Light It Up! Solar Garden Lighting Ideas
Extend your evenings after dark by brightening up your outdoor space with solar lighting all year round. Whether you’re on a budget or looking for the most modern looks after dark, from balconies to patios there is a lighting idea to illuminate your garden no matter how big or small. It’s all about taking your garden from day to night for summer soirees with friends and family and adding ambient lighting to alfresco dining.
Looking for inspiration? Think soft solar lighting lanterns, stake lights, topiary balls and magical fairy lights, whatever you need here are our top 6 ideas to keep your garden twinkling long after the sun goes down.
1. Solar string lights
Wireless solar powered lights are an easy, eco-friendly option for all outdoor spaces. For an ultra-soft glow into the night hang them along a fence, drape them around a parasol, gazebo or your garden furniture, or wrap them around tree trunks and in plants to make a feature of your foliage. Multi-coloured, string bulbs or novelty solar string bug lights, the options are endless.
Use the timber frame of a pergola as a canvas to perfectly place a string of outdoor lights. You can even line them up along a path and embed them deep with your boarders and watch them illuminate your garden at twilight.
Top Tip 1: Pop them into glass mason jars and place them along the patio.
Top Tip 2: Connect garden zones with string lights and unify the space from above to create a seamless flow of lighting through the different areas
2. Stake Lights
Solar powered stake lights are one of the most affordable and effortless ways to light up your garden. Simply peg the stake into the lawn, flowers beds, path boarders, in pots and planters and patios. They are great to light up a pond area or garden feature too. They are easily moved, and allow you change the layout if you decide you need more light or if it’s time for a refresh. Simple to install, no wiring, no electrical knowledge needed.
3. Lanterns
Lanterns look lovely in the evening and are the must accessories for an on trend, beautiful home. They bring a touch of the exotic and holiday vibes to any outdoor living space in an instant. Group them together, mix and match and arrange them by height and shape to create a stylish outdoor setting as well as add interest and texture. Pop them on the decking, patio or balcony. Moroccan style lanterns can add character to the garden and cast enchanting shadows along garden floors that will dance in the night as the lights flicker.
Top Tip: Create a focal point by placing lanterns on garden steps to illuminate the walkway.
4. Wall Lights
If you have a small courtyard that you use for entertaining choosing a permanent wall light is a great solution to cast a romantic glow over a dining table. Wall mounted options will give floating light to the entire area without taking up valuable space. They are perfect for secluded spots, as directional spotlights or as uplighters to illuminate a boarder and trees within a garden scheme.
5. Solar Garden Ornaments
From cute and quirky to stylish and contemporary, solar garden ornaments capture the power of the sun at day and give your garden character at night. Solar succulents are a popular trend, combining plants with light and solar sculptures bring tranquillity and elegance to an outdoor space and are extra special when they light up. It’s an easy budget friendly 2-in-1 trend.
6. Solar Speakers
Continue your party, singing along with to your favourite songs with your friends well into the evening with a stylish light-up bluetooth speaker made especially for the garden. Ideal for BBQs and garden parties. Providing summer tunes and a soft gentle glow so you can snuggle up with some cushions and under a blanket or throw beneath the late summer skies.
Where garden lights should be placed is all dependent on your garden layout. String lights are the most versatile and paired with wall lights are perfect to illuminate a patio, decking or dining area. While stake lights are great for lawns, garden features, paths and boarders. Lanterns work best to create a feature for a patio, decking or balcony.
For more garden inspiration take a look at:
How To: Upcycling Garden Ideas
How To: Upcycle Old Garden Pots
How To: Create An Outdoor Cinema
How To: Grow Vegetables, Beginners Guide
How To: Care For Your Garden Furniture