Getting the lighting right in your home is key to creating a welcoming ambience. Having just an overhead light in the centre of your ceiling isn’t going to create the warm, cosy atmosphere we crave indoors. And the same goes for your garden. So read on for our essential outdoor lighting ideas…
Layered lighting is key for both inside your home and in your garden. This means it’s important to incorporate light sources at different heights to add interest and drama.
If you have a small courtyard this is straightforward. String up fairy lights along a fence, add some stake or ornamental lights within the flowerbeds or pots, pop a few portable lanterns on the table, and you’re done!
But with a larger garden, you need to consider which areas you’ll be using at night and how much light you’ll require. As many of us want to enjoy our outdoor spaces as dusk falls and beyond, it makes sense to include lights in your scheme that will illuminate paths, trees, ponds and plants.
You’ll also want to factor in any seating or dining area, so you and your guests can relax and get the most out of the evening without fear of tripping or bumping into something! And remember to illuminate the door to the house so you can find your way back indoors – especially important if you’re carrying a tray of precious glasses.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of garden lighting ideas to help your outdoor space shine, whatever the weather or occasion.
Outdoor lighting ideas
1. Enter a fairy kingdom
These mini mushroom solar stake lights will help to turn your garden into an enchanted kingdom!
There are 12 in the pack so you can create little pools of light either dotted amongst the flowers or at the base of a tree. You could even place them in two lines up to a fairy door to really sprinkle the magic! Position them at different heights for a naturalistic look.
The lights are solar-powered and provide up to eight hours of illumination during the summer months.
2. Add sculptural elegance
Create drama as your guests approach your front door with a sculptural dandelion light or two.
Position in pots on either side of your door or in a line along the edge of a path. This solar-powered light works all year round, although you’ll get fewer hours of illumination in winter. The head of warm white LED lights adds a pleasing glow as night falls.
Buy now from Annabel James
3. Create a vintage vibe
For a romantic, eclectic atmosphere, hang these old-school solar bulbs from trees and pergolas. They’ll be lovely to gaze at overhead if you position them over a dining table.
This is one of our all-time favourite outdoor lighting ideas for a wedding or summer party.
There are five different bulb shapes in every pack, including round, teardrop and fluted, and together they look like a beautifully curated arrangement.
Buy now from Cox & Cox
4. Illuminate a path with hoops
As well as lighting the way after dark, hoop garden lighting ideas from Decoist on Pinterest give the impression you’re entering a whimsical wonderland!
They not only add height, taking your eye up to foliage overhead, but they also draw attention to the smallest of plants down low that would otherwise be overlooked.
5. Get set for movie night!
Film nights take on an extra-special dimension when they are transferred from your living room to your garden!
Hook up a sheet, crank up the projector, arrange some chairs, beanbags and cushions, and string up plenty of lights for an enchanting scene.
Lights4fun have a brilliant bundle of festoon lights, waterproof candles, lanterns and fairy lights to help your evening truly sparkle.
Buy now from Lights4fun
6. Festoon lighting for al fresco dining
Host a dinner party that sets the bar high with a beautifully laid table incorporating candles or tea lights lining the centre.
Festoon lights like these from Ginger Ray are perfect for dialling up the romance as they come in long, generous strings of bulbs.
Arrange several in a criss-cross pattern above the table, keeping them as low as you can without the risk of people bumping their heads.
This will ensure a gorgeous, flattering glow is cast on the table and on your guests, too.
7. Bring the indoors out!
We’re used to wanting to bring the outdoors in, filling our homes with greenery and echoes of the natural world. But how about bringing the indoors out?
Using similar lights outside that you’d have inside helps to ramp up the cosy aesthetic. Choose pendants in warm, tactile materials like rattan, raffia or wicker for a textured, natural look.
8. Light up an arch
Architectural features, such as arches, paths, steps, pergolas and fences all benefit from dedicated illumination. And you can’t go wrong with a classic, vintage-style lamp for a look that’s timeless, like this example from Davey Lighting.
Choose black for a smart look or galvanised steel for a more weathered, always-been-there quality. This is a great choice for a pair of lights on either side of a door to illuminate your way back into the house.
Buy now from OriginalBTC
9. Glow up your greenery
This hexagonal wall planter combines contemporary good looks with practicality. Hang several on your wall in a row or at intervals to create interesting patterns and to zhuzh up an otherwise plain surface.
