Don’t drive yourself crazy this holiday season trying to untangle strands of string lights. Instead, learn about uplighting trees for an elegant Christmas display that looks beautiful even after the holidays are done.
Uplighting trees is a simple way to add some sparkle to your home this holiday season. Plus, if you pick the right lights, you can actually leave them up year-round for a touch of drama. Uplighting is a great way to highlight the unique beauty of a nighttime garden, especially during the winter.
I’ll share some basic tips about how to light your landscape with spotlights as well as some of my top picks for festive lights that easily transition for year-long use.
Uplighting for the Holidays
Uplighting a tree, shrub, or hardscaping feature like a fountain or statue is an easy way to add drama to your landscape. But there are a few tips to keep in mind to make sure you create an ambient glow that elevates your landscape, rather than a menacing spotlight in your front yard.
Place the light at the base of your tree, shrub, or feature you wish to illuminate. Small trees only require one light, like this durable brass spotlight from Amazon that’s great for year-round illumination. For larger specimen trees, like a mature oak tree, use one light on the trunk and another two or three lights to illuminate the canopy.
Hide lights in the landscape behind shrubs and perennials. You don’t want the light itself to be the focus, but rather the plant or hardscape feature you’re spotlighting.
Think about where people will be viewing your landscape the most to determine the best location to place lights. This will help you create the most dramatic display and also help you hide the lights.
Finally, less is more. Uplighting is meant to feature the best parts of your garden. If you put a spotlight on everything, it makes less of an impact. Instead, use lights on one or two show-stopping plants or elements in your garden.
For the holidays, that may mean the beautiful live greenery around your entryway and the wreath on your front door or it could be a spotlight on the stunning pine tree in your front yard.
Shop Outdoor Spotlights
These remote-controlled spotlights are fantastic for tech-savvy types. They can light up your landscape in 16 different colors, including warm white, which is the perfect year-round choice. You’ll never have to put up or take down your holiday decorations again – just switch to your preferred color with the handy remote.
This affordable and easy-to-use outdoor holiday spotlight makes elegant uplighting within anyone’s reach – and budget. This light comes with three different lenses to create the perfect colorful Christmas display. Change the lights to yellow, red, or green to match your holiday aesthetic.
Wash your landscape in light with these LED floodlights. You can use them to uplight one special feature in your landscape or you can illuminate the whole front of your house with festive and bright colors. They’re also remote-controlled, dimmable, and have a timer to make turning on and off your lights every night easy. Indoors or out, they instantly add holiday cheer!
