In the evening your garden looks different. With a few well-placed lights you can walk safely along paths and down steps, sit outside comfortably and see more than a dark patch from your window. With too much light you dazzle yourself, disturb the neighbours and attract insects. This article shows the kinds of garden lighting with examples: what each one does, what it needs and where its limits are. After that it covers planning, technology and safety, insects and the neighbours.
The gardens on this page are AI visualisations by GardenPilot, not built gardens. They show design ideas, not a lighting plan: the number of lights, their brightness and the cable routes cannot be read from a picture.
At a glance
- Safety first, atmosphere second. Steps, edges and the path to the front door come first, accents after that.
- A few light points, placed with intent. Dark areas in between are part of the design.
- Warm light, pointed downwards. Warm light attracts fewer insects than cold light, and light pointing downwards dazzles less and does not go into the night sky.
- Lay cables and empty conduits before you pave. In Germany, permanently connected 230-volt lights belong in the hands of a registered electrical contractor.
- Light only for as long as you need it: a timer or motion sensor instead of all-night lighting.
The kinds of garden lighting
In the cover picture several kinds of light work together: light along the edges of the gravel path and at the steps, uplit trees, the fire at the seating area. Beds and lawn in between stay dark. The following sections take the kinds of light one by one.
1. Path lighting: guide, don't dazzle
A path of large slate slabs leads to the front door. Small, low lights stand at the side in the beds and throw their light onto the slabs, and a light strip runs under the edge of the raised bed on the right. You can see the path without looking into a light source.
What matters on a path is that you can see the surface, the edges and any obstacles. Lights that stand at the side and shine downwards manage that with little light. How many you need depends on the light and the path. Try it out in the evening with a torch or a temporary battery light before you fix the cable routes.
The uplit tree in the picture is decoration, not path lighting, and for insects light pointing upwards is the least favourable direction (more on that below). How to lay out the paths themselves is covered in the article Garden Path Ideas.
2. Steps and edges: the most important light in the garden
Next to the steps a small light is set into the wall of the raised bed. Above it, a light strip in the beams lights up the pergola. The edges of the steps stay visible in the dark.
Steps, changes in level and the edges of water are where people trip in the evening. This is where light pays off first, even if hardly anything else is meant to be lit. Lights in walls, step sides or retaining walls are planned in during construction, because getting a cable into a finished wall afterwards is a lot of work.
A light strip in a pergola or under a bench looks good, but it does not replace light that falls on the treads.
3. Accent lighting: a wall, a tree or shrub, a group of grasses
A small light in the gravel shines flat up the wall of a raised bed. The light picks out the surface of the steel and lights the lower part of the grasses. Above the wall it quickly gets dark.
Accent lighting turns a few things into a focal point in the evening: a wall, a tree or shrub, a sculpture, a group of grasses. Think about where you look into the garden from in the evening, the living room or the terrace, and place the accents in that line of sight. A few accents look calmer than many. When the light hits a surface such as a wall or a raised bed, less of it goes into the night sky than with a spotlight aimed into a tree crown.
A second kind of accent: a narrow light strip runs under the edges of the walkway and the lounging deck. It does not light up the garden, it only traces the line, and you can see where the walkway runs. Strips like these are planned in when the walkway is built, because cable and power supply are hard to fit in later.
4. Light at the seating area: on the table, not in your face
Under the pergola, small lights sit in the beams and their light falls on the table. A single low light stands on the gravel path in front. House and garden behind stay subdued.
At the seating area you want to see plates and faces without being dazzled. The simplest way is light from above onto the table and no bare light source at eye level. Dimming helps, because the same spot needs more light for dinner than for sitting out late. How to plan the seating area itself is covered in Modern Garden with a Terrace, ideas for a structure above it in Garden Pergola.
Here the light at the table comes from lanterns, and small spotlights in the gravel light the olive tree from below. Lanterns and battery lights need no cable and can be put wherever people are sitting. Open flames should not be left unattended in the garden and do not belong next to dry grass.
5. Light by the water: beside it or in it
The water in the channel is not lit. The light comes from the light strips under the edges of the raised beds, and the dark water reflects it together with the evening sky. With a calm water surface, light beside it is often enough, and you need no electrics in the water itself.
In the pool, lights are set into the pool wall, and a fire table glows in the sunken lounge. Electrics in and around water are a safety topic of their own. Swimming pools are subject to special requirements, and for ponds, streams and water features with a pump the planning also belongs in the hands of a qualified electrician. Lights in the water must be expressly intended by the manufacturer for underwater use. More on pools in Modern Garden with a Pool, on ornamental basins in Garden Water Basins.
6. Light without cables: string lights, lanterns, solar lights
String lights hang on the rose arch, and lanterns stand on the wall and steps. Nothing here is permanently installed. That is enough for a summer evening, but hardly for a path you walk every evening.
- String lights: use only models made for outdoor use, and keep plugs and connections out of the wet.
- Solar lights: they need no cable. How long they shine depends on how much sun they got during the day, so usually shorter in winter. Many decorative solar lights shine in all directions, which is why the German nature conservation association NABU advises restraint. If you use solar, choose lights that point their light downwards.
- Candles and fire: only under supervision.
Planning: how to go about it
- Walk through the garden in the evening. Where do you need light to walk safely: front door, steps, the way to the bins, the garden gate? And which one or two spots can you see from the window or the seating area?
- Try it out. With a torch or a battery spotlight you can test how an accent works and whether the light falls into a neighbour's window.
