Garden lighting - tall trees
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm looking to get around to sorting some garden lighting. I'd like to light 3x 5m trees, uplight a brick wall and possibly also a 12m Tulip tree.
I have outdoor sockets, and the maximum cable run will be 30m. I'd also much prefer to use low voltage so that I don't have to use armoured cable. I'd also prefer for it to be controlled with an app rather than physical switches.
Having looked around, Hue seem to do some good plug and play kits which would do the job - and use 24v rather than 12v which is a plus. As always with Hue, the biggest downside is cost - I'd be looking at £400 for a starter kit to do what I need. I'm also not sure if the lights would be powerful enough to light the 5m (Italian Cypress) trees.
Has anyone had experience of Hue or cheaper alternatives?
Thanks,
Nick
I'm looking to get around to sorting some garden lighting. I'd like to light 3x 5m trees, uplight a brick wall and possibly also a 12m Tulip tree.
I have outdoor sockets, and the maximum cable run will be 30m. I'd also much prefer to use low voltage so that I don't have to use armoured cable. I'd also prefer for it to be controlled with an app rather than physical switches.
Having looked around, Hue seem to do some good plug and play kits which would do the job - and use 24v rather than 12v which is a plus. As always with Hue, the biggest downside is cost - I'd be looking at £400 for a starter kit to do what I need. I'm also not sure if the lights would be powerful enough to light the 5m (Italian Cypress) trees.
Has anyone had experience of Hue or cheaper alternatives?
Thanks,
Nick
I can't be much help, but when I had a garden landscaped many years ago, I had part of the woodland lit - some huge oaks. I was amazed that the bulbs were an insanely low wattage - 4 watts or something. Big bulbs and they took a while (a minute or so) to warm up.
I rarely had the trees lit, but when I did, it looked interesting.
I rarely had the trees lit, but when I did, it looked interesting.
NDA said:
I can't be much help, but when I had a garden landscaped many years ago, I had part of the woodland lit - some huge oaks. I was amazed that the bulbs were an insanely low wattage - 4 watts or something. Big bulbs and they took a while (a minute or so) to warm up.
I rarely had the trees lit, but when I did, it looked interesting.
That is helpful, thanks - I was worried that I'd need something quite substantial to light the taller trees.I rarely had the trees lit, but when I did, it looked interesting.
I’ve also been looking at this, but haven’t yet reached a conclusion. Low voltage was my preferred route too.
We installed some Festoon main voltage lights in amongst some wall climbers and whilst it looks really great, after three years the cable has just sheared. It looks like weathering has taken its toll and through cycles of frost/heat just sheared at a joint. (Or some of our wildlife has nibbled through!)
It’s made me wary of the quality of new installs though I don’t know how you can tell in advance. Do I pay more for expensive lamps and hope they are better quality? If I install lights I’m in a quandary whether to leave low voltage wire exposed so it’s then accessible, or whether to bury in pipe work to offer some protection.
We installed some Festoon main voltage lights in amongst some wall climbers and whilst it looks really great, after three years the cable has just sheared. It looks like weathering has taken its toll and through cycles of frost/heat just sheared at a joint. (Or some of our wildlife has nibbled through!)
It’s made me wary of the quality of new installs though I don’t know how you can tell in advance. Do I pay more for expensive lamps and hope they are better quality? If I install lights I’m in a quandary whether to leave low voltage wire exposed so it’s then accessible, or whether to bury in pipe work to offer some protection.
I just recently decided to put some lights in our garden and went with Philips Hue. 2x LilyXL, 3x Lily and 1X Amarant. With a Hue bridge and a 20% discount on the Hue website it’s c.£500.
The 2x Lily XL are lighting a 30 beech tree in our garden and the other lights various other shrubs, Magnolia, etc…
As you say extra low voltage at 24V and so easy to install yourself - so no other costs, i.e. Electrican, armoured cable, etc… plug into an outdoor socket and the lights daisy chain together - connectors are dead easy to use.
Hue app seems good, automations are great, e.g. turn on at sunset and off at 23.00 - also integrates well with Alexa. I believe if you are into home automation you can do loads more with Home Assistant. I know there are critics of Hue, and there’s other stuff like Govee out there, so comes down to personal choice in the end..
The 2x Lily XL are lighting a 30 beech tree in our garden and the other lights various other shrubs, Magnolia, etc…
As you say extra low voltage at 24V and so easy to install yourself - so no other costs, i.e. Electrican, armoured cable, etc… plug into an outdoor socket and the lights daisy chain together - connectors are dead easy to use.
Hue app seems good, automations are great, e.g. turn on at sunset and off at 23.00 - also integrates well with Alexa. I believe if you are into home automation you can do loads more with Home Assistant. I know there are critics of Hue, and there’s other stuff like Govee out there, so comes down to personal choice in the end..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJGqPE6PC5M&t=...
I went for this system after watching the video. I don't have app control but I bought the photosensor that turns the lights on when it starts getting dark and turns them off after 4/6/8 hours or when the sun comes up, whatever I prefer. Been really happy with them so far and the big box stores like Wickes tend to have a useful sale on here and there.
