30 Garden Lighting Ideas to Make Your Plants Shine
Garden lighting is a finishing touch that will highlight the beauty of your landscaping while making your outdoor space more usable after dark. From stake lights and string lights, brighten up trees, flower pots, garden beds, vertical gardens, container gardens, and more with outdoor lighting fixtures in a range of styles.
Front Garden Lighting Ideas
Light up an enclosed front garden with a gravel patio and seating area to make it feel warm and inviting. This can be achieved by softly lighting palm trees and plants that glow when the sun sets. You can also elevate your home curb appeal by adding outdoor lights on even the smallest of front yards. Place a few spotlights in a small row of bushes or hedges that connect with lighting on the rest of the facade.
String Lights for Trees
Wrap tree branches with string lights for a whimsical feel. Pair them with matching lighting on your front hedges to decorate for the holidays, or leave them up all year. You can also hang lanterns from a post or a tree branch to add charm and ambient light to your garden.
Backyard Lighting Ideas
Multiply light sources in a large backyard with a garden, lawn, and pool area. Complement ground-level garden lighting with string lights placed overhead that are reflected in the pool to set the mood for nighttime entertaining. You can also decorate an outdoor fire pit conversation area with layered lighting. This can be achieved by using string lights suspended overhead and hurricane lanterns lit with candles on the ground.
Modern and Rustic Lighting Ideas
Complement modern landscaping with globe lights. These LED or solar-powered lights will give your outdoor space an organic feel and a moon-like glow. You can also choose copper spotlights to upgrade your backyard garden light fixtures. These warm metal fixtures will glimmer in the sunshine and highlight greenery and flowers at night.
Pathway and Garden Bed Lighting
Make the steps between your deck and backyard garden safer by installing integrated LED lighting on the risers. You can also brighten a curved garden path around the periphery of your yard with a combination of ground-level uplights and overhead bulb string lights. Finish a floating garden bed with thoughtfully installed LED lighting to turn it into a focal point.
Raised Garden Bed Lights and Retaining Wall Lights
Suspend string lights from a garden trellis or arbor in a small side yard filled with raised garden beds. You can also integrate can lighting into a garden retaining wall for a polished feel. The built-in vertical lights can provide general illumination for walkways or garden paths.
Water Feature Lighting
Elevate a water feature like a garden pond with lighting. This can be achieved by lighting the pond from within to create a golden glow. You can also upgrade your water garden with lighting. This tranquil outdoor space includes lighting built into stone retaining walls that illuminates a small water fountain for a magical nighttime feel.
Vertical Garden Lighting and Arborvitae Illumination
Enhance the look of an outdoor vertical garden with strategic lighting. This vertical garden includes lighting at each tier that spotlights the stylized plantings after dark. You can also illuminate a living privacy fence comprised of arborvitae trees to highlight the edges of your property. Uplights will emphasize the conical shape of the trees.
Lawn and Container Garden Lighting
Scatter a large lawn with outdoor light fixtures to make it come alive in the evenings. You can choose above-ground lights or embedded lights depending on the look you want to achieve. Embellish your backyard container gardens with string lights. Wrap them around potted plants to create a festive feel on a budget that will make your outdoor seating area more inviting.
Gazebo Lighting and Mixed Garden Lighting
Create ambiance in the garden around a backyard gazebo to make it pleasurable to spend time in after dark. Highlight favorite plants, trees, or other features to create a balanced feel. You can also mix small ground-level stake lights to illuminate your front walkway with large bulb string lights to highlight a rustic property.
Cluster of Pendant Lights
Style your backyard garden seating area with a cluster of pendant lights. They will make the space usable at night and double as decor during the day.
What Lighting Is Best for the Garden?
The best lighting for a garden is a mix of warm, ambient light and bright, cooler light. Warm, ambient light works well for highlighting trees, plants, or flowers, and creating a relaxing atmosphere if you plan to use your outdoor space at night. Brighter, cooler light creates visibility and discourages unwanted human and animal visitors.
How to Light Up Your Garden
Light up your garden with anything from inexpensive outdoor LED string lights to an integrated lighting system designed to highlight special trees or a garden. Spread the light around your garden for a balanced look that ensures visibility of the entire space.
Tips for Lighting Your Yard at Night
- Light the periphery of your yard with ground-level uplighting placed all around a fence or retaining wall.
- Use landscape lighting to highlight flowerbeds, trees, fountains, or other special features.
- Add layers of ambient light to your yard with portable LED lamps or torches, LED candles, or a fire pit.
Some more ideas to consider for garden lighting include:
- Using solar-powered stake lights to keep your flower beds visible after dark.
- Installing bollard lights mounted on vertical posts for a more formal look.
- Highlighting the beauty of ornamental grasses with ground-level uplighting.
- Backlighting a potted tree to create a focal point in a small backyard garden.
- Bringing out the beauty of a garden water feature like a fountain or a waterfall with lighting.
By incorporating these garden lighting ideas into your outdoor space, you can create a warm and inviting atmosphere that is perfect for relaxing and entertaining. Whether you have a small or large garden, there are many ways to use lighting to enhance its beauty and make it more usable after dark.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best lighting for a garden?
The best lighting for a garden is a mix of warm, ambient light and bright, cooler light.
How to light up a garden?
Light up your garden with anything from inexpensive outdoor LED string lights to an integrated lighting system.
What are some tips for lighting a yard at night?
Light the periphery of your yard, use landscape lighting to highlight features, and add layers of ambient light.
How to highlight garden features?
Use landscape lighting to highlight flowerbeds, trees, fountains, or other special features.
What are some garden lighting ideas?
Using solar-powered stake lights, installing bollard lights, highlighting ornamental grasses, backlighting a potted tree, and bringing out the beauty of a garden water feature.
