Three Steps to Light Up Your Garden with Zero Wiring
7 August 2017
The prospect of installing garden lights can be quite daunting if you’ve never done it before. How do I install them? Will I need an electrician? What type of lights should I buy? What are IP ratings? These are just some of the questions that you may be asking. This guide will enable you to choose, purchase and install all of your garden lights quickly and easily; and with no wiring required!
For each of these areas you will select a certain type of garden light. As you make your plan bear in mind that less is more. The idea is to selectively light up specific areas and features in your garden. Too much light and any effects will simply be washed out.
Making battery and solar garden lights work
To install garden lights with no wiring, mains powered lights are obviously not an option. Even plug-and-play mains powered lights don’t fit our criteria of zero wiring. Instead, we will use a combination of high quality battery and solar powered lights, which can be quickly and easily installed yourself.A word about IP rating
IP stands for “ingress protection”, and is a measurement of how much protection the light fitting provides against solid object and water entering and damaging the light. You can read a full description about IP rating here if you wish, however the key point to bear in mind is that IP44 is classed as “weatherproof”, and will be suitable for most garden lights. The only times you may need a higher IP rating would be if you were installing a light in a location that is particularly exposed to the weather, or in a location next to a water feature. In these instances the higher protection offered by an IP55 rating or higher would be worth considering.Step 1 – Decide what you want
First of all, break your garden down into the following areas:- Paths and patios
- Flower beds
- Lawns
- Trees and shrubs
- Walls and buildings
For each of these areas you will select a certain type of garden light. As you make your plan bear in mind that less is more. The idea is to selectively light up specific areas and features in your garden. Too much light and any effects will simply be washed out.
Lights for garden paths, flower beds and lawns
Garden paths can be effectively lit with battery powered path lights, which are easily installed on a spike next to the path. Flower beds and lawns can be illuminated with solar powered spike lights. These are similar to the path lights, but instead of a focused beam of light shining in one direction, they emit light around a full 360 degrees. Another good option is battery powered spotlights, fixed to either a wall or tree adjacent to the area you want to illuminate.Lighting trees and shrubs
The tactic to consider here is up-lighting from the base of the tree or shrub. This is achieved with another variation of spike light – those with multi-directional heads. This allows you to get the beam angle just right. These are available as battery powered or solar powered, but solar powered are unlikely to provide enough light to be effective for this use.
Garden lights for walls and buildings
Wall lights will be used for these features, and can be either solar or battery powered. Garden wall lights are both practical and decorative, so choose a design that you like and that fits with the rest of your outdoor space.Step 2 – Order your lights
With a list of what you want you can now order your garden lights online. To speed the process up look for next day delivery; and with the quantity of lights you will be ordering, free delivery should be available. When you’ve chosen your lights, do a quick Google search for voucher codes for the retailer you have selected. A lot of the time you’ll be able to find a code for either a discount or free delivery.
