Personalizing your light show

GARDENING

You may not have on hand a half-million holiday lights like Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, but you can glean lots of ideas from the annual GardenFest of Lights. The staff occasionally purchases a few illuminated topiaries and light forms, but most of the seasonal show is designed and handcrafted by the executive director, staff and volunteers. Some of their lighting-design philosophies and tips gathered over the past 13 years can easily transfer to your home holiday decorating.

Your light display is an artistic expression of your self and what is important to you. It demonstrates your personal style, sets the tone for your landscape and is limited only by your imagination - and, of course, your budget.

To personalize your own light show, begin with a sketch pad and a walk through winter's garden, which is quite different than the green, flowering setting of spring. Look at your landscape with fresh eyes, noting where evergreens demonstrate visual predominance, where hardwoods exhibit their intricate branching, and where focal points naturally exist. Seek decorating opportunities not only horizontally at eye level, but also vertically and diagonally along high and low planes.

For example, instead of just outlining roof lines or wrapping shrubs with mini-lights, highlight arbors, trellises and gazebos with light strings that feature hanging clusters of lights gathered and taped into forms that resemble flowers and fruits. Look down and consider options for ground lighting not just along walkways, but also intermingled among groundcovers of garden beds and ponds.

Rather than hanging light strings solely on tree branches, opt for a different treatment by wrapping only the trunk in white lights. Up-lighting with soft spotlights especially emphasizes the beauty of smooth-bark trees, such as crape myrtle and beech. Use spotlights to focus attention on garden statues, topiaries and berried shrubs.

When deciding on colors, explore complementing and contrasting color palettes. A bed of purple and cream pansies comes alive when accented by soft rose-colored ground lights, while a variegated boxwood becomes a point of interest when accented with teal.

Repeating geometric patterns add drama to the landscape. If lighting a hedge, string lights in a continual pattern of repeating triangles, rectangles or loops. Patterns create interest and subtly guide visitors' eyes across the landscape.

After developing and implementing your plan, check it out after dark several times and be prepared to make adjustments.

Some more tips: