a water feature in your garden, particularly with a fair-sized pond.

 Position the light so it is hidden from view but so it illuminates a particular feature such as a sculpture or unusual bush or tree which is then reflected in the water.

 Another effective method is moonlighting, where a light is suspended in the branches of a tree to cast shadows on the ground.

 Of course, you can use a mixture of these lights throughout the garden to good effect. Also, make use of your house lighting. Keeping a lamp on in a room which overlooks your patio can make the house feel warm and inviting.

 You can buy many types of decorative outdoor lighting. These vary from simple, easily installed low-voltage kits which you can position yourself, including individual lamps on spikes, to complicated systems which will require the skills of a professional lighting installation company.

 Other alternatives include nightlights and storm lanterns which are available in many different styles and can be hung up to light well-used spaces.

 Once you have found the lighting you want, the night will cast a different shadow over your garden.