Thanks to lockdown, our entire summer holiday will almost certainly be spent right here at home/in our garden.
As a result, we now have a) the makings of a poncey pretend-you’re-in-Ibiza outdoor seating area (thanks, handy Pink House Husband), and b) an imperative to light it so enticingly that a passing Calvin Harris would settle down beside me and offer me a sip of his Spritz (this is a euphemism).
I know many of you are planning something similar on your patch of land. Though possibly with a slightly different fantasy companion.
Therefore, I have been asking my wonderful Instagram followers, and conducting some research of my own, in order to ascertain which are the very best garden lights, according to those people who’ve smugly been harbouring a slice of the White Isle in their back gardens and know what they’re talking about. If you have any other sexy-DJ-luring lighting suggestions of your own, I’d love to hear them!
My work-in-progress garden decking (paint is Bloomsbury by Mylands)
For a larger garden
OxyLED Waterproof Patio Lights (48ft long, £55.99)
Soft, strong and very long - and luckily much better suited to being left out in the rain than a bog roll. Plus they’re on Amazon Prime and come highly recommended by a restauranteur who has these in his South East London restaurant’s garden
For smaller spaces
Sainsbury’s Home Solar Festoon Lights (20 lights, £20)
Excellent value, these have been given the stamp of approval by a few garden-owners and look just like the ones you see draped over the vegan tacos van at a festival. And that’s a good thing.
For a bit of all-white
Lights4Fun Warm White LED Connectable Festoon Lights White Cable (from £36.99 for 5m, to £175 for 25m)
If black is anathema in your garden, or you just like the look of a pure white string of lights, these are a great option. Lights4Fun is a go-to brand for stylists-in-the-know, too, so rest assured these lights will look the business. They also come is lengths from 5m to 25m so will suit any size of garden. And come is black cable, too
This incredible garden belongs to Kimberly Swoon Worthy - her festoon lights are from Lights4Fun
For a pretty magical tree
Cox & Cox Solar String Lights (20M - £50)
Green wire means the 400 tiny LED lights sparkle magically in your tree. Warm white light for extra ambience. Solar powered for smugness
For making the garden look lush from your house
Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Lily LED Outdoor Stake Lights (Set of 3 - £275)
Fully adjustable colours and warmth/brightness; properly waterproofed (IP65 rated); save your preferred light settings to the Hue app for easy control; who needs Ibiza?!
For making a statement
Graham & Green Outdoor Monkey Lamps (From £210 - £290)
These cheeky monkeys would look wonderful hanging from a tree, or guiding visitors (when lockdown’s over!) up the garden path.
For bohemian nights - and days
Lucena Cream Tassell Solar Lanterns, Lights4Fun (Set of 3, £34.99)
These look Instagram-ready during the day, and the sun they soak up will give you 6-8 hours of illumination after it sets.
For holding candles
John Lewis & Partners Croft Outdoor Hurricane Tealight Candle Holder (£12)
Cute, practical and portable. These look lovely perched singly or in little groups on the table, and can be used to escort yourself back through the darkened garden, like you were in some swanky resort in the Seychelles. We can but dream…
Right, I’d better run. One child is shouting for a snack for the 236257367th time today, and the other has a question about algebra which I am in no way equipped to answer. I hope this post will help light up your life - or at least your garden - for the stay-home summer months to come.
