DIY Garden Lighting Ideas for your Backyard

Nothing transforms an ordinary garden into an extraordinary garden quite as lights can. With a little bit of illumination, your garden can be enjoyable and beautiful no matter what time of day it is.  

Whether you’d like to highlight certain features of your home or yard, create some ambiance when entertaining, or showcase your hard work on the landscaping, illuminating your garden is a great place to start.

However, there are a lot of different options to choose from when it comes to garden lighting. Before you get out the hooks and start stringing lights up, consider all the lighting choices for gardens to select the best ones that will create the effect you’re looking for.

Good news, DIY fans –– there’s no need to immediately dial a professional to do it for you, either. Many types of garden lighting are fairly simple and easy to put up. Solar lights in particular add flexibility, as you don’t have to worry about running extension cords and a large increase in your electric bill.

How to light up a garden?

Here are a few garden lighting ways we will discuss in this article:

• Rope lighting 

• Ground lighting

• Hanging lights

• Spotlights

• Seating lighting


Depending on what kind of garden you have, you might find that different types of lighting fixtures will look better than others.

Here are several examples of types of lights you could place in your garden, creating different effects, and serving different purposes.

Rope Lighting

Start from the ground up. With a string of rope lighting, you can wrap lights around your entire garden bed so it is illuminated from bottom to top. Follow the edge of the garden line to make the design look clean and elegant. Another way to use this lighting technique is to light up a specific plant, tree, or feature that you want to showcase in your garden. Wrap up a tree trunk, or outline a small pond to make that feature pop.

Solar rope lighting, which doesn’t require electricity, can be a great option when running rope lighting, as you aren’t limited by the distance to a power source. Simply make sure that you install it in an area where the panels will be able to get plenty of sun during the day and aren’t easily blocked with dirt or debris.

Ground lighting

Another option to accent a specific area or space in your garden is ground lighting. Using a floodlight or the like, you can light up a pathway in the middle of the garden, brighten a waterfall feature, or light up the entire outer rim of your garden area.

Similar to the rope lighting, these ground lights are also available in solar, allowing you more freedom and flexibility with your garden design. Not to mention, you can avoid the hassle of having to remember to turn them off and on every day.


Hanging lights

If you are a frequent party hostess or host, you know the importance of good ambiance for entertaining. Hanging lights in the trees or bushes is a great way to let the light shine down on all of your gorgeous flowers and plants. It’s also a great way to provide light in your backyard space when you have company over.

You can hang lights as is, or even attach lanterns to soften the strength of the light.

Plus, even when you aren’t hosting an event, the twinkle from hanging lights casts a beautiful glow for you to enjoy anytime.  

Spotlights

Similar to the ground lighting mentioned above, spotlights are another excellent choice for showcasing specific elements of your garden or home that you’d like people to take note of. For different times of the year, colored spotlights can also be a great way to make your garden instantly festive. You can light up a waterfall, small pond, statue, or favorite plant or flower.

On the other hand, you could also use a spotlight to show off the entire garden, depending on its size and placement. Solar spotlights are a great pick for this, as well, with options from a warm glow to a high-intensity spotlight.

Use Your Creativity

No two gardens are the same –– use your creativity to mix, match, and create a garden lighting setup that best reflects your personality and flavor.  

The great thing about solar decorative lighting is that it can go nearly anywhere. If you have a seating space in your garden area, you can even put up lights on your picnic table or umbrella.

You could also consider illuminating walkways, steps, or other accent pieces of your garden. Solar lights give you the freedom to really turn your garden into something special.

Light Up Your Garden

Chances are, you put a lot of hard work into making your garden beautiful. Why shouldn’t you be able to enjoy it as much by night as you do during the day? Showcase the fruits of your efforts by illuminating your garden for the world to see.

There are many different options for doing so, depending on what type of garden you have and the effect you would like to create.

Feel free to use your creativity to really make your garden lighting special –– don’t limit yourself to just illuminating the plants, either. Even your patio or outdoor furniture can easily be decorated with solar lights.

At Outdoor Solar Store, we have a huge selection of quality solar lights that are sure to make any garden pop. Check out our lights to see which ones might be the perfect fit for you.