Twilight time in the garden doesn’t have to be gloomy or dangerous. What with the ending of Daylight Saving Time, banishing dark corners and steps in the garden goes beyond attractive, or good feng shui; it’s also a safety issue.
Luckily for me, foot memory guides me through the clutter I spent years creating; however, with less-adroit visitors, “Watch your step!” has little meaning when they can’t see their feet in the first place.
So how do I pull off having winding paths all around my little garden, without flooding the garden in light and losing that ethereal nighttime atmosphere?
First, I use pale brown flagstone and light gray chipped slate for my walks, keeping them bright with an annual pressure washing; once eyes have adjusted to the lower light, these materials all but glow in the dark. I also placed small silvery reflective glass balls in sharp curves and hanged outdoor wall mirrors in dark corners to catch reflected light. Then there are my dozen glass bottle trees glistening in the moonlight, and a few strands of all-year holiday lighting.
Walks, deck edges, and steps are edged strategically with clumps of variegated Liriope, lace-white dusty miller, Powis Castle artemisia and other pale, ghostly plants which make the most of ambient light. Partly hidden mirrors, silvery “gazing globes” and other garden glass throw fallen moonlight into the gloomiest corners. Critical turns are accented with pillars of gray “Arkansas fieldstone” rocks and an antique bird bath. One raised bed is lined with iridescent alabaster conch seashells, another with upended glass bottles - granted, not everyone’s cup of tea - that glint as I glide by.
Other plants that all but glow in the dark include pale pink compact roses like The Fairy, dwarf variegated Color Guard Yucca, golden Ogon Acoris (a narrow leaf, grass-like plant with brilliant golden yellow foliage), and winter annuals with light-colored flowers and foliage.
But back to night lighting, which should help, not blind us; why wince just to get to the door?
Not a fan of solar powered lighting because it isn’t as dependable or quite bright enough for my needs; instead, I go with a simple low-voltage system from a builders’ supply store, which my son helped me install when he was only twelve. Exactly like a child’s electric train set, a small wall-mounted transformer safely steps down the current, and we attached a roll of weatherproof cable to it, ran it everywhere I wanted a light fixture, and buried it under the mulch. If I were ever to hit it with a shovel, it is unable to give me even a static electricity shock.
Wherever I needed illumination, I simply snapped a LED light directly onto the wire. Though there are many styles of lights, it’s easy to customize creative materials to fit over existing out-of-the-box fixtures (and look good during the day as well). A timer can be set according to season or automated with a darkness-sensitive photocell.
To reduce glare, I only illuminate steps and highlight an occasional accent plant or tree trunk; soft, indirect “wash” lights can be hidden along walls to backlight trees. Biggie safety consideration: I occasionally walk around and deliberately look at every lit area to make sure nothing shines directly in my eyes, lest it blinds visitors whose eyes have yet to adjust to the evening’s dimness.
Anyway, now that nighttime starts before afternoon has ended, strategically placed touches of pale plants, light-colored accessories, and carefully set lighting makes it easy and safe to stroll through my garden creation at night, with or without a touch of pale moonlight.
Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to rushingfelder@yahoo.com.
