THE days are getting shorter, so if you want to enjoy your garden for the rest of the summer and beyond, outdoor lighting is a must.

As well as illuminating your outdoor entertaining space, lighting has lots of other uses in the garden. It can, for example, illuminate pathways and steps, so you can see where you’re going, making your garden safer - and prettier - after dark.

Use accent lighting to highlight the landscaping and pick out features such as flowerbeds, water features and trees.

Outdoor fairy lights (or lanterns) look lovely wrapped around tree trunks and strung through the branches.

Using different types, colours and strengths of light creates mood and atmosphere. Lighting can be targeted in all directions, depending on the effect you’d like to create. If you don’t want to commit to something as permanent as painting your garden walls, you can train coloured lights on them and change the lights when you want a new look.

“External wall lights give an even flow of light, while illuminating key features,” says Hector Finch, owner of lighting firm Hector Finch (hectorfinch.com).

“We recommend zinc as the preferred finish for outdoor light ing.

It’s durable, long lasting and keeps its appearance well. It’s often used as a roofing material, so it’s also sturdy. Do be aware, though, that some lanterns are just sprayed to look like zinc.”

Garden lighting can also make your home more secure. Security lights, especially ones with sensors, are a good way to deter burglars and make you feel safer when you come home and are at home after dark. A wall light near your front door makes finding your keys easier at night and also makes it easier for visitors to see your house number or name.

“Lighting your home creates a warm welcome,” says Hector.

The best lights to use outdoors are low-voltage LED ones, which cost a lot less to run than other types. They’re also safer to use and should be cheaper to install and maintain. Good quality ones can last for decades.

Solar lights, of course, cost nothing to run. They store up the sun’s energy in built-in batteries during the day then come on at dusk, providing a soft, ambient light – but don’t expect brightness.

It’s essential you pick lights suitable for both outdoor use in general and where you’re planning to put them in particular. Lights fitted inside a pond need to be more waterproof than ones on a path, for example. The ingress protection (IP) rating tells you how waterproof they are, but ask the retailer/manufacturer if in doubt.

Installing garden lighting can be as simple as sticking some solar lights on spikes into your flowerbeds, but if you want something a bit more imaginative, you’ll need a qualified electrician.