If you’ve ever admired an outdoor Christmas lights display and wondered how you could ever get the same effect yourself, today’s blog post will help you. I’m not suggesting lasers, inflatables and projectors but I will show you a few different ways to use outdoor fairy lights in your garden – and perhaps even keep them there beyond the festive season.
I’m a huge fan of fairy lights, and not just for Christmas. In fact, I have some up all year round in my home and, until recently, in my garden. I had previously used a string of outdoor lights to light up my patio and path, as we didn’t have any other lighting in the garden but unfortunately, they were damaged in the storms last January and we’ve been in darkness ever since.
But not anymore! I’ve decided to replace my outdoor fairy lights with a much-improved option this year, and I plan to keep them up all year round to use as lighting and for a party atmosphere at BBQs and garden gatherings. The lights I chose were GlobaLink Outdoor Christmas Lights, which are super-practical because they can be customised to suit whatever situation you need them for.
They can be changed from bright multi-colour lights (very festive indeed!) to classic warm white that works great to create a cosy feeling on your patio. There are also two mixed settings in between; a colourful combination with some warmth and a light pastel colour effect.
I love the choice of colours AND they’re dimmable so, if I’m not using them to illuminate a space but just want to add a touch of twinkle to my trellis, I can turn down the brightness to have a subtle glow. If you would like to invest in some outdoor lights this year, these multi-function ones (did I mention that they twinkle, glow and flash if you want to create a party vibe?!) are available from Amazon with a 10% discount code OONHT2KF.
Here are some alternative ways you can decorate your garden for Christmas (and beyond!) using outdoor fairy lights:
1. Light up your patio
As I’ve already mentioned, I am using my own fairy lights to decorate my decking so that it feels warm and cosy during outdoor gatherings. I’ve strung up my lights around the top of the trellis as this allows the light to glow down onto the deck for maximum illumination.
But you don’t have to just run one string of Christmas lights around your trellis – you can make a multi-strand version by using cable ties (my set of lights came with a pack enclosed) to string two, three or even four stands together. What I’ve done here is run the lights around my trellis once, and then double back on themselves to create the second strand. With the 50m length of cable, I’ve been able to make a triple-string cluster lights effect, with the LED bulbs nicely spaced out.
2. Decorate your trees
By bringing lights up into your trees, you not only outline the gorgeous shape of the branches, but you also essentially turn the tree into a lamp. The higher up the tree you go, the more light is cast downward to create a streetlight-style effect. This can help to light up your paths around the garden or illuminate a bench seat.
In my garden, I’ve decorated our small hazelnut tree and this helps to shed light over my bench, which I’ve made extra-comfy with blankets and cushions to create a cosy space to enjoy an al fresco hot chocolate.
3. Illuminate your plants
Whenever I see stately homes lit up at night, I love the way they glow from below. This is the kind of effect I wanted to achieve by winding some warm white outdoor fairy lights through the plants in my garden. This really shows off the forms of my spiky cordyline plants and casts interesting shadows around the space. Just be careful not to crush any delicate plants – the best ones to show off are evergreens and sturdy shrubs.
4. Brighten up a basket
If you’ve got a log store or basket in your garden, it makes a really festive light feature if you weave lights through the logs and pinecones. Try using battery-powered fairy lights that are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. That way you can bring the basket outdoors during festive garden gatherings or sit it in your porch as a welcoming glow at the front door. When you want to bring some Christmas magic indoors, it can sit by the (unlit!) fireplace or in your living room as a festive light feature.
By the way, here’s how my trellis fairy lights turned out – I’ve got them on the pastel multi-colour setting and a twinkling effect to give my decking area a party atmosphere. I can’t wait to have guests round to my garden for a Christmas catch-up soon and show off my new lights display.
What do you think of these festive lighting ideas? Do you have any unusual suggestions for creating a cosy Christmas display with fairy lights? How did you decorate your garden last Christmas? I’d love to hear your ideas so please leave me a comment below to share your holiday hacks. Thanks!
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
