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20 Garden Lighting Ideas to Make Your Plants Shine

By

Erica Puisis

Erica Puisis

Erica Puisis writes about home products for The Spruce and specializes in interior design and plant care. She's contributed to Forbes and smart home blogs like Smart Home Solver and TechDigg.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Published on 05/20/22

Reviewed by

Kathleen Miller

Reviewed by Kathleen Miller

Kathleen Miller is a highly-regarded Master Gardener and Horticulturist who shares her knowledge of sustainable living, organic gardening, farming, and landscape design. She founded Gaia's Farm and Gardens, a working sustainable permaculture farm, and writes for Gaia Grows, a local newspaper column. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming.

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welcomia / Getty Images

Enjoy the beauty of your landscaping even at night by adding garden lighting. The most popular options for garden lights are spotlights, stake lights, or string lights—all of which can be solar or battery-powered.

When deciding on the best garden lighting options, consider your purpose. Are you looking for an ambient glow or seeking brighter light to increase visibility along pathways and water features? Warm, soft light is great for giving gardens a glow, while larger, brighter bulbs are typically a better pick if you want to illuminate tripping hazards or keep wandering feet out of your flower beds.

Whether you have a large garden bed, vertical garden space, or container plants, get inspired with these 20 different garden lighting ideas.

Garden lighting ideas to illuminate your outdoor space

One of my favourite times to spend in the garden is the golden hour – that blissfully tranquil, yet fleeting moment when day meets night and the light transforms and enhances every element in the space. That sense of excitement, of watching evolving shadows dance across a path doesn’t have to end once the sun has set. You can create the same energy, movement and depth with a lighting scheme, provided you treat it with subtlety.

When I’m planning a garden, I spend hours contemplating its aspect and orientation to establish how the sun tracks around the space, and how this will create light and shadow in the garden throughout the day. Garden lighting should be given the same consideration. Critical to the balance of any lighting scheme is the interplay between light and shadow and how this affects our perception of a space. Lighting can create depth, manipulate perspective, and enhance texture, colour and structure. What matters is how you chose to do so.

If you look to nature for inspiration you’ll notice how the sun’s shadows vary depending on how high it is in the sky, whether there is water to reflect its light and illuminate surrounding areas, and the texture of a planting scheme. The same is true of artificial lighting. You’ll create a very different effect if you place a light at the foot of a tree than if you position it a metre away. In fact the same light and tree can be combined to conjure up an almost endless array of effects depending on whether you choose to uplight the tree, backlight it or direct the beam towards the crown and each can be varied by changing the angle of the beam or the wattage of the bulb. It’s worth experimenting with different effects and trialling different fittings before you finalise your scheme. As with many aspects of garden design, it requires detailed and careful planning to make a lighting scheme seem effortless.

There are two principles that should guide your choices. The first is functionality. After dark you need lights simply to ensure you can move easily and comfortably around your garden, and keep you safe when it comes to navigating steps or even cooking outside. These don’t need to be the kind of flashing lights that help you find the nearest fire exit, they can, and should, always be treated with as much subtlety as possible so they effortlessly blend with the wider scheme. Rather than mark a path with lights along its length consider lighting nearby shrubs or trees instead. The deflected light will cast sufficient light for you to see where you’re going but in a more attractive way, which brings us to the second principle: ambience. This is created by lighting that has a purely aesthetic purpose. It’s the type of lighting that can evoke an emotional response and bring your garden to life. Ambient lights can be used to highlight key features, such as a specimen tree, or draw attention to different areas of the garden inviting people to explore and discover more, or simply provide the light to sit and eat at a table.

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The type of lights you choose will depend on which of these principles is your priority, but the more discreet and subtle your lighting the more atmosphere and drama you will create. What you want to avoid is finding yourself or your guests sitting in the harsh glare of a lamp. Occasionally, you will need to have a light fitting on show, but these should be kept to a minimum; any lighting scheme should be less about the fitting and more about the effect.