As well as being a pretty planter for trailing foliage, a solar light is included to add a dash of glimmer to the gloaming.
10. Put your plants in the spotlight
If your pots and planters are good enough to put on show, bathe them in light with solar spotlights.
The soft uplighting effect creates a dash of theatre – the shadows that are created will add mystery and intrigue in any areas of your garden you wish to highlight.
Buy now from Lime Lace
11. Give your vines a shine
For a subtle gleam, entwine outdoor fairy lights next to or within a creeping vine.
You’ll be treated to little spots of light that draw attention to flourishing foliage and reveal any hidden textures, such as a lovely brick wall or trelliswork behind.
The beauty of this set is that you can choose solar, battery or plug-in for your power source.
Buy now from Sparkle Lighting
12. Create calm with candlelight
Having plenty of flickering candles is key to a gorgeous garden scheme.
Position them wherever you need for gentle illumination – lighting a path, by the back door or on a table. These storm lanterns are great for flame or LED pillar candles.
Buy now from John Lewis
Inspired to give your garden a mini makeover?
You'll be wanting our garden decor ideas then! In this comprehensive round-up, learn how to upcycle a chair with macrame, make a plant stand, choose the right pizza oven for al fresco dining, and more!
13. Dial up the cute factor
Who doesn’t love a light-up wicker reindeer at Christmas? But you don’t have to wait till December to get your fill of woven garden creatures!
This elegant heron would look majestic beside a pond or water feature. And might hopefully put off a real heron from snaffling your fish, too!
Unexpected features like this add a playful touch to your garden, while the wicker material blends beautifully into the natural surroundings.
14. Love your lanterns
Portable lanterns are ideal for customising a garden scheme and creating the look you want when you need it. This particular design from Nordlux is Danish and taps into the enduring Scandi minimalism trend.
Made from responsibly sourced bamboo, it’s solar-powered so can be left in full sunshine during the day then carried around to your heart’s content at night.
15. Mimic the rhythmic beauty of fireflies
If you have any areas of ornamental grasses, or perhaps a patch that could benefit from some decorative oomph, then we have the answer… firefly lights! They gently sway in the wind and flash to look like fireflies darting over the landscape. Being waterproof, they even work in the rain.
They are solar-powered so you can take them to your next festival or camping trip and share their mesmerising beauty.
16. It’s a wrap!
This example from Creative Green Living on Pinterest is perfect if you have lots of mature trees in your garden. But it can work with any plant of a decent size with a woody stem – think camellia, honeysuckle, jasmine.
Wrap fairy lights around the trunk with even spaces in between to give a gorgeous glow at eye level. This is a super-simple idea but oh-so effective at upping the glam factor.
17. Remarkable ropes
Illuminate a path or the edge of your lawn or flowerbeds with an LED rope light. It provides a seamless glow and has the added benefit of making your outdoor space look larger than it really is.
We love the simplicity and clean lines of this idea from Christmas Lights, Etc on Pinterest – it’s so easy to fit and looks instantly fabulous.
18. Nighttime transformations
When considering garden lighting ideas, multi-tasking ornaments are the ones that really earn their place in your scheme.
These decorative stone-effect globes make an attractive feature by day, but really come into their own after dark. Position them on gravelled areas between pots or around a water feature to create gentle pools of light.
Buy now from Stone Globe Lights
Get the most out of your garden with our outdoor lighting ideas
Just as you think carefully about the lighting in your home, if you want to enjoy your garden after dark, it’s important to consider illumination here too.
There are plenty of options available, but layering is key to the most successful scheme. Combining practicality with charm will help you show off your garden to its maximum potential.
Make sure you have plenty of permanent sources - including lights beside a door and over an arch, illuminating paths, trees and water features. Then include temporary ones such as portable lanterns, candles, festoon lights and even decorative wicker animals to dial up the party vibes when entertaining.
Top DIY garden ideas to try today
Being outdoors is so important for our wellbeing. It boosts your mood, keeps you active and inspires creativity. If you’re feeling like your backyard could do with some TLC beyond garden lighting ideas, you’ll love our DIY garden ideas for creative crafters.
From choosing the right tools for the job to tons of inspo for small spaces, Gathered will help you turn your garden from tired to terrific in no time!
Now, where did we put those gardening gloves…
