17+ Outdoor Lighting Ideas for the Garden

It’s warming up outside and it’s time to head outside to enjoy the warm weather! Outdoor lighting is one of the best ways to brighten up your outdoor space and make it usable at night.

I’m sharing these gorgeous and easy to duplicate outdoor lighting ideas with you today. I know you can find the perfect backyard lighting for your space.

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17+ Gorgeous Outdoor Lighting Ideas for the Garden

Did I mention my mother’s day gift this year was yard work?

I will admit, I definitely got my “money’s worth” out of that gift. It took my hubby a couple of weekends to finish the makeover on our little side garden. I pitched in a little when we were shoveling and spreading the rock and choosing plants, but that is about all I did.

Now that it’s done we’ve really been enjoying the new garden in the mornings. We jokingly call it the bird sanctuary as it is “bird-a-palooza” out there all day long!

Light up those warm summer Nights

It would be amazing if we could spend more time out there in the late evening after the day cools off, but right now it is just pitch black out there. (Which is nice if you are stargazing, but not so much if you are trying to hang out and have a conversation.) So it is definitely time we come up with a few outdoor lighting ideas to brighten up the backyard in the evening.

We have all sorts of wildlife out here. Our little DIY Bubble Fountain really brings them in. Hubby snapped this picture through our bedroom window one morning, earlier this summer. Isn’t it pretty?

I’ve spent some time lately browsing and collecting Outdoor Lighting Ideas on Pinterest, Houzz, and Google Images to get inspiration for the hubby’s next project. I’ve come across a few images and project ideas that are just perfect for our garden and am excited to share these backyard lighting ideas with you!

Our neighborhood has a dark sky light regulation, so make sure to check if you have a similar rule before committing to your lighting fixtures.

Frequently asked Outdoor Lighting Questions:

What are Dark Sky Lights

Dark Sky lights are designed to aim your lighting towards the ground and not up into the sky where it adds to noise pollution and blocks the view of the night sky and stars.

Should I choose solar or low voltage lighting?

The answer to this question is based on your budget and access to a power source. In our case, we used low voltage up against the house and solar path lights on the paths that are too far away. Of course, if your budget is unlimited you can have low voltage lighting where ever you like.

What kind of lights do you recommend for instant impact?

Are you looking for a lighting idea that will give instant results? Then I will recommend string lights every time. You can plug them in almost everywhere and look amazing in practically every setting!

Outdoor Lighting Ideas for the Garden

1. Mason Jars from a Sheppard’s hook.

I love these little mason jars hanging from mini-shepherd’s hook. You can get the tutorial and make some for yourself at Finding Home. I can totally picture this lighting in a couple of spots around the perimeter and by the stone bench.

2. Premade Mason Jar Lights

Of course, if you are not a DIY-er or just don’t want to make your own outdoor mason jar light, you could always buy premade mason jar lights like these gorgeous ones from Sweet Tea Clothing Co. on Etsy.

3. Hanging Mason Jars with Fairy Lights

Or check out these darling hanging mason jars. You can find solar-powered hanging mason jars on Amazon or use your own mason jars and just add battery-powered fairy lights.

4. Hanging Tree Lanterns

If you have a lot of trees in your garden, you can find a ton of hanging lantern ideas. These hanging outdoor garden lanterns are beautiful. I think I have seen very similar lanterns at Hobby Lobby and here on amazon.

5. Hanging Votives

Another hanging mason jar idea, although I recommend using battery-powered tea lights over an open flame.

6. Tin Can Lanterns

If glass votives or mason jars aren’t your thing, you could always follow this Tin Can Lantern Tutorial from Grow Creative.

7. Sun Jars

These little sun jars from Fox and Feather would be perfect soft lighting on my outdoor coffee table.

8. Outdoor Chandelier

This is a great idea for a DIY chandelier. Something like this would be perfect over our door dining set.

9 String Light Wrapped trees

We have a ton of trees, it would be so gorgeous to wrap a few of them in white rope lights and create a little sitting area.

10. Trellis wrapped in Lights

How pretty would a lighted trellis be over our stone bench. See how to make this one over at Kojo Designs.

11. Tiki Torches

Don’t forget about tiki torches. They are inexpensive and look amazing for any outdoor gathering. The best part is you can purchase fuel that is designed to keep mosquitos away!

12. Yard Lanterns

I love the idea of large lanterns strategically placed around the yard. I have several that are very similar to these lanterns that I got from QVC. They have lasted 3+ years and are still going strong.) Amazon has some good-looking solar lanterns as well.

13. Diy Lampshade String Lights

These cupcake liner lights are so darling and creative and would look adorable hanging from the ceiling of the porch!

14. Japanese Lanterns

Or it could be something as simple as Japanese lanterns with battery-powered luminaries hung from the trees or just a string! (Just be sure to take them down when it rains, lol.)

15. Globe String Lights

We definitely wanted to hang some of the round bulb string lights over the top of the garden. Similar to the photos below. Finally found the perfect outdoor string lights here on Amazon!

16. Paper Bag Lights

These paper bag lights look easy and fun to do:

17. Pathway lights

I love these pathway lights! They are the perfect size for our rock stepping stones.

Of course, if you have a wider pathway, you could go with a larger path light.

18. Solar Pathway Lights

Of course, you can’t go wrong with solar pathway lights, these can be found at just about all of the large hardware stores. My current pathway light of choice are these square/modernish-looking pathway lights from Lowes.