Garden visit: Hanne creates a magical autumn atmosphere with lights in the outdoor space
Now that the days are getting shorter and it gets dark earlier, it's time to enjoy the garden in a new way. With the help of lights, plants, bushes, and areas reveal themselves in a completely new way.
Briefly about the garden
Garden owner: Hanne Holsted, @hanneholsted on Instagram, along with her husband Rune, daughter Meline, and cat Fia
Hardiness zone: H4 in Høyenhall, Oslo
Style: Nordic-style garden where stone, slate, and wood are mixed with straight lines and structure. Varied foliage and grouped plants
– I’m an advocate for using the garden all year round. In the autumn, I love watching how the colors change from day to day. Lighting is one of the things that adds extra decorative value, creates a magical atmosphere, and helps extend the outdoor season as long as possible. There’s something truly special when dusk and the blue hour arrive in autumn here in the Nordic countries, says Hanne.
Here are Hanne’s best tips for successful lighting in outdoor spaces:
- Avoid lighting only the areas closest to the house walls. Lighting at the edges of the garden creates a greater sense of space. Think of the lights as something that can be enjoyed from multiple angles, ideally also from inside the house or from a garden room.
- It can be nice to light up the spaces between zones, such as garden paths, stairs, and paving stones. This guides the way from one area to the next and connects the spaces, while also illuminating where you need to walk during the dark season, which is important. Lighting that is both decorative and practical is a brilliant mix!
Lighting up stairs and garden paths between zones helps you see the way in the dark and creates atmosphere. Lamps with spikes can easily be stuck into the ground wherever you want them.
- Solar-powered lights and LED lights with timers are an economical solution that requires little maintenance, and they’re great for places without power outlets. You don’t have to worry about turning the lights on or off. Solar-powered lights automatically turn on at dusk and stay on for a set number of hours or turn off when it gets light. (They may shine a bit dimmer on days without much sun).
It’s impactful to light up plants with especially beautiful shapes to create atmospheric shadows and a beautiful interplay between light and dark. Solar lanterns in the trees create mood-enhancing shadows and highlight the shapes of the leaves.
- Mobile lighting is sustainable and flexible. Make sure to have some freestanding lanterns that you can move around and use in different zones. This gives you the opportunity to rearrange and create new impressions throughout the gardening season.
Lanterns illuminate the details around them and create a warm atmosphere.
- LED lights have a long lifespan, are battery-powered, and often come with a timer so you can set when they automatically turn on and off. They come as lamps, pillar candles, and tealights, and usually last for around eight hours. Many of them can be charged with a USB cable. Make sure to choose ones designed for outdoor use.
Hanne often uses LED pillar candles in her outdoor lanterns. They turn on and off by themselves, so she doesn’t have to keep an eye on them.
String lights in the pergola above the outdoor kitchen create an atmospheric ceiling, while lanterns at different heights add depth.
- aka @rekkehusbonden, copywriter, content producer and gardening enthusiast who is passionate about the joy of growing, with a love for everything edible.
- aka @hagebonanza, garden-crazy writer and content producer who has visited over 100 of Norway's most beautiful outdoor spaces to spread gardening joy and inspiration.
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