When you have decided that you want more atmosphere in the garden by means of garden lighting, it is advisable to be well informed beforehand. Garden lighting comes in many shapes and sizes and has various properties. For example, do you opt for a system that you can easily install yourself or do you hire an electrician? Do you want lamps that have a fixed light intensity or do you prefer a bit more variety? Do you choose 220 volts or 12 volts? These are all elements that come into play when purchasing garden lighting.

Initially, garden lighting is often intended to give your garden more atmosphere. Is it primarily atmosphere or is it primarily safety? Beautiful wall lamps, attractive spots or stylish standing lighting give the garden a beautiful appearance and complete the whole. An image, plant or tree that is beautifully lit in the evening allows you to enjoy your garden even more. If you sit outside in the evening, but also if you look outside from the inside.

Garden lighting can also give you a sense of security and convenience. With the right lighting you see just that little bit more. Throwing something away in the evening or a lamp that comes on when you come home gives you a lot more security. No more bumping into something or stepping next to the path: you see everything clearly. In addition, burglars prefer to work in the dark, so they will rather skip your house.

The reason why and where you want to place garden lighting largely determines which type of light you choose. A wall lamp, for example, is intended to illuminate the facade/fence/wall/next to the front door and provides light upwards, downwards or around. A motion sensor can also be connected to it, so that the wall lamp switches on when someone walks past. Spotlights are often placed to highlight plants or a specific object. Objects will stand out even more when they are lit with a spotlight. Post lights, also called pillar lights, are often placed along a path or in several places in the garden for safety and extra atmosphere. At Garden Light Shop there is a wide choice of many types of garden lighting. From wall lamps and post lights, to spotlights, uplights and decklights.

Smart garden lighting is one of the latest developments and transforms every garden. With the app specially developed for this purpose, the garden lights are controlled remotely and a timer can also be set. With Smart Lights you can create zones and scenes to great effect. Smart Lights also have colour changing and dimming capability. Ensuring you always have the right light effect.

Installing garden lighting is not the same for every type of garden lighting. Traditional garden lighting, for example, uses 220 volts. With 220v lighting you have to pay attention to safety. They should only be installed by a qualified electrician and 220v cables need to e buried 50cm below ground for safety. This makes for a very in-flexible system that you, the garden owner cannot modify without calling the electrician back.

Low voltage garden lighting, such as our Garden Lights, works on safe 12 volts. This provides a totally safe system that is children and animal friendly. Installation is much easier as this garden lighting system is plug and play and therefore you can easily do it yourself. After all, the cables do not have to go into the ground, making installtion easier and quicker. In no time at all you can start to enjoy an attractive illuminated garden. What do you choose?

When choosing your garden lighting it's important to understand the lighting effect you are looking for. When garden lighting is planned well it should add atmosphere and depth to your garden. Using spotlights for example, you can create both silhouette and shadow as well as light and shade. Plug and play light lends itself perfectly to the fact that you can move your lighting easily until you find the position with the most aesthetically pleasing result.

The following garden lighting guide will hopefully help you best utilise the different lighting types.

Garden spotlights are great at achieving atmoshere and depth in your garden. Commonly used for lighting features within your garden such as the underside of larger foliage, trees, fountans and statues. When choosing garden spot lights it's important to consider the height of the object and what you are trying to achieve.

Taller objects such as larger trees and statues may need lights that have higher wattage outputs such as the Focus 5W power LED. If you are looking to light the underside of foliage and smaller bushes and plants then garden spotlights such as the Ludeco Alder 12V garden spotlight would be a better choice.

Lighting garden paths is very suited to garden post lights. If your path runs bext to a border then when choosing which garden post lighting you want to use should be based on not only the design you like, but also the depth of your foliage. Borders with deep or thick foliage and planting would suit something like the Larix post lighting. Sparser borders would be better suited towards smaller post lights such as the Linum post light.

