Outdoor Tree Lighting: How to Add Sparkle and Drama to Your Trees

Do you feel like your yard is missing a bit of flair? If so, enhancing your trees with lights might just be what you need. Outdoor tree lighting is a powerful method of introducing drama and establishing a captivating focal point in your yard with little effort.

Many people use string lights to make their outdoor spaces more festive for the holidays, but there are other outdoor lights you can use even during other times of the year.

Curious about how to use lights to elevate your landscape design?

In the following lines, we’ll discuss the best types and methods for creating sparkle and drama using outdoor tree lighting.

Why Lighting Adds So Much To Your Landscape

There's a wide range different types of lights you can use to add sparkle and drama or simply enhance the look of your beautiful trees. In addition to showcasing trees, you can also throw lights on other parts and landscape features of your yard, making them stand out in the darkness.

Outdoor tree lights are commonly used to add a festive touch during the holidays. However, a few strategically placed lights can make the yard look more artistic and put together throughout the year.

Tips for How to Best Use Outdoor Tree Lights

When talking about outdoor tree lights, most people know about string lights because they’re fairly easy to install, especially on bare trees. However, other types and methods can enhance your trees even more, changing the way your landscape looks.

Use Uplighting to Show Off Trees

Uplighting is one of the best ways to improve your nighttime landscaping. It's simple yet effective and perfect if you have a tall tree.

This method involves mounting a light fixture on the ground so that it lights up your tree from the ground up creating visual interest and depth. Depending on the effect you're looking to achieve, you can direct the light on the trunk or the canopy. Due to the complexity of the lights typically used for this method, uplights require professional installation from a landscape lighting contractor in most cases.

Downlighting on Trees to Light The Rest of the Outdoor Space

As the name implies, downlighting is the opposite of uplighting. When downlighting, you install the lights within the deciduous tree so that they can cast the light downward onto whatever else is underneath.

In most cases, lights are installed on a branch or very high in the trunk of a tree. This way, you can easily direct them to light up your patio, pathway, or another area. People typically go for this method to showcase the tree’s height, adding charm to the area below as well.

Remember That Height, Girth, and Even Type of Tree Matters

How you’ll use lights on your trees might just depend on the type of tree you have. Sometimes, it’s important to look at the height, girth, and type to figure out the best lights and methods to use to get the most out of the project.

Trees with a larger canopy will need more lights regardless of whether you want to downlight or uplight. Similarly, you’ll need more string lights if a tree is bigger because you want the lights to go all around. A smaller tree are easier and more affordable to decorate because these typically don’t require as many lights.

Don't Use Just One Type of Lighting or Lamps: Mix it Up

Mix it up to create texture and drama, or your landscape might look dull even with lights. If you’re only decorating one tree, it’s okay to go for one type of light if you’re only decorating one tree. However, if you’re looking to add lights to different trees and areas, you might want to switch between multiple types of lamps and lights.

You can also try different methods on different trees, so why not uplight some and downlight others? It will create a more dramatic effect while also illuminating the rest of your garden or yard.

Bullet Lights for Showing Off a Feature or a Specific Tree, Brush, or Plant

Bullet lights are an excellent choice if you have a specimen tree or a specific plant or shrub you want to show off. These lights do a great job of highlighting your tree and its features so that it looks more artistic. On top of that, they act as decor for the entire garden, so it’ll look elevated and cozy even when the sun goes down.

Bullet lights are otherwise known as flood lights and can be mounted on poles, walls, or the ground.

Use LED Light Strings to Wrap Tree Trunks

Most people will look at decorating the canopy, but what about the tree trunks? While decorating the canopy creates a festive atmosphere and look, lighting trees by adding lights to the trunk can also make your landscape more visually appealing.

LED string lights are perfect for this, as they’re easy to wrap around the tree trunk. However, you want to look at the dimensions because you may need more sets of lights to wrap around the entire trunk from top to bottom. And you can use LED lighting all year round, given that they’re 75 percent more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs. They also produce better quality of light than some lighting for trees options, making them an excellent choice those who want to feature trees with light for aesthetic purposes.

Install Motion Sensors to Light Up Darker Paths in Property

Motion sensors are excellent for lighting up darker pathways and driveways where you don’t want the lights to be on all the time. You can use any lights you want as long as they react to motion.

One thing to think about is where you want to install the lights. Do you want them hanging from the tree and shining down on the pathway? Or do you want them shining up the tree and throwing some light onto other areas?

These are also good for security as they will light up at any point when someone passes your pathway or driveway.

Hang String Lights or Lamps Under the Tree for a Charming Effect

String lights are rather versatile, and one of the ways to use them is by hanging them under the tree. When you adorn your trees with string lights, you create a charming effect, especially if the lights are smaller. The best way is to hang the lights on the lower branches, or you can use two or three trees that are close together. String lights work great for this, but if not, you can also use lamps and other types of lights.

Be Creative With How You Get the Lighting To Your Tree

One of the best lighting techniques to enhance the look of your trees and landscape is to use lights in different ways. While uplighting and downlighting are fun, you might also want to try other methods to create a more visually interesting outdoor living space.

For example, bouncing off the lights from somewhere else is a great way to bring attention to your trees and bushes. Backlighting is also interesting for a smaller tree or small bushes as it can make them look larger. Either way, we suggest you play around a little and let your creativity loose.

Don't Be Afraid to Mix and Match Colors

Most people choose white lights, but there’s no reason to limit yourself to a yard without color. White lights look fairy and gentle, but a touch of red or yellow can make things appear more cozy and festive.

Again, consider playing around with colors, mixing and matching them across different trees and bushes you want to highlight. If you’re unsure, you might want to consider color-changing lights, which allow you to switch between different colors and color temperatures depending on your mood.

Keep Maintenance Requirements in Mind When Deciding Which Lights to Use

Maintenance is key with outdoor landscape lighting, which is often exposed to wind, rain, sunshine, and snow. Therefore, it’s important to have the right maintenance routine in mind if you want them to last many years.

Maintenance is rather simple, and the most important step is visual inspection. However, it’s important to know what to look for when you’re visually inspecting your outdoor lights. This might sound easier said than done, so think about whether you have the skills and knowledge, especially with more complex lights like lamps and motion-sensor lights.