As you prepare your outdoor space for big parties and intimate gatherings, now is the time to get creative with lighting. Serving both a functional and decorative purpose, outdoor lighting is an essential part of your overall landscape. Here are some easy and innovative ways to decorate with lights from UK-based landscaper Harry Bodell, a gardening expert at PriceYourJob.
Light up a pergola. According to Bodell, pergolas are the perfect spot for garden lights due to their height and variety of posts and beams that you can hang lights from. Wind fairy lights around the timbers, string lights across the top, or hang lanterns and orbs overhead.
Create depth and definition. Accentuate boundaries in your yard by adding lights around the edges of garden beds. This will create a sense of depth by drawing your attention outwards, helping to expand a small area. You can also string lights around an entire fence, or hang a lantern from fence posts for a more subtle effect.
Cozy-up a seating area. While boundary lighting expands your outdoor space, adding lighting to seating areas helps them feel more cozy and private. Bodell suggests clustering lanterns at the corners of your deck or patio or around your garden furniture. You can opt for classic lantern styles or rattan versions that disperse subtle patterns across your furniture.
Turn the spotlight on plants. For those of you with particularly green thumbs, outdoor lighting can be used to showcase plants and trees. Use downward facing lights on small plants and upward beams for large plants and trees.
Wrap a tree with fairy lights. Winding a string of small lights around the trunk and branches of a tree will give it a magical glow, and also create the perfect spot for a bench or seating.
Light up a path. Solar lights or traditional lanterns arranged along a path help showcase your hardscaping, and also serve as important safety features when entertaining at night. Bodell suggests using recessed lights or placing staked lights among foliage if you’d prefer more subtle illumination.
When it comes to outdoor lighting, the options are endless, so be selective and remember not to overdo it. The result should be elegant and functional, not garish.