- Create groups. Making path lights, accents and the seating area switchable separately is easy at the planning stage and tedious afterwards.
- Lay cables and empty conduits before you pave. Lay an empty conduit even where no light is planned yet. A cable can later be pulled through it without lifting slabs again. How a redesign of an existing garden proceeds step by step is covered in Redesigning Your Garden.
- Decide on the controls. A timer or a dusk switch controls the atmospheric lighting. A motion sensor makes sense for the entrance and path, provided it is set so that it does not react to every movement on the street or next door.
Technology and safety: what you may do yourself
Fixed 230-volt wiring is a job for an electrical contractor. In Germany, work on the electrical installation behind the house connection fuse may only be carried out by the grid operator or by an installation company registered with the grid operator (Section 13 of the Low Voltage Connection Ordinance, NAV). This includes a new cable into the garden, permanently connected lights and a new outdoor socket.
Plug-in extra-low-voltage systems (12 or 24 volts) consist of a power supply, cables and lights. The power supply goes into a socket, and the cables behind it carry only extra-low voltage. Sets like these are intended for installation without an electrician. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. Whether your outdoor socket is suitable and properly protected is something to check with a qualified electrician.
Check the protection rating. Outdoor lights carry a rating that says how well they are protected against dust and water. Check that it suits the location: a light set into the ground or lying in water needs different protection from a wall light under the eaves.
Light and nature: what helps insects and birds
In the picture only a few warm, shielded bollards cast their light downward onto the path, small step lights mark the edges of the terrace, and a wall light shines downward. Trees, grasses and sky stay dark. This is what garden lighting looks like when it barely disturbs night-active insects. Because artificial light attracts them, and many circle the light source until they are exhausted. What nature conservation bodies recommend for outdoor lighting:
- Warm light. Warm-white or yellowish LEDs attract insects less than neutral-white ones (NABU). In its guide to outdoor lighting, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) names a maximum of 3,000 kelvin, ideally 2,400 kelvin, especially near protected areas. The kelvin figure is printed on the packaging.
- Down rather than up. NABU advises avoiding decorative light that points upwards. Lighting up trees and facades is effective, but not ecological.
- Only as long as necessary. A timer or motion sensor instead of light all night.
- Not too bright. House numbers and path lights do not need to be glaring either.
If you still want to highlight a tree: little light, tightly aimed, warm and not all night.
The legal position in Germany (as of 14 October 2026): The Insect Protection Act added Section 41a to the Federal Nature Conservation Act. In future it is meant to cover new outdoor lighting on private plots too. It is not yet in force: it only applies once an ordinance with the details has been issued, and none exists so far. Some federal states have gone further. In Bavaria, for example, skybeamers and installations with a similar effect are prohibited (Art. 11a of the Bavarian Nature Conservation Act).
Neighbours: light can be a nuisance
Light that falls into the home next door can be an interference that neighbours are entitled to object to. In Germany this is a matter for Sections 906 and 1004 of the Civil Code (BGB). There are no fixed limit values for light; it depends on the individual case. One example: in February 2026 the Munich Local Court prohibited operating three powerful lamps with motion sensors at a driveway in their existing form between 10 pm and 6 am. They had brightly lit the living room and bedroom of the neighbouring house. The neighbour could not be told to simply close the shutters (case no. 173 C 9993/25).
For your planning this means:
- Point lights downwards and away from neighbours' windows.
- Set motion sensors so they only trigger on your own plot.
- Switch off atmospheric lighting late in the evening.
- Talk to the neighbours before a spotlight is permanently mounted.
Try it out before you lay cables
Where light belongs in the evening depends on how you want your garden to look. With GardenPilot you upload a photo of your garden, choose a theme world and add your wish, for example "path with low lights, an uplit raised bed by the seating area". The first image is free, and each further variant costs 1 credit. The result is a visualisation. It helps you decide what you want to highlight, but it does not replace a lighting plan or a qualified electrician. How it works in detail is explained in AI Garden Design with a Photo.
What could your garden look like in the evening? Upload a photo – the first image is free. Start free with your photo
Frequently asked questions
Which light colour is right for the garden?
Warm-white light. It feels cosier and attracts fewer insects than neutral- or cool-white light. For outdoor lighting, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation names a maximum of 3,000 kelvin, ideally 2,400 kelvin. The figure is printed on the packaging of the light or the bulb.
Can I connect garden lighting myself?
Not fixed 230-volt cables, permanently connected lights or new outdoor sockets: in Germany only an electrical contractor registered with the grid operator may do that. Plug-in extra-low-voltage sets with a power supply are intended for self-installation. Whether the socket the power supply plugs into is suitable is something a qualified electrician should check.
How many lights does a garden need?
There is no fixed number. Start with what you need for safety: steps, the path to the front door, transitions. Then add one or two accents in the line of sight from the house. Test with a torch in the evening before you lay cables.
Are solar lights a good solution?
They can be a solution for spots without a power supply. But how long they shine depends on the sun during the day and is usually shorter in winter. Many decorative solar lights shine in all directions. Choose models that point their light downwards.
How do I avoid trouble with the neighbours?
Point lights downwards and away from their windows. Set motion sensors so they only react on your own plot, and switch off atmospheric lighting late in the evening. A court can prohibit light that noticeably brightens living rooms or bedrooms next door.
Further reading
What would this look like in your garden?
Upload a photo of your garden and see design ideas on your own space. The first image is free.
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