Post lights are also ideal for driveways, lights like the Albus post light and the new Arcus post light are ideal for this situation

With its ability to be mounted on wall, fences, trees and sheds outdoor / wall lighting certainly has many uses. It's important as always to first (as always) decide what your trying to achieve with your wall lighting. Lights such as the Lotus wall light is very low powered and should really be seen as a decorative light rather then functional lighting. While at the other end of the spectrum the Callisto wall light and the Halo wall light at 2W is easily capable of being used as functional lighting and could be used to light alley ways for example.

If you're looking to use your wall lighting as a down light, then the Nano wall light with it's 2W spotlight would be ideal for this task.

Decking lights & uplights are not only attractive to look at but also a very valuable safety addition. Whilst basic lights in the range such as the Alpha decking light are designed to just illuminate the edge of your decking, more powerful lights in the range such as the new Rubum decking light with its adjustable angled 5W lamp (bulb) is powerful enough to light pot plants and other features standing on your decking.

Decorative garden lighting is lighting that has no benefitial lighting for objects around it. The lighting is decorative and therefore becomes its own feature. Lights in this category include stone lights such as the Flat 40 stone light, ball, spheres and opal shaped lights such as the round 30 decorative light and fairy lights that can be hung on trees, bushes and fencing such as the Linea decorative light.

Underwater lighting / garden pond lighting can be used both submerged under water or out of the water. This gives it great versatility as it can be used to light underwater features as well as being used on the edges of ponds to light waterside features. As the lights in the Techmar range are all low voltage (12V), they are completely safe for both aquatic life and plants. Easily the most popular in this range due to their rock-like appearance is the Lapis underwater light. All underwater lights are rated to 0.5mtr submersion depth.

Using LED (Light Emitting Diode) garden lighting rather then conventional halogen filament based lighting is beneficial for many reasons. Firstly there are the benefits relating to lower running costs and lower maintenance. LED light bulbs have a much increased life expectancy over halogen so you can literally enjoy your lights for years without the need for changing the bulbs. There is a definite advantage as well when it comes to saving energy. LED garden lights on average give you 80% energy saving. Lets be honest, with us continually being told to be greener and save the planet, LED bulbs are obviously one small change we can all easily make.

Modern LED lights also offer higher light outputs as well as colour options, something halogen garden lighting doesn't offer in the Techmar range.

Saying we aren't the cheapest LED lights available seems a strange thing to say, especially due to the fact that we are trying to sell them, but allow me to explain. In the past LED bulbs to be honest were not quite as good as people made them out to be. Many bulbs took a while to illuminate and light output was poor. Even though this is no longer the case, many people still believe it to be true. This mainly is due to the amount of cheaply made imported LED lighting products you often see for sale on certain auctions sites and the like. Because we don't sell cheap garden lights that, let's be honest, most people would want to return, we know that there is hundreds of alternative products out there that will always "appear to be" a much better deal.

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. If you want all the benefits of modern LED lighting technology, you need to buy quality LED's. While we would never say that Techmar LED bulbs are leading the way, they are quality and more then capable of giving you instant, bright and clean garden lighting.

There are three types of main cables in the Techmar range. There is a 8m, 10m and a 15m. There are two common questions we get about cabling regarding the mains cable.

Can you join two main cables together? &Do I have to have a mains cable?

The SPT3 cable is a larger cable (cable size 10mm x 5mm) and is capable of taking 150 watts of loading, whilst the SPT1 cable is smaller (cable size 5mm x 3mm) and will take a maximum of 120w. The smaller SPT1 is more than adequate in most garden lighting systems now when using energy saving LED bulbs.

NB. It is always good practice, when using both SPT3 & SPT1 main cables in a continuous run, end to end, to try to start with the bigger SPT3 and connect the SPT1 cables after. This helps reduce any potential problems with "volt drop" on longer cable runs that are approaching the system recommended maximums (as stated below)

Manufacturers Maximum Cable Lengths

The recommended guidelines for joining cables is up to 80m with a maximum load of 120W on our 150W transformer. We would reccomend using either the SPT-3 or the new deluxe cable for distances of this length.We have however supplied systems that are much longer. LED based systems especially perform well using more cable. If you are in any doubt please call us for more help.

