But the string of festoons – an social media obsession – has a seductive draw.
And as outdoor living has boomed, turbo-charged by the pandemic and heatwave summers, so too has lighting technology. More sophisticated systems have now made it possible to light the garden using 12-volt plug-and-play lights.
The Garden Light Shop best-selling festoon lights connect to create up to 500ft of lighting from a single plug. This means your tree-hanging festoon strings, wall and fence lights, stake path lights and colour changing smart globes can be grouped surrounding a dining area to provide varied and colourful mood enhancers.
Easy to use, as there is minimal set-up required, 12v low voltage LED will gently illuminate as the sun begins to set and bring your garden to life during the evening. We recommend positioning them in the sunniest spots of your garden to illuminate those areas during the summer evenings.
As the name suggests, these systems simply require a standard socket, along with a transformer, and can be installed safely without an electrician. While a decade ago, sets like this could only carry seven lights, they can now extend to 85 yards from the socket.
“They are easy to expand, as your garden grows and matures, and you can even take the lighting system with you if you decide to move home,” says Nigel Weir, who founded the Garden Light Shop (gardenlightshop.com) in Surrey a decade ago. It sells the leading Danish brand Techmar, and claims to be the only retailer of garden lights that also provides a full design service.
“Due to LED technology, 230v outputs are no different from 12v, so we can achieve the same output but with a safer system that you can install yourself,” he says. A bundle of eight black Focus Verona spotlights – which are small and under-stated enough to blend into borders – along with cable and a transformer, costs £265.
The sets can also work with an additional timer or remote control. Weir’s best-sellers also include warm white festoon lights (£59.85 for a 32ft kit), often used to dress pergolas and fences, and strings of 100 warm white fairy lights (£30.10), which customers are stringing over arches or through trees, and which can be strung together to create a trail of up to 500 lights. The direct-to-consumer Lights4Fun (lights4fun.co.uk) now sells more than 700 decorative lighting products online, which include indoor and outdoor fairy lights, festoon lights and seasonal lighting. The business employs more than 50 people and generates revenues in excess of £20 million, selling across the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the US.
As homeowners invest their time and resources into creating stunning outdoor areas, they expect these spaces to be just as enchanting after the sun sets. Luckily, adding light to your garden has never been easier. There is a plethora of options available, ranging from convenient “plug-and-play” lights that operate on low-voltage systems to solar and battery-powered alternatives. Gone are the days of digging trenches and hiring electricians for installations. The freedom to transform your outdoor spaces with light is now within reach.
To achieve the desired effect, a degree of skill and forethought is required. Landscape designers emphasize the importance of seamlessly blending the indoor and outdoor areas, particularly in urban settings. They recommend creating layers of light throughout the garden, strategically placing lights at the front and back to enhance the feeling of space and dynamism. Ground-level and wall-level lights can be combined to create a captivating layering effect. Careful consideration should also be given to the type of light chosen, with low ambient lighting harmonising with the natural surroundings and brighter lights reserved for functional areas.
Light pollution is a growing problem, and it can have a significant impact on nocturnal animals. Artificial light can disrupt the breeding, feeding, navigation, and activity patterns of wildlife, and it can even lead to the decline of certain species.
How to Light Your Garden Without Harming Wildlife
There are a few things you can do to light your garden without harming wildlife. First, opt for low, warm light. This type of light is less disruptive to nocturnal animals, and it also attracts fewer insects.
Second, incorporate hoods for spotlights. This will help to direct the light where you want it, and it will also reduce the amount of light that is emitted into the night sky.
Finally, keep the overall lighting scheme subtle. You don't need to bathe your entire garden in light. Instead, focus on highlighting certain features, such as trees, sculptures, or water features.
Opt for an elegant bronze powder-coat finish on light fittings. It’s especially effective when located next to your prized decorative plants, or heirloom and cherished plants and fruit trees.
For most domestic outdoor gardens, we’d recommend using a variety of wall, fence and post plug-and-play lighting systems, do bear in mind gardens that receive a lot of sunshine during the day and those generally wanting to illuminate their garden during the summer evenings, garden post lights are the perfect option.
Now you, your guests, pets, family and friends can relax in the garden after sundown. With Techmar subtle and delightful lighting, you'll love chilling at the corner garden table for al-fresco BBQ dining and perhaps a jug of cocktail over ice. Cheers!
All prices are correct at time of publishing 20th July, 2023.
Techmar lighting systems are a versatile and effective way to add light and atmosphere to your outdoor space. They can be used for both domestic and commercial purposes, and offer a number of benefits and features that make them a popular choice.
Techmar's lighting systems can be used to create a safe and inviting path through your garden, highlight specific areas of your garden, illuminate around your pond, fountain, or waterfall, and deter crime and make your home more secure.
There's no need to pay a local electrician to install these plug and play lighting systems, we have recorded many DIY videos to help everyone. Whether you can't spell DIY, or have just bought your first time with a garden, we are here to help. Techmar's industry approved 12v low volt lighting systems can be used to create a welcoming and luxurious atmosphere in hotel gardens, highlight specific features in restaurant gardens, create a lively and party atmosphere in bar gardens, and create a safe, lit up car park area for retail store shop fronts.
Techmar's lighting systems offer a number of benefits and features that make them ideal for both domestic and commercial use. They are a safe, energy-efficient, and easy-to-install way to add light and atmosphere to your outdoor space.
The Techmar stainless steel Atila postlight is the taller version of the of the Albus postlight. Often purchased together both of these lights are a great feature for any garden border, pathway of drive.
Due to being asked to make the Oak available as a single light though by some customers (to make the kits more flexible) we have sourced these post lights.
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