Uplifting Lighting

Uplifting lighting means placing the light fitting on the ground in front of the plant and shining the light up onto it or into it. Uplifting lighting are the most common technique and a dramatic effect which demands attention as it reverses the daylight perspective of light from above. It diagonally provides wider coverage in a shrub border. Two effective ways are by placing the light at the base of a tree to wash up the trunk into the canopy or to illuminate a garden building.

Up lighters can be easily concealed in the ground and are great for highlighting tall architectural shrubs, trees or a structure such as some sort of bust or ornament in a hedge. A canister fixture staked in the ground can send a swath of light upward to highlight a tree's shape, color and canopy. Uplifting lighting is also used for bringing garden sculptures to life or to show off fountains and arbors. Setting an up light directly behind an object and aiming the light at a wall creates a distinct shadow of the object. Bring the light to the front of the plant or object and you cast its shadow onto the wall. Up light points a broad circle of light in one direction that is perfect for lighting a background.

Uplifting lightings can be achieved in various ways by placing a light at ground level. The up lit plants on the left, look more dramatic because of strong highlights on the underside of the leaves and shadows occurring up in the plants. With uplifting lighting, plants are not easily identified and their shape becomes unclear. The up lit plants do not carry through the subtle framework effect created by the down lit plants on the right. The beam is projected upward and the fixture is usually located at ground level, although it can also be installed in a tree covering.