Sublime Wind Chime: Bright thinking. Five reasons for fitting garden lights

Enjoying your garden doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down. Here are five reasons why it’s worth installing some garden lights.

I can see clearly now
It’s the most obvious reason, but by lighting the garden you can see what you’re doing for longer. I’ve gone for a fairly powerful pair of Philips myGarden Flowers LED solar lights which are more than bright enough to help locate my glass of cider. If I get a few more it would even allow for a spot of midnight weeding.

Get creative
Strategically placed bulbs in a flower border, at the base of a tree, or beside your prize winning gnome collection not only allows you to see your garden for longer, but it also casts a whole new light on your garden features. Position them right and you’ll soon be glowing with extra pride at your illuminating creativity.

Who goes there?
A decent beam of light punctuating a dark sky can actually act as a security measure against those wishing to pilfer your garden tools or break into the house. While in no way a guaranteed deterrent, an outdoor light might persuade a criminal mind that you’re at home when you’re actually down the pub, and with a stronger beam their preferred shadow of darkness has been shattered.

Solar power
One of the big bonuses of garden lighting is the ability to harness the sun’s energy to power up your garden at night. Some lights come with built in solar panels, or you could opt for the increased sun guzzling power of a special panel like the one with my Philips kit. Stick it in a spot that maximises daylight, plug the lights in and you can position them wherever you like – without the need for power cables.

Wild, wild life
For many people, their garden priority is about making a home for wildlife by providing a space where nature can come up close. Bright glares can scare off nocturnal creatures, but a subtle touch of lighting can help the wildlife spotter get a clearer glimpse of hedgehog, fox or other night crawlers. Hang a sheet behind the bulb and you’ve instantly created a moth’s paradise.