From contemporary outdoor lighting to quirky statement pieces, here are a few ideas from Gardens Illustrated on how to bring your garden to wonderful, illuminated life. You can also take a look at our list of the best portable outdoor lights.

1

Create a silhouette with ground-level lights

Ground-level lights can be used to subtly create a lit backdrop to features in your garden. They can create striking silhouettes of trees, plants, statues and other objects, and highlight their form and structure.

Buy the 5-Metre LED Light Strip from Light In The Box (£41.61)

2

Create a glow around trees and foliage with spike lights

Well-placed spike lights can make all the difference in gardens, particularly if they are placed at the bases of trees. Not only will they create a warm glow at the base of the tree, they will silhouette surrounding foliage textures and pick out other delicate details of the crown of the tree.

Buy the Ballantyne Spike 16-Light set from Wayfair (£62. 99)

3

Add lights with discretion

Lights can be tucked away throughout your garden, and will help create a beautiful ambience when it gets dark. When in direct display, these lights can often be a little harsh, but when installed with discretion, will help add a gentle illumination. These mini mushroom stake lights, for example, can be pushed into your lawn, where they sit snugly among the grass.

Buy the 12 Mini Mushroom Solar Stake Lights from Lights4Fun (£34.99)

4

Add cosy atmosphere with flames

There’s little that’s more welcoming or intimate in a garden than a flame, or indeed a series of carefully placed flames. This can be easily introduced with candles, lanterns or even a firepit. But we love the scattered shadows that a Moroccan-style lantern can produce.

5

Use repetition to welcome visitors through your garden

Repeated lighting brings a lovely sense of rhythm and direction to your garden. You can use these interval light sources, such as this four-light set from Sol Outdoor 72, to encourage visits to travel through the garden, either by illuminated paths or tracks, or alternately creating an informal once.

Buy the Sol 72 Outdoor Iulger 4-Light Pathway set from Wayfair (£19.99)

6

Make use of shadows

Lighting can create a wonderful sense of theatre in your garden, by casting dramatic shadows and creating depth at night. You can also do it far more subtly, such as with this Moroccan-style set of string lights, which will create a series of dappled shadows across the space you’re illuminating.

Buy the Moroccan Solar String Lights from Light In The Box (£14.61)

7

Add overhead lights with festoon bulbs

On the subject of string lights, these can be simply and cleverly deployed in many places in your garden: along fences and decking rails. But they really come to life when wrapped through the branches of a tree, addinFestoon Golf Ball Lightsg both character and a lovely sense of cosiness. These festoon bulbs from Garden Trading are a simple and understated option.

Buy the from Garden Trading (£35)

8

Use lights to bring colour and texture to your garden

Garden lights can bring far more than just illumination to your garden: they can also be used to bring accents of colour and texture. These silk lanterns, which are ethically sourced from a traditional lamp-making shop in Vietnam, would do a lovely job - they come in a range of colours, from fuchsia to cyan. Admittedly they aren’t permanent features - but what a talking point, for when you can invite visitors to your home again.

Buy the Vietnamese Silk Bamboo Lantern from Etsy (£26)

9

Add personality to you garden - and make sure it’s your own

People often think of lighting as a somewhat peripheral aspect of their garden, rather than a feature in itself. Which is a real shame, since it can add character of its own, and is just as much an opportunity for you to display your own personality. We loved this hen-themed set of lights, which are available at Wayfair. They won’t be to everybody’s taste - but that’s exactly the point.

Buy the Iulger Two-Light set from Wayfair (£20.99)

Find more outdoor lighting options in our round-up of the best solar garden lights to buy online.

