LED lights isn’t a new technology – it has been with us since the 1960’s . 

LED light bulbs were initially used as a substitute for incandescent indicators and displays in laboratory equipment and eventually in TV’s, watches, radios and calculators. It has only been in recent times that the technology has become financially viable to be used in homes and businesses . 

EFFICIENT POWER… 

Regular light bulbs only convert around 10% of the electrical energy it consumes into light with the rest being output as heat, LED lights on the other hand converts more than 70% into usable directional light making them far more economical .

LED’s also last for more than 50,000 hours, substantially longer than both incandescent and CFL. Used constantly they will last nearly 6 years . 

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY… 

LED lighting is safe, environmentally friendly and contains no toxic mercury.

Because LED’s use so little energy their environmental impact is drastically reduced – there is no need to burn too much coal etc to make electrical energy as consumption is reduced .

LED’s are designed to last for 50,000 hours more resulting in a smaller amount resources being used as there is no longer the need to replace used bulbs that will get thrown into the dustbin  The LED life cycle is also healthier for the natural world because of their long lifespan there is much fewer garbage from burn out LED bulbs and this reduces the load on recycling depots and rubbish dumps . 

The below is a short history of man-made light

Our entire history of light has been an inefficient one! Why? Because we have always used heat as a source of light – we have used wax, oil and gas to burn in order to generate light. This process is highly inefficient as most of the energy is wasted producing heat and not light. Even fluorescent lights uses a type of gas which is electrified to heat up and produce light .

The basic method has been ” Heat it up and it glows”

For more than 120 Years, incandescent light bulbs have brightened and warmed our lives. Electric powered bulbs were a major improvement over candle, gas and oil light sources – but they are extremely ineffecient. Up to 90% of the power going into the bulb is converted to heat!

While fluorescent lights are far more economical than incandescent bulbs the fact that they contain mercury, one of the most poisonous substances on earth, makes them a hazard to use and makes disposal very dangerous. Mercury seeps into the ground and contaminates water and soil for thousands of years .

In the past 4 years a new light source has emerged that is sufficiently bright and effective to be used for general illumination.

LED characteristics – efficient, long lasting and non-toxic makes them the most exciting development in man-made light ever! . The first commercially viable LED was introduced in 2006 and now lighting manufacturers around the world are producing a whole new class of LED products for general illumination.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED’s) are solid state lighting components. They are not flimsy or easily broken making them easy to use and transport . LED’s are many times more efficient than Incandescent Bulbs. Just as vacuum tubes were replaced with solid state components, the last remaining vacuum tube light bulbs are being replaced by solid state components.

LED lights are essentially a circuit board, when electrical energy is passed through these components it produces and electronic light .

The first LED’s for commercial applications were red. They functioned as on/off indicators in electronic devices such as VCR’s, calculators, strereo systems and even automobile sub-systems. Eventually LED’s were produced in green and amber as well. The major breakthrough can in 1989 when CREE, INC. of Durham in the United States, started shipping the first commercially viable blue LED based on silicon carbide. The blue LED enabled white LED’s to be made because mixing red, blue and green light produces white. 

Today a more economical and cost effective white LED is revolutionising the lighting world. The white LED, based on a blue LED chip coated with phosphor is bright and economical enough to be used in general illumination.

For more information on LED Downlights, LED Strip light and other LED lights please visit our website

Once you’ve done building your garden pond you have a period of time when you admire your handwork and enjoy in the simpleness of the look. The waterfall makes a artistic splashing sound and the pool has a gentle, cool appearance. However, most of us find that this is just not passable to satisfy our gardening souls. Now is the time that we need to take a serious look at which water garden plants we want added.

Some of the favorite varieties of plants are the Water lilies, Lotus, Victoria and Euryale. Taking a look at the appearance you want to bring in means examining how these plants will display. Lotus has beautiful formed flowers that come in many different colorings and their leaves are above the water level. The other three flowers have large leaves that float quietly on the surface of the pond. All of these are planted in soil underneath the ponds surface. Some other considerations that are planted in soil and shallow water include Floating Heart (Nymphoides), Water Snowflake (Nymphoides indicum), and Water Poppies (Hydrocleys).  All of these will add different aspects to your imagery and are all worth investigating.

If you want plants that do not necessitate soil then you will want to look into the floating aquatics which includes Water Ferns, Azolla, Water Lettuce, and the resplendent Water Hyacinth. Something else for you to consider is the submerged water garden plants for example the Eel Grass, Cabomba, Ceratophylium, or Anachais.

What is the effect that you want to see when you are looking at your water garden? Do you want a color scheme that is different tones of one color or a rainbow of different hues? Do you want all of your plants to display at the same eye level, or have varying heights that cause you to want to peek behind them to see what is thither? Some of the plants tend to move out speedily and will soon cover the top of the water with flowers and leafage; others will happily hang out in just one small region and not expand to over take the whole pond.

You can find out more on Lotus and other plants in my weekly flower review post so explore them all and get at the effect that you are looking for. Most importantly, take pleasure in your project; you can comfortably adjust the whole look of your water garden by removing a few of the water garden plants. If you chose to do this then give the extra flowers to a comrade and encourage them to create their very own garden pond.