The three Christmas village brands sold in the UK compared on origin, collections, price, power, animation and availability, whether they mix, and which to choose.
Christmas lights for outdoor trees, hedges and bushes: how many you need and which type
Outdoor trees, hedges and bushes are lit with outdoor-rated LED string or cluster lights wrapped round the trunk and main branches or draped over the top of the hedge, from a transformer kept indoors. The quantity rule is by length rather than height: about 100 LEDs per metre of trunk and branch for a wrapped tree, and a 1,000 to 2,000-LED cluster set for a 2m hedge or a large shrub. This guide covers how much to buy, wrapping versus draping, which Premier sets suit each job, and how to keep the lights and the plant safe.
How many lights for an outdoor tree?
Measure what you are going to wrap: the trunk from the ground to the first branches, then each main branch you want to light. A small garden tree with a 1.5m trunk and four 1m branches is about 5.5m of wrapping, which at 100 LEDs per metre (one LED every 10cm, wrapped round the branch) is 500 to 600 LEDs; a 2,000-LED TreeBrights set (50m long) wraps a substantial tree with the trunk and six to eight branches. For a hedge, buy by lit length: a 2,000-LED ClusterBrights set is 25m long and drapes over roughly 8 to 10m of hedge in loops, and a 960-LED set (12m) covers about 4m. For a tree in a pot by the door, a 200 to 500-LED set is enough.
Wrapping a trunk and branches
- Start at the base with the transformer end, the lead running back to the socket.
- Wrap the trunk upwards in an even spiral, 5 to 10cm between turns. Tight wraps look best from a distance.
- Follow each main branch out and back, like weaving a Christmas tree, then continue up the trunk.
- Finish at the top and tuck the end in. Two sets can start from the same base if the tree is large; keep each set to its own socket outlet unless the set is designed to connect.
- Check the spacing from the road or the house in the dark; the light should follow the shape of the tree.
Warm white on a bare winter tree is the classic look; cluster lights on a trunk read as a solid column of light, which suits a feature tree or a pillar.
Lighting a hedge or a bush
Drape, do not wrap. Lay the string over the top and front of the hedge in loose loops, pushed slightly into the foliage so the cable is hidden, working from the socket end. Cluster lights are the best choice because the LEDs are packed close and the hedge glows rather than showing dots; SupaBrights or FlexiBrights work for a longer, thinner hedge. For a round shrub or a bay tree in a pot, a single cluster set spiralled from the top gives the “lit ball” effect. Net lights are an alternative for a flat-topped hedge, but we find a cluster set draped by hand looks less like a net.
Which Premier set for which plant?
| Plant | Set | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Small garden tree, 3 to 4m | TreeBrights (25 to 50m) or SupaBrights (bigger LEDs, 6 to 38m) | 1,000 to 2,000 TreeBrights LEDs, or 200 to 480 SupaBrights |
| Large tree trunk and main branches | TreeBrights 2,000 to 5,000 LEDs (50 to 125m) | 100 LEDs per metre wrapped |
| Hedge, 2 to 4m long | ClusterBrights 960 to 2,000 (12 to 25m) | About 200 LEDs per metre of hedge |
| Bush or potted bay tree | ClusterBrights 500 to 1,000 | One set per plant |
| Pot tree by the door, no socket | Battery string in a weatherproof box | 200 to 300 LEDs |
Safety for the plant and the lights
- LED sets run cool and do not harm bark or foliage, but take them off in January; a cable left on a growing branch for years will cut in.
- Keep the transformer indoors or in a weatherproof box; the lead on most Premier sets is 10m from plug to first light for this reason.
- Do not use indoor-only sets outside, and do not join sets unless they are made to connect.
- Use the built-in timer, which every Premier set we stock has, so the garden is lit from dusk for six hours and off overnight.
- Do not wrap a tree the council owns, and keep cables off paths.
Colours that work outside
Warm white suits brick, stone and bare trees; white (cool white) suits a modern house and silver birch; gold reads as old-fashioned bulbs; multi-coloured and rainbow sets are the family front-garden favourite. Our lights are grouped by colour (warm white, white, gold, multi-coloured) as well as by type (cluster, outdoor, icicle). For the house itself, see how to hang outdoor Christmas lights.
See the sets running
The Premier ranges run on the display at Sapcote Garden Centre, Hinckley Road, Sapcote, Leicester LE9 4LG, two minutes from junction 2 of the M69, so you can compare cluster and string lights before you buy; all 240 sets are online with live stock.
Quick answers
How many Christmas lights do I need for an outdoor tree?
About 100 LEDs per metre of trunk and branch you wrap: 500 to 600 LEDs for a small garden tree, 2,000 or more for a large one with several branches.
What lights are best for a hedge?
Cluster lights, draped in loops over the top and front: a 2,000-LED ClusterBrights set is 25m long and covers roughly 8 to 10m of hedge.
Can you wrap Christmas lights around a living tree?
Yes. LED sets run cool and do not harm the bark, as long as they are outdoor rated and are taken down after Christmas rather than left on a growing branch.
How do you light a tree with no socket nearby?
Use a battery set with the battery box in a weatherproof housing for a small tree, or run an outdoor-rated extension lead from an indoor socket in a weatherproof box for a mains set.
Which colour looks best on outdoor trees?
Warm white on bare trees and brick, white on silver birch and modern houses, gold for a vintage look, multi-coloured for a family front garden.
Andrew Porwol is an expert on gardening, plants, garden design, and outdoor furniture. He is the owner of Sapcote Garden Centre, Sharnford Garden Centre, and Garden Centre Shopping. He’s regularly featured in expert publications, like Forbes, MSN, and Better Homes & Gardens.
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