The Best Outdoor String Lights for Spring and Summer

As the weather warms up, outdoor spaces become more comfortable, offering more hours of enjoyment. And what makes any outdoor space even better? Some outdoor string lights. They’re not just a great source of light at night—but they also make tasteful decorations that bring a touch of magic to your outdoor spaces.

Outdoor string lights are lovely fixtures that you can enjoy for events or short-term decorating sprees during spring and summer. They’re great for occasions such as graduation parties, weddings, family get-togethers, and barbecues. They also make great fixtures that encourage your family to get outside and enjoy the outdoors—surrounded by brilliant rays that brighten your atmosphere.

Choosing the Best Outdoor String Lights

So, what are the best outdoor string lights for spring and summer? That depends on where and what you want to decorate. For instance, lights that are best for patio applications may not be so great for tree wraps.

The color of your lighting is also an important decision to make. A popular color choice for spring and summer applications is white, especially for hanging bistro lights. It’s hard to top the inviting glow of soft white lights on a warm summer evening. However, colorful lights are a wonderful implementation when you want to bring intrigue into your outdoor decorating.

Let’s dive into what you need to know for putting up the best lights that will have your outdoor spaces looking their best. We’ll look at the top applications for each major area of your outdoor space, and the most suitable type of lights for each install.

For The Yard…

Your yard presents delightful opportunities for putting up outdoor string lights. Illuminate the nature outside of your home to form the perfect environment for making memories with family and friends. Let’s jump into each type of install where we highlight the brightest lights of the bunch for your yard lighting applications.

Foliage and Trees—Around, Between, or Both

Foliage and trees wrapped in lights really brighten a yard, making for an enchanting outdoor space. But which lights should you choose to create your yard’s spellbinding splendor? 5mm wide angle conicals, C6 bulbs, and M5 mini lights are excellent outdoor string lights for foliage and trees. Unless you’re lighting evergreen trees, we don’t recommend going with any larger bulbs, like C7 or C9, for foliage or trees because they can be too big and overwhelm the presentation. Larger bulbs can also have a harder time staying in place, which may lead them to fall through the foliage or slip from wrapped trunks.

Want to make wrapping your trees easier? Decorating your trees is a breeze with TreE-Z Wrap. Secure your outdoor string lights with TreE-Z Wrap for smooth decorating that can look even better than standard hand wraps.

You can also hang lights between trees to establish an exquisite perimeter. If tree wraps are one of the ways you’re building your outdoor string lights display, then add more length to your wrap and extend to the next tree to set up beautiful beams between your trees.

Pathways, Driveways, & Perimeters

Stake lights are a wonderful way to light areas such as paths or driveways. Moreover, stake lights are great for lighting any perimeters and creating outlines around your yard.

Big and bright bulbs are the way to go for stake lights, making G50 and C9 bulbs prime choices. For stakes, you’ve got three primary options: all-in-one, universal, and universal metal. Get to know each in our expert breakdown.

For The Deck…

A deck adorned with lights can be the crowning jewel to your outdoor lighting arrangement. Deck lights, especially deck wraps, are among the easiest of applications for outdoor string lights, too.

Deck Railing Wraps

Let family and guests marvel at the magic of a lit deck with wrapped railings. Not only do they beautify your deck, they also provide nice light across the deck, rather than typically from one or two lights only near the door. Deck railing wraps are flexible in terms of brightness, too. Wrap once between each baluster for a sufficient amount of light, or double up for a dazzling deck.

The best lights in this application are the same as what you’ll use for foliage and trees—the smaller lights that are 5mm wide angle conicals, C6 bulbs, and M5 mini lights. Smaller bulbs are lower profile, brightening the deck without getting in the way. Speaking of getting in the way, smaller bulbs won’t stick out either so that you can easily navigate around your deck.

Deck Post Light Wraps

For complete deck lighting, deck posts are worth the wrap. Add a greater sense of structure to your deck lighting by putting lights around each post. With railings and posts alike wrapped in shining lights, you’ll have a spectacular deck lighting display.

Similar to tree wraps, you can wrap the deck posts the old fashioned way, or use TreE-Z Wrap to simplify and even enhance the application.

For The Patio…

Your patio holds the promise of a peaceful escape on a calm summer night, or a joyful gathering among company. Either way, fill your patio space with the shine of lights that will make every moment brighter.

Hanging Lights

Hanging lights are truly among the best outdoor string lights for spring and summer. Also known as bistro lights, hanging lights are great fixtures to put up around the patio. They illuminate outdoor spaces with a comfortable glow and boast a classic design that instantly adds appeal to a patio space. All you need is base cord and the bulbs to match, such as G50 bulbs or S14 bulbs.

Or fire up the festivities with Twinkly RGB smart lights! Keep the style traditional with Twinkly’s tantalizing take on S14 lights, or go for the globe-shaped Twinkly festoon lights in size G45. Cast your yard in colorful tones that are sure to engage your guests.

Timing Your Lights

What’s the key to outdoor lighting excellence and convenience? A light timer. This makes your lights get their glow on when they need to without the hassle of manually plugging them in. Lights on at dusk, or at a specific time? Choose from photocell, smart app, or mechanical timers and take control of your outdoor string lights display. And the timer will take care of shutting off the lights too for full management of your lighting arrangement.

And Remember…

The best outdoor string lights for spring and summer are made from the highest quality pieces, which you’ll only find on pro-grade lights. After all, the best displays are made with the best lights. Pro-grade lights offer the brightness, lifespan, and durability that retail grade cannot. We sold retail grade lights in the past, and the results spoke for themselves: pro-grade lights are the clear favorite with our customers, so we only offer what we know brings the most satisfaction.

If you want the best outdoor string lights, buy pro-grade from a pro supplier with experience in providing excellent lighting. A pro grade supplier also has the expertise to help you when you need it. And we’re here to help whenever you’re ready. Email us at info@christmasdesigners.com or call our helpline at 1-800-391-5280 to speak with a qualified team member today.