The days are gradually getting shorter, so if you want to enjoy your garden for the rest of the summer and beyond, outdoor lighting is a must, says Julia Gray

AS well as illuminating your outdoor entertaining space, lighting has lots of other uses in the garden. It can, for example, illuminate pathways and steps, so you can see where you’re going, making your garden safer – and prettier – after dark.

To be creative, use accent lighting to highlight the landscaping and pick out key features, such as flowerbeds, water features and trees. Outdoor fairy lights or lanterns look lovely wrapped around tree trunks and strung through the branches.

Using different types, colours and strengths of outdoor light creates mood and atmosphere, just as it does indoors. Lighting can be targeted in all directions, depending on the effect you’d like to create. If you don’t want to commit to something as permanent as painting your garden walls a bold colour, you can train coloured lights on them and change the lights when you want a new look.

“External wall lights or lanterns give an even flow of light, while illuminating key features,”

says Hector Finch, who owns self-titled lighting company Hector Finch (hectorfinch.com). “We recommend zinc as the preferred finish for outdoor lighting. It’s durable, long-lasting and keeps its appearance well, but some lanterns are just sprayed to look like zinc.”

Garden lighting can also make your home more secure. Security lights, especially ones with sensors, are a good way to deter burglars and make you feel safer after dark. A wall light by your front door makes finding your keys easier at night and also makes it easier for visitors to see your house number or name and the garden path. “Lighting your home’s facade creates a warm welcome,” says Finch. “A permanent light source around your front door is useful, both in terms of security and ambience, while adding light to a front door or porch makes a welcoming first impression.”

The best lights to use outdoors are low-voltage LED ones, which cost a lot less to run than other types. They’re also safer to use and should be cheaper to install and maintain. Good quality ones can last for decades, so they reduce waste, as well as saving you electricity.

Solar lights, of course, cost nothing to run. They store up the sun’s energy in built-in batteries during the day and then come on at dusk, providing a soft, ambient light – don’t expect brightness.

The Northern Echo:
Metal lanterns give a homely feel

It’s essential that you pick lights suitable for both outdoor use in general and where you’re planning to put them in particular.

Installing garden lighting can be as simple as sticking some solar lights on spikes into your flowerbeds, but if you want something a bit more imaginative, you’ll need a qualified electrician.

Product of the week

FEATURE walls inside the home are something we’re all familiar with, but have you considered creating one in your garden?

Sandtex does a range of exterior paints for just this job – Sandtex Feature Wall Smooth Masonry Paint. The range includes some pretty vibrant colours, as well as lovely Evening Shadow (£18.98 for 2.5ltr, B&Q), a fashionable dark grey that’s perfect for a subtle style statement.

The paint can be used on most exterior masonry surfaces and is designed to be tough, flexible, waterproof and dirt resistant, so however many, or few, walls you want to make a feature of, they’ll be protected for years to come (the paint offers 15 years of guaranteed protection), as well as looking great.

How-to tip

IF you’re painting outdoors, it’s all too easy for the paint to become contaminated with insects, leaves and other debris, especially on windy days.

To avoid this, pour a small amount of paint into a paint kettle and work from that, then you can keep the tin sealed and the paint inside clean.