Do You Actually Need A Mains Cable?

Well the simple answer is no. If you are for example, running a set of decking lights and your power supply is on or close to the decking, you can simply go from the transformer directly to the lights.

Once you have laid out your mains cable around your garden, you are now in a position where you need to get that power to your lights. All lights in the Techmar range (at time of writing) come with either a 1m, 1.5m 2m or 3m cable. So for the most part this should be enough cable to reach your mains cable. But what if it's not? Well that's where the extension cables come into play. There are 5 in the range: 1m, 2m, 3m, 6m and a 10m.

The smaller 1, 2 and 3mtrs are very useful for adding that extra cable for difficult to reach lights such as wall lights. The 6m and 10m cables are ideally used as a lead in cable. For example if you want your lighting at the bottom of your garden, you don't want all your connectors to be in the first 15m. So by putting a 10m extension cable between the power supply and the 15m mains cable will allow all your connectors to be in a more useful position. The 10m extension cable can also be used to reach very remote lights.

What is Volt Drop you ask? Well is where the voltage going through the light system drops the further it goes. This means that you could have a light or two, furthest away from the transformer, looking a little dimmer than the rest. If you tested the voltage at the furthest point of a big system. It would not be 12 volt, it could be 9 or 10 volts. Therefore, the reduced voltage may produce less light from the fittings towards the end. This was a much bigger problem in the old days for Halogen systems. To rectify this the manufacturer tests and produces LEDs that are designed to operate at full output with a reduced voltage input, thus eliminating Volt Drop on much bigger systems. This is not guaranteed as various things lead to Volt Drop, i.e system loading, transformer sizing and whether Techmar manufactured LEDs are being used.

If you are in any doubt, please call us as we have many years’ experience in designing and supplying systems.

SPT3 is approximately 10mm x 5mm (15mtr Main cable and 10m Extension cable) Max 150w loading

SPT2 is approximately 7mm x 3.5mm (Cable on 3 way dividers, Deluxe cables and 1 & 3mtr extension cables) Max 150w loading

SPT1 is approximately 5mm x 2.5mm (8, 10, 15 & 25mtr main cable plus 2 and 6mtr extension cables) max 120w loading

All you need to do is supply us with a basic sketch of your garden which includes

• The lights you wish to use
• Your lighting positions
• The position of your power supply
• Any large structures including bushes and trees we might have to cable around
• All the relevant measurements
• Please also include your contact details (including Telephone number) just in case we need to clarify anything

Your sketch doesn't have to be a modern work of art, but adding as much detail as possible really will help us. Most people simply add their lighting to the sketch using circled numbers then supply us a list of what lights the numbers refer to (similar to the lighting guide in our blog). As a bonus we can even check your lighting to make sure you have the correct transformer (we do this with every order anyway).

If you would like to use our free garden lighting cable design service, please email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone us on 01276 903228.

Anyone can install our garden lighting, you don't need to be an electrician or have any electrical know how do use our system. Planning and installing the system is incredibly easy, take a look at these 3 easy steps below to see just how simple it is. Still not sure? Check out our YouTube channel for all our videos.

With over 100 lights available in the range and being Techmar's largest distributor in the UK we offer every light they have with something for every kind of garden. Whilst choosing your lights, you should try to think about what you want to achieve with the lighting. Do you want something deocrative or something more functional? A post light or a spotlight?

Click here to see our range of lights.

As our system is 12 volts, it requires a transformer to convert the mains 240 volt to 12 volt. The total wattage of your lights will determine what transformer you'll need. To calculate this, add up the wattage of each light plus any switching device and select a transformer with a higher wattage/capacity. Just remember that the 60W & 150W transformers have a maximum capacity of less 20%, the 60W becomes 48W and the 150W becomes 120W. The 24W transformer can be loaded up to it's full capacity.

