Linear lighting
Lighting a structure, tree or a linear feature by using lines of lighting to outline the shape or emphasise geometry can add drama to bolder garden lighting schemes, especially those in modern gardens where lighting technique goes hand in hand with landscape design. The principal products providing lines of lights used in garden lighting are stringlighting and linear l.e.d (light emitting diode) lighting.
Stringlighting
As familiar as the small lights strung on a Christmas tree but "Christmas lighting" products described as for exterior use are typically not designed for long-term outdoor applications, mainly because of short lamp life, and the transformers supplied with them are often not rated for permanent exterior installation. If you have a bigger budget, you may consider a more permanent display using "commercial stringlighting", which has much longer life Xenon lamps, up to 20,000 hours. That means you can put them up in a tree and forget about them for several years, just switching them on when you want to instead of getting the ladder out to put temporary ones up every time Christmas or a party comes around. The most stylish way of using stringlighting in anything other than a dense conifer, is to achieve an "outlining" effect on a tree with a less dense canopy. Fix the stringlighting up the trunk and along the branches so that the finished effect is lines of lights tracing out the structure of the tree. Tie the string into place with degradable garden twine that will break if the tree outgrows its grip; don't use plastic fixings such as plastic electrical ties or metal wire as this could throttle a growing branch. Where cable clips need to be fixed onto the trunk, use stainless steel pins in the cable clips. The Elipta's E1912W stringlight bridges the gap in the market by providing long life lamps under 10mm in diameter and rated at around one watt each on a 10 metre, all capable of running from standard 12 volt garden lighting transformers.
Linear l.e.d. lighting (MicroLED)
Uses light emitting diodes in a linear moulding to provide linear garden lighting where it would previously have been impractical or expensive. Applications of MicroLED linear LED lighting include lighting under steps, seating & ballustrades and outlining water features, buildings and garden structures. It is usually installed in an optional clear uPVC channel which has an adhesive backing for fixing to most reasonably smooth surfaces and the MicroLED just presses into the channel. It can also be glued in place or clipped with standard cable clips if fixing around gentle curves for which the channel is not suitable. MicroLED linear LED lighting provides saturated colours and exceptional long life and should not be confused with cheap, short-lived ropelight. MicroLED 24v can be installed in lengths of up to 30 metres and operates at 24 volts DC. AS new 12v dc version is only 5 x 8mm thick and makes lighting under the nosing of steps or around decks very easy. DC exterior power supplies in a range of ratings cater for a variety of applications from steplighting to long lengths for lighting rills.
Note that this is not the same as "ropelight", where a tungsten lighting string is threaded through a clear and flexible polythene hose. Lamp life in ropelight is typically short as this form of "cheap and cheerful" outdoor festive lighting is usually a 220 volt product which is often "overvolted" (and overheated) by the UK's higher 240v supply.
