Light the route, not the whole garden

A garden path that works beautifully in July can become a hazard by November. Wet paving, moss on a step, a raised tree root you had forgotten about — none of these matter much in daylight, but after dark they turn a simple walk to the shed into a game of chance, especially for older visitors or anyone carrying a tray of drinks.

The good news is that you do not need much light to fix this. The trick is to light the route rather than the whole garden. Aim for somewhere around 10–20 lux at ground level along the walking line: enough to reveal the edge of a slab or the lip of a step, not enough to wash out the planting or blind you when you look up. Small pools of light, spaced evenly, read as intentional. One big floodlight reads as a security installation.

Choosing your fittings: bollards, spots and step lights

Most low-level path schemes are built from two or three types of fitting, each doing a different job.

• Bollard lights — post-mounted fittings around 400–900mm tall that throw light downwards and outwards. They are the backbone of a path scheme, giving a clear line of guidance without dazzling anyone. Shielded or louvred versions are worth seeking out, as they cut glare dramatically.
• Ground or spike spotlights — small, adjustable heads that can be aimed precisely. Use them to graze a wall, wash a hedge or put a soft glow under a tree canopy.
• Step and deck lights — recessed or surface-mounted fittings for changes in level, decking edges and retaining walls. They are almost invisible in daylight, which is exactly what you want on a tidy patio.

Where a path turns a corner or meets a gate, give it a slightly brighter fitting. Corners are where people hesitate, and a touch more light there makes the whole route feel considered.

Spacing, height and the glare problem

For a typical 900mm-wide path, a good starting point is bollards every 1.5–2 metres on one side only. Lighting both sides tends to look fussy and doubles the cost. If the path is wider than about 1.2 metres, alternate sides in a gentle zigzag so the pools of light overlap.

Height matters as much as spacing. A bollard that is too tall throws light further but also catches the eye; one that is too short gets swallowed by long grass and border foliage. Around 600–800mm above the soil line suits most planting schemes, and you can raise the fitting on a paving plinth if the border is dense.

Glare is the most common mistake. Look along the path from the far end during the evening and check whether you can see the light source itself. If you can, angle it down, fit a shield, or drop the output. Your eyes should notice the illuminated surface, not the lamp.

Solar or mains? An honest comparison

Solar bollards have improved enormously. Modern lithium cells and better panel efficiency mean a decent unit will run for eight to ten hours from a full charge, and because there is no cable to bury, you can reposition them as the planting matures. The catch is siting: the panel needs four to six hours of unobstructed sun, which rules out a north-facing shaded path or a route under a dense canopy. Cheap sets usually have sealed, non-replaceable batteries and dim noticeably within two winters.

Mains-powered low-voltage systems are more reliable and give you consistent output all year, but they mean digging. Armoured cable should sit at least 450mm deep under a garden and 600mm under anything a vehicle crosses, with warning tape above it. Anything connecting to the household supply — a new outdoor circuit, an RCD-protected spur, a transformer in a weatherproof enclosure — is a job for a qualified electrician, and in England and Wales a new circuit from the consumer unit is notifiable work.

Whichever route you take, insist on fittings rated at least IP65, and IP67 for anything set into paving where water can pool.

Using light to show off planting and architecture

Once the path is safe, the same circuit can do something lovelier. A single spotlight aimed up a birch trunk or a clipped box cone turns a plain border into a feature after dark. Uplighting a garden wall or the side of a shed gives the space depth and makes the garden feel larger than it is. Grasses and ferns respond particularly well to grazing light from a ground-level fitting placed a metre or so in front of them.

Stick to warm white — around 2700–3000K — for anything near the house or in a planting scheme, as it flatters foliage and brickwork. Cooler temperatures above 4000K belong on a driveway or a working area, not in a border.

Keeping it working through the year

Low-level lighting is largely maintenance-free, but a little attention in autumn pays off. Clean the panels and lenses of solar units before the low-light months, and check that summer growth has not buried a bollard or shaded a panel. Trim back anything that has flopped over a spotlight, and clear leaves from recessed step lights, which can hold water and stain.

Replace rechargeable batteries every two to three years, and give mains transformers and connections a quick visual check each spring for cracked housings or water ingress. Ten minutes of tidying in October will see your path glowing reliably right through to the lighter evenings.