Garden lights make an outdoor space safer, more secure and far more beautiful after dark. A good scheme mixes path lights, spotlights, bollards and wall lights rather than relying on one floodlight. OutdoorLighting.co.za is a free quote service. You fill in one form describing the outdoor lights for your garden, and we pass it to independent local lighting suppliers, electricians and landscape lighting installers, who quote you directly. We do not sell, stock, install or repair anything ourselves, and there is no fee or obligation. Tell us your garden size and what you want to light.
Types of garden outdoor lights
Most gardens use a combination of these:
- Garden lights spike: spotlights on a ground spike to uplight trees, aloes and walls (see outdoor spotlights)
- Path lights: short mushroom or tier lights along walkways and edges
- Bollards: sturdier posts for driveways and main paths (see bollard lights)
- Wall lights: on boundary walls and garden structures
- Decorative: string lights in trees, and pool lights for water features
Solar, low voltage or mains
The power choice shapes cost and performance:
- Solar: no cables and no running cost, keeps working during load-shedding, but output is modest and depends on sun (see solar garden lights)
- Low voltage 12/24 V: a transformer near the house feeds safe cable to each fitting; easy to move and extend, and the favourite for planted beds
- Mains 230 V: brightest and best for bollards and long driveways, but cables must be armoured or in conduit, buried deeper and installed by a registered electrician with a CoC
Modern garden lights and design
Modern garden lights tend to be small, dark and discreet, so you see the effect rather than the fitting. Light the things you want to look at, such as a feature tree, a sculpture or a textured wall, and keep paths softly lit. Warm white suits plants and stone. Avoid lighting everything evenly; contrast is what gives a garden depth. Our landscape lighting design page covers planning in more detail.
Garden lights also help security: a lit garden leaves fewer dark corners near windows and the boundary wall, and pairs well with sensor security lights.
Durability in South African gardens
Exterior garden lights sit in irrigation spray, soil and sun all year. Choose IP65 or better, and IP67 for anything in the ground. Aluminium and stainless steel last well; cheap plastic fades and cracks under strong UV. Highveld hail can break glass lenses, so tempered glass or polycarbonate is worth it. Near the coast, ask for marine-grade finishes. Check that cable joints are sealed in proper gel-filled connectors, as poor joints are the most common cause of tripping garden circuits.
What to include in your request
- Give the garden size and a rough sketch
- List features to light, such as trees and paths
- Choose solar, low voltage or mains, or ask advice
- Say where the nearest power point is
- Mention irrigation, pets or hail exposure
Garden Lights for different properties
- Homes: path lights along walkways, spotlights on trees and soft light around the lawn
- Estates and complexes: consistent bollards and path lights through common gardens and walkways
- Farms and smallholdings: solar and mains lights around the homestead garden, dam wall and werf
- Shops and offices: landscaped entrance beds and walkways lit at office parks and shopping centres
- Industrial sites: simple path and bollard lighting along staff walkways and parking areas
- Lodges, guesthouses and venues: atmospheric garden lighting around lodge paths, pools and wedding lawns
- Municipalities, schools and clubs: robust bollards and path lights in public parks, gardens and cemeteries
Frequently asked questions
Does OutdoorLighting.co.za sell garden lights?
Are solar garden lights worth it?
Can I install low voltage garden lights myself?
How much do garden lights cost?
Garden Lights by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester