With heatwaves continuing to roll in, many of us will be enjoying our gardens well into the evening hours this summer. But as the sun dips below the horizon, while it may be cooler to lounge on the patio past 9pm, we often find ourselves trapped in the small puddle of light at the back door, losing the rest of the garden to shadows, or waving awkwardly at the security floodlight when the timer runs out. Hardly relaxing, and often blinding. So, let’s unlock your garden’s night-time potential by creating the perfect chill-out area with subtle illumination that expands your usable space.

One of the best ways to enhance your evening garden is by installing decorative spike lights in flower beds and around the garden perimeter. These create soft pools of light that extend the visible while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere. Spike lights also offer a hassle-free installation; simply push them into the ground and adjust their placement as desired. They can be positioned to uplight from the base of a tree, nestled in shrubbery, along a perimeter wall or fence, or even tracing the edge of your lawn. Many models feature pivoting heads so you can direct the light exactly where it’s needed, whether to highlight a feature or improve visibility along a path.

A great example is the All LED Excalibur 2 6W 240V IP65 LED Spike Light, available in either cool white (4000K) or warm white (3000K), an elegant and affordable way to elevate your garden’s ambience.

What Do You Need to Install These Lights?

Below, you’ll find two different installation options, but most of the required components remain the same. Because this is an external setup, all items and accessories should have a minimum IPX5 rating to ensure protection against the elements and water ingress.

Since these lights are mains-powered and installed at ground level, burying the cable is a straightforward method of keeping wiring out of sight. Armoured cable is essential for safety, providing secure and durable routing of power to each lighting point.

Depending on your layout, you may also need junction boxes. We recommend the Wiska Round Combi Box, featuring an IP66 rating (or IP67 when used with the included cable gland), a convenient bayonet-style lid, and secure locking to deter tampering.

Where your lighting setup may differ is in how you want to control your garden lights.

Simple Control Option: Single Circuit

If you’re installing all your garden lighting on a single switch, the Culina Konect range of wireless kinetic switches and receivers offers a clever, budget-friendly solution. There are two receiver options: a standard RF receiver and a WiFi-enabled version. If the WiFi model is installed within range of your home network, it allows smart control via Apple, Android, or Alexa devices.

You can pair either receiver with a Culina Kinetic switch or a key fob, ideal for attaching to your garden shed keys or even your front door keys if you’ve installed lighting in the front garden or driveway.

Advanced Option: Multi-Zone Lighting

If your garden would benefit from distinct lighting zones, such as separating accent lighting from perimeter lights, or creating independent areas for the patio, shrubbery, and pathways, the Wisebox Kit is a perfect solution. It supports four independent lighting zones, controlled via a four-button wireless wall switch and a matching four-button key fob. This gives you full flexibility to tailor your outdoor lighting to suit your mood and needs.

Explore Beyond Spike Lights

Of course, spike lights & garden spot lights are just the beginning. We offer a wide selection of outdoor lighting solutions, including wall lights, deck & marker lights, walkover and driveway lights, submersible & pond lights, bollard lighting and pathway lights, as well as brick and step lights. All of these can be integrated into your setup using either hard-wired or wireless controls, like the Culina Konect range or the Wisebox Kit.

As always, we strongly recommend having any electrical installation carried out and tested by a qualified electrician. But we hope this guide shows that stylish, functional outdoor lighting doesn’t have to break the bank and can be far simpler to install than you might think.