Garden lighting: how to choose lamps and lanterns for garden lighting

2. ink Studio | Landscape Architecture

The luminaire must be outdoor
It would seem an obvious thing, but this is a really important feature. The street lamp, unlike other types, is protected from moisture, dust and other external influences. It is best suited for lighting parks and gardens. The degree of protection of the luminaire is indicated by a marking consisting of the letters IP and two numbers - the level of protection against ingress of foreign objects and liquids, respectively. The optimal value for the street will be IP65. nine0003

Brilliant Lighting

Low or high voltage system
In the garden, you can use both 12 volts and 220 volts. Accordingly, you must choose a lamp for the system that you plan to make or have already done. Each has its pros and cons.

The benefit of a low voltage system is safety, 12V will not give you a fatal electric shock. Such a system does not require laying electrical wiring to a great depth and is easily rewired if you want to add or move fixtures. nine0003

The disadvantage of a low-voltage system is the need to install a step-down transformer - this is not at all cheap and eats up space on the site. Low-voltage halogen or LED bulbs can be used as light sources.

RELATED…
Good question: Why does a luminaire need a transformer? In addition to laying electrical wiring in a corrugated pipe, which is also recommended for a 12-volt system, additional protection measures are needed: an armored cable laid on a sand cushion at a depth of 50-70 cm, a signal tape warning about wiring in the ground during subsequent earthworks, automatic devices for power outages in the event of a network breakdown. The advantages of a high-voltage system are that it does not need a converter to connect to main networks, and there are no restrictions on the types of lamps used. nine0003

Semken Landscaping

Which lamp type should I choose?
According to the main characteristic - the ratio of luminous flux to power consumption - traditional incandescent lamps lose to modern energy-saving ones. They consume a lot of electricity, most of which is converted into heat, which, among other things, can harm plants. On the other hand, “warm lamp light” is about them. They are very comfortable, especially on cool evenings. I note that incandescent lamps have a relatively short service life, they have to be changed more often, so they definitely should not be placed in hard-to-reach places. But they are insensitive to the effects of low temperatures, while fluorescent lamps for the garden can fail in severe frost. nine0003

Olesya Nikolenko

In the photo: Fatua lamp, diz. Emanuel Gargano. Aluminium, glass, PMMA, LED

An improved type of incandescent lamps are halogen, they are brighter and at the same time compact.

A disadvantage of fluorescent lamps (both linear and compact) is that they take some time to warm up. Another disadvantage is the presence of mercury vapor in the composition, so it is advisable to install the lamp in a place where it cannot break. But there are many advantages to fluorescent lamps. Durability, high light output with less energy consumption, wide color range. nine0003

Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps have the same advantages as fluorescent lamps, in addition, they immediately turn on at full power and do not contain hazardous compounds. But this applies only to high-quality expensive lamps. Cheap ones can flicker (as well as fluorescent ones) and give an uncomfortable light that does not correspond to what is stated on the package.

The Garden Builders

Warm or cool light
Another important feature is color temperature. It determines the hue of the emitted light, from warm with a yellow tone to cold with a blue tint. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin: warm white (up to 3300K), neutral white (up to 5000K), cold white (from 5000K). nine0003

The choice of street light shade depends on your preference and the impression you want to achieve. For example, the warm color of traditional incandescent lamps gives less contrast, while white gives more. Excessive care in both sides of the spectrum can distort the colors of plants. Therefore, if you do not plan such an effect, it is better to stick to the 2700-4000K range in landscape lighting. You can also focus on such an indicator as the color rendering index (CRI). The higher the percentage, the closer the colors under the lamp are to what you see in daylight. nine0003

Tip: It is best if all lights in the landscape are the same color temperature or similar. The overall impression will then be more consistent, solid.

Bruns Architecture

Selecting a luminaire according to functionality
Decide for which areas of your garden you choose luminaires. Their power and design depend on this: the angle of illumination, the direction of light - whether it is concentrated or diffused.

