15 garden lighting ideas you can copy this summer

Swaffield Road, Concept Eight Architects Concept Eight Architects Modern garden
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If you want to get the maximum usage out of your garden in the summer months, then you need to start thinking about outdoor lighting ideas. From hanging lanterns to buried uplighters, there’s a world of garden- and patio lighting ideas to consider.   

And speaking of lighting for gardens, we've found some absolutely super examples to show you today, all of which have the professional gardener’s seal of approval and offer ingenious, subtle integration into the surrounding greenery or furniture. Just come and take a look and see which of these garden lighting ideas would be perfect for your summer house, patio, or just about any outdoor space!  


1. Using hidden uplighters to embellish the warmth of natural wood fencing makes for such a gorgeous summer garden display!

2. How about bringing some stylish indoor lighting installations outside into your garden, in order to add a little extra illumination and offer a quirky aesthetic?

3. Under-seat lighting is a great way to keep everything seamless and fully integrated, while still boosting the rest of your garden lighting design.

4. Don't overcomplicate things, if you have a small garden! Simplicity can be the key to success, so try a few tabletop hurricane lamps with large candles inside!

5. Adding flush-fitting spotlights beneath all your seats will create a light, bright and sociable garden hangout area!

6. Maybe you could add light AND warmth, with a hand-built firepit? We LOVE this idea!

7. Adopt a multi-layered approach to garden- and patio lighting ideas so that you can highlight a few separate areas. Look to showcase colourful spots!

Safety first! Make sure you contact a professional Electrician before you put your extravagant garden lights ideas into practice.  

8. Adding some piquant lighting to your alfresco cooking station is a wonderful way to make sure that you can grill long into the balmy summer evenings!

9. How genius is this idea? Using small spotlights, reflected off shiny surfaces, to brighten your garden is a cool, contemporary and unfussy option for outdoor lighting.

10. Adding strip lighting to your gazebo allows you to now only enjoy a little weather=proof socialising, but also properly lit fun! We love the vibrant lighting colours here!

11. Sinking spotlights into the raised beds in your garden make for a wire-free and simply stunning installation. Plus, all your favourite blooms will be perfectly highlighted.

12. Wow! Highlighting your tallest plants with some buried uplighters creates such a visually delightful display! This is a great tip for smaller gardens, in particular.

13. The simplest solutions can be the best, so how about keeping your lights mounted on an exterior wall, to flood a patio with handy illumination?

14. This garden looks amazing! With a myriad of hanging and floor-standing lights, all in the same globe shape, there is cohesion and a layered look.

15. If you have a water feature in your garden, adding some enticing garden lighting will really show it off to its fullest potential and create a gorgeous focal point!

Bonus tips to enhance your garden lighting ideas

• Consider how both shadow and light can add style and detail to a space. If you have garden walls, for instance, consider placing your outdoor lighting at the base to highlight the wall’s texture, especially if it is rich in detail like stone or brick.  

• Make sure that your garden lighting design bathes not only a tree’s canopy in light (which can create an eerie effect), but also the trunk.  

• Use LEDs for your patio- and outdoor lighting. Modern LED-based lighting systems use about 70% less energy than halogen bulbs. This means you will not only be enjoying elegant garden lighting designs, but also a more appropriate electricity bill.



Bonus tip: Your garden lights and the sun

When it comes to easy-to-use lighting for gardens, solar garden lights are certainly the best. What could be easier than sticking them into the ground on a sunny day and letting them power themselves up? Just remember that your solar garden lights might need a few days to store enough sunlight to reach their brightest potential.  

Bonus tip: Your garden lights and safety

Of course your outdoor lights can also keep you safe, that’s the aim of motion detectors – as soon as they pick up movement, those lights blast on, greatly enhancing your security. New motion-sensor light fixtures can be installed, or you can opt to simply add a screw-on motion detector to your existing garden- and patio lights. 

And since we’re spreading some outdoor style, have a look at 12 low-maintenance garden ideas that actually look amazing.



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