Ask the expert

Illuminated home garden path patio lights and plants in autumn evening dusk

Light it up

Layton Dyer of Layis Landscaping offers some tips on choosing garden lighting.

Decide what it’s for: Is it for atmosphere, safety, or to show off features? Knowing this prevents lighting from becoming overdone.

Less is more: The best garden lighting is barely noticed. A few well-placed lights will always beat lots of bright ones.

Features: Trees, steps, walls and key planting are usually all you need to light to make a big impact.

Natural: Warm lighting feels natural and works better with planting and materials than bright white light.

Planning for the future: Even if lighting isn’t going in straight away, putting conduit in during groundwork saves a lot of hassle later.

Amelanchier lamarckii - AdobeStock_509730976

The white stuff

Inspired by Pantone’s colour of the year, an off-white called Cloud Dancer, Julian Cant of Tierra Designs suggests his favourite plants.

Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ White bleeding heart
This white-flowered cultivar of the bleeding heart is a real highlight in any shady border. Its beautiful arching stems hang laden with delicate white heart-shaped flowers. Its rich green foliage also pairs wonderfully with ferns to lift any shady corners of the garden.

Ribes sanguineum ‘Album’
One of the first shrubs of the year to burst into flower, the flowering blackcurrant also provides a heady scent. This white cultivar of the more common pink flowering variety, is adorned with clusters of off-white flowers from March to April, and is sure to be one of the stars of the garden in the spring season.

Aquilegia ‘White Barlow’
Few plants give such an early summer show as aquilegias. They perform just as well in the shade as they do in the sun. This variety has lovely white double flowers that pair well with purples and pinks of the same species. When aquilegias are in full flow it’s a sign that spring has finally sprung!

Amelanchier lamarckii (pictured above)
This small garden tree is becoming more popular among garden designers and gardeners alike, and it’s easy to see why. White flowers adorn bare branches in spring, followed by glaucous green foliage, which turns vibrant orange-red in autumn. It really is a tree that does everything.