Exterior Outdoor Lighting Theme Ideas for Your Garden

Exterior outdoor lighting does not have to be limited to a few motion-sensitive flood lights on your garage or rows of low-voltage lighting in the flower beds. If you try to explore other options, you will find that there are so many festive and creative outdoor lighting ideas that you can tie in with your general landscape theme. With some inspiration and imagination, you should be able to transform your yard into an ambient and attractive outdoor retreat for the whole family.

Tropical Thunder

If you have a tropical-themed garden, with lots of fuchsias, ferns, and palms, skip electric lights and put up bamboo torches. They should be available in most discount chains and home improvement stores for a few dollars apiece. Make sure that they are easy to maintain and will last at least three seasons. Also, do not install them near low-hanging branches or fronds so nothing gets caught on fire. If you have a good amount of money to spare, buy torches made of metal like stainless steel, aluminum or copper.  One example is the Cambridge 80″/85″ Single/Four Lantern Patio Lamp by Patio Living Concepts.

Twinkling Lights

Once Christmas comes, most homeowners string colorful lights along their door frames and roof lines. You can, however, create such festive look even when it is not the holidays. Strategically-placed lights can create a festive outdoor living space during those warm summer nights as well. If you have a patio, arbor, or picket fence; string a strand or two of rope lighting. You can also do the same with trees by wrapping  mini lights around the boot and low branches for a virtual canopy of lights.

Focal Points

To capture the look and feel of a hotel garden, install floodlights with colored lenses in strategic spots all around your garden. Position them so that they shine upward and illuminate the signature trees of your yard. If you a waterfall or pool, floating lights should make the focal point of your outdoor space. The LED Lighting Ball by Infinita is a big ball of light that floats on pools and ponds. You can adjust it to give soft to intensive levels and gives you more than 160,000 colors.

Going Green

Installing lights require you to lie down and bury electrical cords. Hoping that moisture does not get can be very challenging. To capture the look of traditional low-voltage outdoor lighting without going through the hassles of installing them on your own, consider using solar. They already come with a solar cell and a rechargeable battery inside. If you can, splurge and go with the Solar Stake Light – Espresso Finish by Outdoor Greatroom Company. They should last for years but make sure that you install them in spots where the sun can shine on them.