Tip: We recommend allowing for a few extra lights on the transformer in case you want to add to the system later on.

We offer 2 types of cable; standard cables with fixed connectors and deluxe flex cable with loose connectors. The standard cables come in set lengths of 8, 10 & 15mtrs and have pre-moulded sockets in set positions. This is a typical plug & play system, the lights come with a cable and a male plug which will connect straight into the pre-moulded socket.

The alternative is to use the flex cable with loose connectors, you can determine exactly where you would like to position the connector/light. You simply clamp the female connector anywhere you want along the flex cable and then plug the light into it. The flex cable comes in 10, 25 & 50mtr lengths but can be cut down to size/length by the customer.

When thinking about what cable might be best suited to your garden, don't forget that we do offer lots of accessories which can be used with both cable systems. These include a number of different extension cables and the very important 3 way divider. The 3 way divider simply plugs into an exisiting socket and turns the 1 socket into 3. The extension cables are great if you need to bring a particular light further away from the inital cable run, you can find out what length of cable comes with each light fitting by looking at the technical information on each page.

Looking for a contractor to install your garden lighting system? Even though our systems are designed to be easily installed yourself, we realise that some people may need help with physically getting their garden lights installed.

The following contractors have experience in installing the garden lights lighting range of plug and play garden lights. It should be noted that none of the following are endorsed by us for the quality of their work.

If your looking to install your own 12v garden lighting, this Techmar system is in our view is the best on the market. It is incredibly simple to install and has over 100 reasonably priced lights to choose from. These include LED spotlights, post lights, uplights, decking lights, decorative feature lighting and submersible underwater lighting for your ponds and water features. There are also switches that can turn your lights on when it gets dark, via remote or by movement. We now have a full range of Smart Lighting and a Smart Switch

Everything simply plugs together for a complete low voltage plug & play solution. No wiring required!

The Techmar garden lighting system is 12V low voltage lighting designed to guarantee your safety and that of your children and pets.

12 Volt (low voltage) is considered to be safe by European guide lines. Improved technology has now allowed 12 Volt lighting to provide sufficient light output to illuminate gardens and create ambient and atmospheric light effects.

The safety and simplicity of this lighting system makes it possible for anyone to install Techmar garden lighting themselves. The complete systems, from transformer to the fitting itself, is manufactured with watertight screw connectors so no tools will be necessary during installation. The assembly of the lamps themeselves may require a screwdriver. Garden Lights are suitable for installation in both existing and new-build or renovated gardens.

Plug & play means everything simply plugs together with no wiring. Simple to install and easy to illuminate. The Garden Lights product range offers you a series of lighting products that can be easily and safely installed by everybody, without the need or extra expense of an electrician.

Each light is supplied with either 1, 2 or 3 meters of cable with a watertight screw connector, which fits the connectors to the main cable. It does not get any easier! All cables and transformers are supplied with these easy to use, watertight screw connectors as well.

Plug & Play has many advantages over permanently fixed lighting as it allows for your garden lighting to be moved as your garden matures. There are different light options for some lights allowing to select brighter lamps or even coloured lamps. This gives you more scope for lighting different types of planting and features.

The Techmar system was originally a mixture of LED and halogen lighting. As LED technology has progressed, the range (as you would expect) is now completely LED. Techmar have developed a range of optimised LEDs for all the lights, that allow their garden lighting system to go greater distances, whilst still maintaining full LED output. The clever technology is in the LED, which means Techmar are the only garden lighting manufacturer that can achieve distances of 60-80mtr from the transformer to the last light. Others struggle at around 30mtr 

The big advantages of LED’s are their extremely low energy consumption and the long life expectancy. A LED is also shock proof, runs far cooler than conventional lamps but can still be changed as easily (with a few exceptions) Lighting fitted with our LED’s are extremely well suited for ambient and mood lighting applications.

As a general guide, below shows what a LED wattage is equivalent to in the older style halogen lighting. 

Although lighting is measured in LUMENS and not wattage, but hopefully this gives you a rough idea.