If you need to illuminate a large area well, such as a parking lot, you need a powerful, high-set spotlight. And better not one to fill in all the shadows. Don't try to create overhead night lighting for the entire area, this will give a flat picture. If it is also bright, it will be uncomfortable and may interfere with neighbors. nine0003

Art in Green

Tip: The beauty of the night garden is better emphasized by separate light spots and lines, they will add volume and depth.

DDB Design Development & Building

Do not underestimate the potential of architectural façade lighting. It not only focuses on beautiful details, but also illuminates the surrounding area. In principle, any decorative lighting has this “two in one” effect - look at the lighting of the garden in the photo. If you have a small area of ​​the garden, you can highlight the shrubs, and this light is enough for the entire area. nine0003

BEGA North America

Before lighting your garden with your own hands, consider what exactly you will light. To illuminate the paths, you need a soft, diffused light that evenly covers the area. The height of the luminaires and the distance between them depend on the size of the track itself and its surroundings, as well as on the lighting angle of the selected model. Personally, I like discreet, built-in paving options. But in our climate, they have a significant drawback: if such a lamp is under snow or ice, it will not perform its function. Therefore, columns of medium height (30-60 cm) remain the best option. Their advantage is also that if you have a border or a flower garden along the path, then in the summer they will create favorable artificial lighting for it (for example, the backlight of the garden in the photo). nine0003

Platinum Landscape & Pools

Steps, as well as other obstacles on the way - bridges, turns, terrain drops - should also be marked. Pay attention to the angle at which the lamp shines: the light should not hit the face. Some models of lamps have a swivel head that allows you to change the direction of the light flux.

Important! They are very demanding on comfortable lighting of the resting place, here be guided by your feelings. If this is a feast area, an overhead light will be appropriate. nine0003

Little Miracles Designs

Decorative lighting
You paint with light, and you have different forms of “strokes” at your disposal: dot, beam, strip (LED strip will help create a smooth line). Effective doesn't have to be difficult. There can be only one accent. First, decide what you want to draw attention to.

Lite4 Outdoor Lighting

A tall tree or group of shrubs can be illuminated. In the first case, you will need a highly focused spotlight, but not too bright, otherwise it will light up all the shadows and “kill” the texture. In the second - a wide diffused light. A tree can have a trunk (then the lamp should be placed at the bottom as close to the trunk as possible) or a crown. Garden lighting can be contoured (light placed behind an object emphasizes its silhouette) or frontal, if you want to add a splash of color. nine0003

Assemblage Studio

The options are endless. The result of well-done landscape lighting can be that the landscape at night will look very different from daytime.

Rosangela Photography

Illuminated topiary forms are very good - the light creates an accent on the architecture of the garden, lines and volumes. If your lawn is your pride, garden lights (pictured) with flat bottom lighting will help emphasize its beauty at night. nine0003

Barnes Walker Ltd - Landscape Architects

Are there water features on the property? Be sure to highlight them, do not miss the opportunity to add magic to the garden! This is also useful for security reasons.

Bruce Ewing

If at night a lamp is just a source of light, during the day it becomes a small architectural form. Its appearance comes to the fore (for example, the lanterns in the garden in the photo). Choose what suits the style of the house and garden and you will be satisfied with the result. nine0003

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How to Light a Garden | Houzz Russia

The Night Garden is a whole fairy-tale world, completely different from the prose of the day. But only if you give him some light. The lighting in the garden should be inviting, not dazzling: too light ─ and the atmosphere will be lost, too dark ─ and you yourself will get lost. Creating the right lighting is not difficult at all, you just need to arrange / hang the right lamps in the right places. First, think about what you want ─ twinkling lights among the trees or a fabulous lake of light. Each option has its own solution. nine0003

DDB Design Development & Building

1. Downlighting of trees
Trees can be emphasized by placing directional lights at the base of a trunk or near garden furniture. This type of lighting suits most gardens and almost all styles of landscaping. Even one illuminated tree in a large dark garden will become an expressive accent, and the illumination of a row of trees will help emphasize the correct geometry of the garden in a modern style. nine0003

Tip: Trees should be illuminated at the same time - in the front and back of the trunk: this way you will create a three-dimensional effect.

