In message , Neil Jones
writes
I've cross posted this to uk.rec.gardening and uk.d-i-y because I
believe it's on topic for both groups.

You should also try sci.engr.lighting for a more technical view.

I'm redesigning my back garden at the moment and my thoughts have turned
to lighting. I would like to illuminate the terrace which is just to the
rear of the house, but also I'm considering some path lighting and maybe
some accent lighting to highlight specimen trees, planting groups etc.
This would mainly be for use during the summer but occasionally we would
switch the lights on at other times, for effect.

Provided it is cloudy and midsummer you are not going to upset too many
astronomers, but you may confuse a few glow worms. On clear nights it
would be better not to use exterior lights in a truly dark rural
setting.

I live in a rural village so I'm conscious of light pollution and don't
really want to brighten the night sky which could affect other locals.

I'll discuss my plans with my neighbours before I go ahead but I have a
number of questions initially:-

What is best practice regarding this kind of lighting?

If possible in rural areas use full cut-off lighting (no light goes
above the horizontal) and for maximum light and minimum power
consumption yellow low pressure sodium lamps. HPS are next in line for
efficiency and then compact fluorescents come a poor third. Use enough
light to do the task and no more.

There are some very nice folded mirror designs that put light
exclusively down onto a footpath with almost no glare or stray light.
And at the other extreme there are crass dazzling 300W parabolic
quartz-halogen insecurity lamps that flash on and off all night as cats
and foxes go by.

Mains voltage, low voltage or a mixture?

Mains is probably easier provided it is installed by a competent
electrician.

Is this a daft idea and I should forget about it?

Depends what you do. Most of my rural neighbours have some form of
exterior lighting for working outside after dark (and so do I). Apart
from at Christmas none of us have any accent lighting on the trees
though.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown