I have 3 sections of brick wall, which are 11 feet from pillar to pillar, that I have been experimenting with lighting. They are currently uplit with 2 watt, 110 degree spots and I am not especially happy with the light dispersion. I was considering down lighting with deck lights but am unsure about the beam width. Would one per section work, or would 2 be better. Hard scapes on the pillars are another option, but that would leave wide areas in between unlit. Comments appreciated.
Spectacular back yard. I especially love the impact of your shadowmaster fixture. You don’t say which spots you’re using but if you lowered the glare guards (or even removed them), you’d get greater wall coverage and a smoother transition (especially if you use a frosted filter) between your fixture beam spreads. Alternatively you could use small floods instead of spots. Again, the way the light output is cut off will be less pronounced than you’d get from spotlights (due to the profile of the glare guard. If you’re going for a more formal look, I actually think narrower beam spread lamps that solely or primarily highlight the wall columns could be stunning. But rather than leaving the larger sections of the wall blank, you might want to light them indirectly. You could uplight some of the trees and shrubs in front of those walls or you could front light them (and/or features like that cool statue) which would project their shadows onto the walls. Although I think hardscape or deck lights mounted on the wall could better show off your border garden plants, I think you’ll want to be careful that they are mounted low enough or with glare guards so they aren’t shining in your eyes (which could happen if you’re trying to enjoy the yard at night while seated). As an aside, I really do like the way the spotlights highlight the cap along your brick wall. Hope this is helpful.
Yes, that definitely helps. I hadn't considered the glare that would result from mounting the deck and hardscapes above eye level. I'm trying to keep the lighting subtle. The garden looked incredible when the motion sensor security light came on and the twin, overhead Par 36s lit up everything, but if I went that way, the light intrusion would keep both me and my neighbor awake all night. I'll give it some more thought. Thanks for the input. Bob
