Lighting a dry garden

The dry garden is becoming increasingly popular with budding gardeners. Inexpensive, easy to create and requiring little water, it is an interesting alternative to the classic garden, and is no longer confined to the Mediterranean basin. In today's climate, where global warming has taken on considerable importance, the dry garden is an intelligent option for enhancing exteriors. To make a success of your green space, you'll need to determine the type of plants to install, the period to start, but you'll also need to determine the outdoor lighting solution to light up your garden. So, how do you light a dry garden? We tell you all about it in this article.

What is a dry garden?

The dry garden is a green space that uses plants that are highly resistant to drought and therefore require very little watering. Composed of Mediterranean species such as pine, rockrose and arbutus, the dry garden is also home to numerous aromatic plants such as lavender, rosemary, thyme and marjoram, as well as grasses such as stipa and miscanthus. A true ally of the Mediterranean climate, the dry garden is becoming increasingly popular throughout France. And with good reason: it offers numerous advantages. 

Benefits of dry gardening 

The dry garden is becoming increasingly popular with French households. So why all the enthusiasm for this green space? Quite simply because of its many advantages.

The dry garden: a response to climate change

Faced with dwindling water reserves due to climatic upheavals, the dry garden is the ideal solution. Composed of plants resistant to heat, drought and poor, stony soil, this garden has very low water requirements. Watering requirements may of course vary according to the type of plants used, but the need remains low, especially after the first year. The most resistant plants will require weekly or fortnightly watering. Then, once the roots are well established in the soil, they will require even less water. Last but not least, the dry garden saves on watering, fertilizer, weedkillers and pesticides, thanks to the hardiness of its plants. A godsend for gardeners concerned about environmental issues!

A year-round garden

One of the many advantages of a dry garden is that it lasts all year round. Its appearance may change, but it remains beautiful all year round, thanks to its evergreen plants. If you opt for this garden with its many assets, you'll be able to maintain a pleasant exterior in both summer and winter.

A solution for rocky terrain

The dry garden can be created anywhere, in the city, in the country, on the roof of a terrace, even on difficult rocky terrain. And it's no longer limited to the Mediterranean basin. In fact, dry plants are highly resistant to cold, which means they can easily be exported to regions with cooler, wetter climates. Whether you live in Nice or Dunkirk, a dry garden is totally feasible.

Low maintenance

The dry garden is also ideal if you don't have a green thumb and don't want to clutter up your already overloaded schedule with too much maintenance. It requires very little attention. Some plants, such as lavender, require a little annual pruning. In general, the horizontal growth habit of dry garden plants means that only 2 or 3 mowings are needed each year. You'll also need to make sure that weeds don't invade your green space. All you need to do is apply mineral mulch such as gravel, which limits the proliferation of weeds, and you're all set. Finally, the garden can also be an alternative to grass. In fact, it can take the form of ground-covering perennials which, laid side by side, give the visual effect of a lawn as they grow. And unlike a lawn, a dry garden requires no fertilization, and therefore much less maintenance.

Lighting solutions to enhance a dry garden 

The dry garden will enhance your exterior with its aesthetic appeal and lush greenery. But to make it stand out even more, even after dark, you need the right lighting solution.

Recessed spotlights

Dry gardens require the use of sand and pebbles to enhance the soil. The use of recessed spotlights is therefore an obvious choice. Thanks to this lighting solution, you can not only mark out the different areas of your dry garden, but also create a visual path. The use of recessed spotlights is ideal for harmoniously illuminating this type of space and providing targeted lighting for certain areas.

It's also a way of concealing the light source and focusing attention on the plants. But be careful if you have a watering system! It may be preferable to opt for a 12V solution in this case. Lumihome offers recessed spotlights. Those from the 12V range are ideal for illuminating damp areas. "Designed in stainless steel, they also benefit from a surface treatment that effectively protects them from external aggression. You'll have no trouble fitting them thanks to their Easy-Plug screw connector system."
Christophe Coelho

LED terminals

LED bollards are ideal if you want to add height to your lighting. In fact, recessed spotlights have the disadvantage of allowing light to settle at ground level. By using bollards, you allow the light to rise and accentuate your dry garden. Bollards have the advantage of bringing diffused light to the garden and a wide angle of illumination.Lumihome's LED bollards will fulfill this role to perfection. As powerful as conventional bollards, they will light up your dry garden with efficiency. Also available in the 12V range, LED bollards are appreciated for their sleek, modern design which, once daylight comes, is sure to magnify your green space, just like the Pyramid bollard, a real bestseller in the range.

Piquet spotlights

Piquet spotlights are widely used to illuminate specific areas such as copses or small shrubs. In other words, they're perfectly suited to magnify the various plants and shrubs in your dry garden. What's more, if you opt for this type of space, it's because you like simplicity, and that's just as well, since spotlights are easy to use. All you have to do is plant them and plug them directly into the 230V power supply for effective lighting. For this purpose, Lumihome offers repositionable LED stake spotlights that will highlight the silhouette of your plants and set the scene in your dry garden. Their design blends in perfectly during the day, bringing your garden to life at night. Piquet LED spotlights feature a directional light pattern that offers a reduced angle of illumination to highlight a specific element of your green space. Easy to install, they are simply plugged in. And if you want originality for a unique dry garden, Lumihome has created remote-controlled RGBWW LED stake spotlights, incorporating technology that will enable you to create a 100% colorful atmosphere.

Lumihome recommends LED lighting for illuminating your dry garden. It's economical and gives off very little heat, which is great for outdoor landscaping. What's more, you can play cleverly with different shades of white to create original plays of light and shadow. "Cool white is best used to highlight foliage, while warm white goes perfectly with the bark of trees and shrubs."
Christophe Coelho

Finally, the choice of a dry garden can also have ecological motivations. The use of LED lighting is perfectly in line with this commitment.

The dry garden is becoming increasingly popular. Its many assets continue to seduce, and like any outdoor space it deserves practical and aesthetic lighting. The trick is to know how to balance your lighting according to the elements to be highlighted.