As with any electrical work, safety comes first. Choose luminaires that have been specially designed to work in the ground. Then turn to professionals who will properly lay the electrical cable. If you're worried about falling tree branches damaging the wiring or the fixtures themselves, seek the advice of an arborist. nine0003

Debra Yates

2. Illumination of a group of trees
By illuminating not individual trees, but a whole group, you will create a cozy atmosphere in the recreation area and get additional territory for summer parties. This option is suitable for soft lighting of a wooden deck, patio or relaxation area near the pool. Highlighting a group of trees also creates a bright spot of light that attracts the eye, that is, it helps to draw attention to a specific part of the garden. nine0003

Garden lights, both electric and solar powered, are suitable for illuminating a group of trees. If you choose the electric option, install a multi-way switch so you don't have to make an all-or-nothing choice: sometimes just a couple of lights create the right atmosphere, and sometimes you need a really bright light.

What to highlight? It is best to choose plants and trees with clear outlines. So, illuminated ferns turn into real garden sculptures. The best effect is achieved if each tree in the group is illuminated from a different angle. nine0003

Kirsten Johnstone Architecture

3. Contour lighting
A garden path will look more inviting if you run strings of light along its contour. They will also help to mark the boundaries of the garden and landscape design elements. Light cords look best in gardens that have small architectural features such as paths, landings, raised beds, and stairs. All this looks much better with bright backlighting. Light cords are suitable for a garden with an abundance of straight lines - if you have natural green corners where wild plants grow in lush color, you should most likely look for another option for lighting them. nine0003

Diode strips are usually inexpensive and use little electricity. There are also solar-powered light cords on the market. It is very important to buy models for permanent street lighting ─ Christmas and holiday garlands, although they look similar, will not last long. Some manufacturers refer to light cords as "line lights".

Decorating your garden with light cords is very easy, especially if you are laying them not in the bush, but around the new flower bed. Just fill the flower bed with mulch or pebbles, plant fast-growing plants in it, lay a light cord along the contour ─ and voila: garden lighting is ready. nine0003

TO THE MIL excellence in construction

4. Illuminated stairs
Illuminated stairs perfectly mark the entrance area, and you will never trip over them. In addition to the main function, such lighting will help to focus on the porch decorations and plants planted at the entrance to the house.

There are few practical tips for installing step lighting, because laying the cable is a fairly simple task for an electrician. The only thing you should think about is the aesthetic side of the issue. In places where it is not possible to lay a cable, solar-powered lamps will come to the rescue. But do not forget that they are more cumbersome and, quite frankly, less attractive. nine0003

In2 Pty Ltd

To make the composition look harmonious, stair lighting should be chosen at the same time as other elements of the porch design, such as a lamp above the door, fittings, and sometimes even a number plate and a mailbox. If you prefer modern style, then stainless steel recessed light panels are your choice. For lovers of the classics, lamps with copper trim are more suitable.

5. Spot lighting
Everything shines and shimmers in the beams of the spotlights. With their help, it is easiest to arrange a game of reflections, as in this garden. Spotlights are a great way to emphasize architectural details and landscape design elements. But they are really needed in high-risk areas, such as near the pool or a two-level patio. A pair of spotlights will also light up the passages in dark alleys and corridors leading to the garden. nine0003

Decide how bright the extra lighting should be: if the directional spotlights give off too much light, the surrounding area will immediately appear darker and you will have to install additional lights in dark corners.

Long rectangular gardens can be brought to life with careful lighting of the plants. Trees or landscape elements illuminated at regular intervals will help to visually break up an overly elongated area. The emphasis on trees with lush crowns at the far end of the garden will make the night composition more voluminous. nine0003

Exterior Concepts Pty Ltd

6. Color lighting
The play of light and color on a dark background creates, as the English say, a dramatic effect. If you love theatrical effects and want your garden to match your character, colored lights are the way to go. Forget those garlands of colorful lights that were indispensable decorations at a student party in the 1980s: today, colored lights are something more.