Just an edit to add that it looks like Wickes is best priced for this kit and that it may be cheaper buying the starter several times over than individual lights to add to the system.
I went for this system after watching the video. I don't have app control but I bought the photosensor that turns the lights on when it starts getting dark and turns them off after 4/6/8 hours or when the sun comes up, whatever I prefer. Been really happy with them so far and the big box stores like Wickes tend to have a useful sale on here and there.
Just an edit to add that it looks like Wickes is best priced for this kit and that it may be cheaper buying the starter several times over than individual lights to add to the system.
Edited by beambeam1 on Monday 10th February 11:15
Got my first lights this week- a normal Lily and a Lily XL.
Initial thoughts are that the XL is a much bigger beast - has no problems lighting up my 40ft Tulip tree. The Lily is powerful enough for the Italian Cypresses, but the light spread is too much. I think I’ll need to make some sort of tube to tunnel the light.
The photos make them brighter than reality, but happy with the maximum brightness. The beauty of Hue is that it’s very configurable with colours and brightness. I need to get the angles and some sort of focussing hood sorted for the Lily, then get more for the remaining trees.
Will bury the cables in MDPE piping eventually- so any tips are welcome!
ETA: Hue stuff is very expensive, but I’ve built up my internal collection (and therefore hub too) over the years and thing the app/hub work very well. For the outdoor bits, there are lots of used lights on eBay, which whilst aren’t cheap, are a lot cheaper than new. I bought a new Hue 100w power transformer and cables and will be buying the rest used.
Initial thoughts are that the XL is a much bigger beast - has no problems lighting up my 40ft Tulip tree. The Lily is powerful enough for the Italian Cypresses, but the light spread is too much. I think I’ll need to make some sort of tube to tunnel the light.
The photos make them brighter than reality, but happy with the maximum brightness. The beauty of Hue is that it’s very configurable with colours and brightness. I need to get the angles and some sort of focussing hood sorted for the Lily, then get more for the remaining trees.
Will bury the cables in MDPE piping eventually- so any tips are welcome!
ETA: Hue stuff is very expensive, but I’ve built up my internal collection (and therefore hub too) over the years and thing the app/hub work very well. For the outdoor bits, there are lots of used lights on eBay, which whilst aren’t cheap, are a lot cheaper than new. I bought a new Hue 100w power transformer and cables and will be buying the rest used.
Edited by NickXX on Saturday 1st March 20:19
Edited by NickXX on Saturday 1st March 20:19
Hue is very expensive. Here are some alternatives worth considering:
- INNR Outdoor Smart Lighting - Compatible with Hue bridge and about 30-40% cheaper. Their ZB 730 spots are powerful and work within the same ecosystem.
- Ring Smart Lightin - Less expensive overall system with good app control and security integration if that's important to you.
- LEDVANCE Smart+ Outdoor - Zigbee-based system that works with many hubs including Hue.
- DIY Route - If you're comfortable with a bit more setup:
- Use a generic 24V power supply
- Connect Zigbee controllers like Gledopto
- Add standard 24V landscape lighting fixtures
This approach could save you over 50% compared to Hue while maintaining app control through a hub.
- INNR Outdoor Smart Lighting - Compatible with Hue bridge and about 30-40% cheaper. Their ZB 730 spots are powerful and work within the same ecosystem.
- Ring Smart Lightin - Less expensive overall system with good app control and security integration if that's important to you.
- LEDVANCE Smart+ Outdoor - Zigbee-based system that works with many hubs including Hue.
- DIY Route - If you're comfortable with a bit more setup:
- Use a generic 24V power supply
- Connect Zigbee controllers like Gledopto
- Add standard 24V landscape lighting fixtures
This approach could save you over 50% compared to Hue while maintaining app control through a hub.
paddy1970 said:
Hue is very expensive. Here are some alternatives worth considering:
- INNR Outdoor Smart Lighting - Compatible with Hue bridge and about 30-40% cheaper. Their ZB 730 spots are powerful and work within the same ecosystem.
- Ring Smart Lightin - Less expensive overall system with good app control and security integration if that's important to you.
- LEDVANCE Smart+ Outdoor - Zigbee-based system that works with many hubs including Hue.
- DIY Route - If you're comfortable with a bit more setup:
- Use a generic 24V power supply
- Connect Zigbee controllers like Gledopto
- Add standard 24V landscape lighting fixtures
This approach could save you over 50% compared to Hue while maintaining app control through a hub.
Thanks that’s helpful. The Hue extension cabling is very expensive so rules that out for us. - INNR Outdoor Smart Lighting - Compatible with Hue bridge and about 30-40% cheaper. Their ZB 730 spots are powerful and work within the same ecosystem.
- Ring Smart Lightin - Less expensive overall system with good app control and security integration if that's important to you.
- LEDVANCE Smart+ Outdoor - Zigbee-based system that works with many hubs including Hue.
- DIY Route - If you're comfortable with a bit more setup:
- Use a generic 24V power supply
- Connect Zigbee controllers like Gledopto
- Add standard 24V landscape lighting fixtures
This approach could save you over 50% compared to Hue while maintaining app control through a hub.
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