Top Garden Lighting Essentials

Long summer evenings spent in the garden are wonderful – until we get past midsummer, and the nights quickly start to get shorter again. With the right lighting, the evenings getting shorter doesn’t mean you have to break up the party early, or that you need to move indoors – you can simply switch on your garden lighting and carry on enjoying your garden late into the evening – or until the Great British weather stops play, at least!

There’s a lot to know about garden lighting – but we’ve rounded it all up for you, to help you narrow down the right type of lighting for your garden. We’ll look at the different types of lighting there are, and how you can power and control them, as well as including our top picks. And because you’re almost certainly going to be enjoying your garden with friends and family, we’ll touch on safety and security too.

 

Types of garden lights

The first type of lighting that you’re likely to have got into place around the exterior of your home is security lights. Once these are in place, you’ll be looking at lighting that will make your garden aesthetically pleasing. As with indoor lighting, you’ll find there is some crossover with the categories of lighting – don’t worry about which category the light fits with, just make sure whichever type of lighting you choose is right for your needs.

 

Permanent lights

If you’re ready to install garden lighting permanently to add ambient light year-round, these are likely to be the types of lights you’re going to be looking for.

 

Lamp posts are a traditional lighting option for gardens, often installed by gates and pathways. While there are plenty of classic styles to choose from – such as the Suri Fawn solar LED lamp post – there are contemporary styles that suit current trends, such as the Markslojd Sphere lamp post, which works perfectly with the Scandinavian trend. Prefer something ultra-modern? The Konstsmide Raw lamp post in galvanised steel is a sleek option that looks great, and will light up the most minimalist of gardens without fuss.

 

 

Deck and ground lights have risen in popularity over the past few years – they’re perfect for marking boundaries in your garden, such as along edges of decking and driveways, which can help you prevent trips and falls. Choose from sleek round styles such as the Lucide Biltin ground light, modern square puddle ground lights like this Searchlight style, or choose a light with a small glow from a diffuse style like the Garden24V LED domed ground light.

 

 

Wall lights are often used near entrances to properties, to enable the residents to see clearly as they are going indoors. But they can be used to great effect throughout the garden too, such as to provide ambient light on patios and decking, or to light up paths where they are next to the house, for example. The wall lights category offers a huge range number of options, from traditional half lanterns like the Edit Newquay with dusk to dawn sensor, or the sleek Lucide Claire PIR half lantern, to ultra-modern styles like the Lucide digit LED wall light which is the perfect addition for a front garden, and can help visitors find your home.

 

 

Pedestal lights are perfect for adding to fence posts, and as you’d imagine, there are plenty of options to suit your garden. Traditional English country gardens are complemented by the classic Elstead Chapel pedestal light, and lantern styles such as the Lucide Claire pedestal light (a customer favourite!), while pathways can be lit with the Edit Boxy outdoor post light.

 

 

Semi-permanent lights

If you’re adorning the garden with lights purely for the summer, and you want the lighting to stay mostly fixed throughout the warmer months, but you want the option to be able to change it easily as your garden evolves through the year, then semi-permanent lighting options are for you.

 

Garden spotlights are perfect for lighting the areas of your garden that you want to be able to show off – and in most cases, they’re easy to install too. Many low voltage garden spotlights are fitted to stakes that simply push into the ground, so they can be repositioned easily. If you’re looking to install a little more permanently, there are styles that can be fixed to decking or walls – these are great if you’re highlighting a feature that won’t change with the seasons, such as a water feature or a statue, for example. Our favourites include the Edit Porto spotlight, which is a great stake light, the Taylor, which is perfect for mounting on decking, and the Edit Elva wall mounted twin spotlight, which allows you to highlight two areas at once.

 

 

Festoons are a larger type of string light that are perfect for giving off festive, and party vibes, but with a bit more sturdiness than fairy lights. Because they are a lot more robust than smaller and daintier fairy lights, festoons are perfect for hanging from verandas and pergolas, or above outdoor dining spaces and pools. Whether you prefer cool white, warm white, or multicoloured bulbs, you like a small round bulb or a longer, squirrel cage style, there are plenty of options that are easy to install.

 

Party lights

Who doesn’t love a summer garden party?! If you’re setting up your garden lighting for a one-off event (or perhaps you don’t want to leave your lighting up all year round for another reason, such as the security of your property) then outdoor party lights are going to be on your agenda.

 

Fairy lights and rope lights are a great option for lighting up your space, and can be an incredibly affordable way to make a big impact. As with festoons, fairy lights are a great option for adding to temporary structures like gazebos, tents, and winding into trees and bushes. We wrote a whole post about string lights a while ago, including inspiration for the many different ways that you can use them – so check it out here.

Our top tip for fairy lights – if you’re keen to avoid the Christmassy look, then opt for single colour – either warm white, or cool white, rather than multicoloured, or choose pastel shades like this Edit set.

 

 

Table lamps are probably something you’re more likely to associate with indoor lighting, but if you’re hosting al fresco dinners that give way to drinks, then outdoor table lamps can be a chic addition to your setup, as well as being the perfect addition to a reading spot. Usually, outdoor table lamps are battery operated or solar powered, and most styles will be provided with a USB charger cable, so the battery can be topped up at the nearest power socket.

We adore this Edit Alfresco battery operated table lamp, which works just as well outdoors as it does in a conservatory, and this Konstsmide Portofino Solar LED Outdoor Lantern is another stylish option. If you’re looking for a lantern that could double up for glamping, the Lucide Little Joe table lamp is the perfect option.

 

 

How to power garden lights

All types of lighting need power, whether you’re indoors or out. But when we’re talking about garden lights, there are a few more options than lighting indoors – so if you’re wondering how to light up different areas of your garden, then stay with us, we’ve got the answer!