The first question you should ask yourself is "Do I want the backlight to always be in color, or do I want to turn it on only on special occasions?" In the first case, make sure that your color experiments do not disturb the neighbors. In general, this applies to any light installation, but the color one attracts more attention. nine0003

Color lighting can give a modern look to almost any traditional garden. Choose a color that will make a particular element “play out”, for example, the shade of the walls of a house or a tree with a sculptural crown. Expressive accents of bright colors look better on a dark background. In the garden in the photo it is dark gray pebbles, but it could be something else.

DDB Design Development & Building

7. Pool lighting
Lighting up the pool is not an easy task. Your first concern should be the safety of using this type of lighting, so don't even try to do the wiring yourself. Only a professional will do everything right in terms of insulation. Experts with experience will also take care of aesthetics: they know how to arrange the lamps so that the entire pool glows and there are no dark areas. nine0003

The light from the pool always affects the atmosphere around it, whether it's a dance floor, sun loungers or al fresco dining. You can accentuate this spot of light by adding another lighting option, or leave it as is for a more intimate setting. Colored pool lighting can be flashy (which isn't always a bad thing), but you should be aware that there are quieter options on the market today. For a holiday, you can enhance the glow of the pool by letting reflective decorations float on its surface. nine0003

Mondo Landscapes

8. Backlighting
The play of light can easily become a play with shadows and create mysterious compositions on relief surfaces. In a garden where there are more sculptural forms than plants, back lighting becomes a powerful tool for creating spectacular light installations. Most often, such lighting can be found in modern gardens, the design of which is built on clear lines.

Since back lighting is usually used where there is a wall, it is not a problem to install it. However, before you start laying the cable, carefully examine the wall itself and the path near it: any imperfections and scuffs, being highlighted, are very striking. Therefore, you may have to start not with lighting at all, but with repairing the wall. nine0003

Cleverly placed backlighting emphasizes the sculptural outlines of objects, so choose these objects with special care for the best effect. Let it be plants with well-defined leaves and straight stems, miniature trees with curly trimmed crowns, or flowerpots of an unusual shape. The best option for the background is a wall of stone or old brick, and for a more informal look, a plastered surface is also suitable. Correctly directed lamps will highlight both the texture and color of the wall. nine0003

9. A spot of light
Light itself can become the main character of your evening illumination ─ in this case, it will draw attention to itself and to the composition of the garden or patio. A patch of light is a great way to add visual interest to a prose composition. Whether you want to “break” a wall that is too long, or just waiting for your garden to grow, a spot of light will be a suitable solution in both cases.

Tim Davies Landscaping | Perth

Once you've sorted out all the practicalities, the first question is "Which comes first, form or function?" If you need light only in a decorative quality, then your taste and budget will be the decisive factor. nine0003

A spot of light in itself can make a stunning impression, but at the same time it can illuminate the plants next to it. If you want to decorate a modern garden in this way, think globally ─ large circles create a stunning visual effect. In a classic garden, a cast-iron lamppost can become the center of attention. A lamp on a low metal or concrete base will radically solve the problem of lighting on a long dark stretch of the garden.

Dale Jones-Evans Pty Ltd Architecture

10. Solar Lights
The farther you go from home, the more sensible you are to think of lights powered by the sun. Solar-powered lamps are always an alternative, and often the only option, if access to electricity is limited. While they always cast more diffused light than electric ones, solar-powered lights are indispensable in areas where light is needed, but not in huge quantities.

We advise you to think about the quality and service life of the models on the market. The dependence here is directly proportional: the cheaper the lamp, the less it will last and the sooner you will have to replace it. My advice is don't be stingy: after all, you're lighting for fun, not for cost reasons.

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