 

Conventional mains powered garden lighting

This is the type of lighting you’re likely to look at if you’re going to be in your home for a long time, you’re certain of the style you want, and you’re prepared to install the lighting permanently. You’re likely to need a qualified electrician (unless you have those skills and are comfortable doing the installation, of course!) and you’ll need the tools to do the installation too.

 

12v and 24v garden lighting

We absolutely love low voltage garden lighting – so much so, we wrote a whole post about it! Low voltage garden lights are brilliant, since all you have to do is place all the different types of lights that you want in your garden where you want them, attach the cables to the transformer, and plug them into your outdoor socket. You don’t even need to conceal or cover the cables, since the risk of shock is so low – you can just weave the cable through your plants.

 

 

Sustainable solar powered lighting

Solar powered lighting is more popular than it has ever been, thanks in part to the development of LED, and battery technology. LEDs need very little power to provide a lot of brightness, so as long as the solar panel is exposed to the sun for enough time each day, the power will be retained by the battery, and the lights will be as bright as their mains powered counterparts.

 

 

The fact that solar powered lights don’t need any power is great for the environment – and LEDs are much better than conventional bulbs when it is time to recycle them too! But the lack of power required means that you can add lighting to your garden in spots that previously wouldn’t have been possible to, and there won’t be any extra charge on your electricity bills either. Should you be adding solar powered lighting in an area that doesn’t get as much sunshine as it needs, many solar powered lights are now supplied with a USB charging cable, so you can top up the battery as necessary.

 

Battery powered garden lighting

If you’re thinking that battery powered lighting means you’re going to spend all summer looking for fresh batteries, think again. While there are styles that do require AA or AAA batteries, many styles now have integrated rechargeable batteries that are charged with a USB cable – so you can simply plug them in wherever you have a USB plug available. As you’d imagine, battery powered garden lighting tends to be portable styles, such as this gorgeous rust brown table lamp (also available in green, brown & black).

 

 

Safety and security

Of course, garden lighting isn’t just about making your garden look pretty – just as important is ensuring the safety and security of your home. While security lighting isn’t always garden lighting, it can most definitely contribute to it!

 

Security lighting

We’ve recently spoken about security lighting in this post, and so we won’t go into too much depth about them in this post, but security lights can be incorporated as an element of your garden lighting, especially with some of the gorgeous wall styles that are in our range. The Lucide Claire wall light, the Edit Barrow wall light, and the Searchlight Lantern wall light have a PIR sensor that means you can get the light you need, when you need it, and are stylish enough to function as garden lighting as well as security lighting.

 

 

Pond lighting

If you’re lucky enough to have a pond, or even a swimming pool, then keeping your family – and the local wildlife – safe is almost certain to be on your mind. During the summer, an unexpected dip might result in the need for a new phone, but in the darker, colder months of the year, a slip or fall into the cold water could be much more serious, resulting in injury or worse, which is why having sufficient lighting around water features is so important.

 

 

You have two options when you’re lighting a pond or pool: above the waterline, or below it. (or maybe both, depending whether you want the lights above the waterline to be on every night or not!) Installing lighting above ground is simple enough, you choose which one suits your needs from the types that we’ve mentioned in the section above. But installing lights below the waterline is pretty simple too – especially if you have access to outdoor power. Our low voltage underwater spotlight kits are available in warm white, and multicoloured options, and they can connect with other low voltage garden lighting too – simply plugging into an outdoor plug socket.

 

Safety ratings for garden lighting

The Great British summer doesn’t always provide us with the long sunny days that we want, and those sudden downpours don’t always give us enough time to get everything indoors and into the dry! As you’ll already be aware, you need to be careful when you’re dealing with water and electricity – they definitely don’t mix, and it is for that reason, you can’t simply bring indoor lighting outside to use.

When you’re buying garden lighting – and especially lighting that might encounter adverse weather in the form of summer storms or changing seasons, you need to be certain that your light will remain constant, and safe for use. Lighting manufacturers know this, and as a minimum, you’re going to be looking for an IP safety rating of IP44 for lighting that is off the ground. For lights that are in-ground and need to be driven over and potentially be under a puddle, then you’ll be looking for IP67, and if it is to be submerged completely, you’ll need IP68. Basically – the higher the IP rating, the more protected the unit is from water and impacts.

 

Garden lighting technology

While we’re talking about garden lighting, we need to mention how the right technology can make a world of difference to managing your garden lighting setup. If you’re concerned about how your lighting will impact on the environment, or you’re simply looking to minimise the amount of electricity required to power your garden lights, then look for automation.

 

• Dusk to dawn sensors will remove the need to remember to switch your garden lights off when the sun rises.
• Passive infrared and microwave movement sensors detect when there is someone in the vicinity of the light, and switch the light back off when the movement is gone
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity means that you can configure your lighting to go on and off when you need it to – and in some cases, you can manage it remotely too

 

Many styles of garden lighting – and particularly outdoor lights that can be used as security lighting – are starting to incorporate these automation and technology options as standard. Our top picks include the Lucide Lori post light with dusk to dawn sensor, the Iluzzia Inti post light with PIR sensor, as well as the Edit Dune wall lantern, which is a smart option with Wi-Fi that is controlled directly through your phone or smart hub.

 

  

Our final thoughts

There’s always a lot to consider when you’re choosing the right types of lighting for your home, whether you’re installing lighting inside or out. Luckily, we have a huge range of outdoor lighting to choose from, and that means that you can get the exact look that you want from us – whether you’re choosing one type of garden light, or several to layer your lighting.

When you’ve created the perfect look in your garden and you’re showing it off on your social media, do tag us in your posts – we love to see the final result, and to share it with our followers too. We’re @online_lighting on Instagram – don’t forget to follow us while you’re there.