Holiday Lighting for Memphis Backyards: Pools, Patios, Hedges, and Outdoor Living Spaces

Most holiday displays focus on the front of the house, where neighbors and passersby can see them. But many families spend just as much time looking at their backyard, through kitchen windows, from the living room, or outside on the patio during holiday gatherings.

Lighting the backyard creates a festive space you can enjoy all season. The backyard pictured here, with draped lights across the trees, a lit hedge, and reflections dancing on the pool, shows how magical it can look.

Why Light the Backyard

Backyard lighting is for you and your guests. It turns a dark yard into a place to gather on cool December evenings, gives you something beautiful to see from inside the house, and makes holiday parties feel special. In Memphis, where many December evenings are mild enough to spend time outside, a lit backyard gets real use.

Draped Lights Across Trees

Draping strands of lights in swags across a row of trees, as in the photo, creates a soft, elegant canopy of light. The gentle curves feel relaxed and festive at the same time. Swags work especially well across tall hedges, rows of trees, or the back of a garden.

Lit Hedges

Covering a hedge with net lights or densely woven strands creates a glowing wall of light. In the photo, the lit hedge along the pool forms a bright band of light that frames the entire scene.

Reflections on the Pool

A pool doubles the effect of nearby lights. Lights along the far edge of a pool, on trees and hedges behind it, or along a wall reflect on the water's surface, creating a shimmering mirror image. Even in winter, when the pool is not in use, it becomes part of the display.

Patios and Pergolas

Wrapping pergola posts and beams, stringing lights across a covered patio, or outlining an outdoor kitchen creates a cozy gathering spot. Warm white string lights are a favorite for outdoor living spaces because they feel inviting rather than flashy, and they work for parties long after the holidays.

Fences and Walls

Lights along the top of a fence, garden wall, or retaining wall define the edges of the yard and add a finished look, especially on brick walls like the one beside the pool in the photo.

Fire Pits and Seating Areas

Lighting the area around a fire pit or seating group creates a warm, welcoming spot for evening gatherings. Keep lights a safe distance from open flames.

Choosing Colors

Warm white is the most popular choice for backyards because it feels relaxed and elegant and works well for both holiday and everyday use. Colored accents, like red wreaths on a gate or green garland on a pergola, add holiday flavor.

Safety Around Water

Electricity and water require extra care. Lights and cords near a pool should be rated for outdoor use, plugged into outlets with ground fault protection, and kept well away from the water's edge. Connections should be elevated, protected from splashing and rain, and never placed where they could fall into the pool. If you have any doubt, a professional should plan the layout.

Power Planning

Backyards often have fewer outdoor outlets than the front of the house. Planning where power will come from, routing cords along fences, beds, and structures, and keeping them off walkways and pool decks keeps the space safe and tidy.

Pool Equipment

Keep lights and cords away from pool pumps, heaters, and equipment pads, which have their own electrical needs and should not share overloaded circuits with holiday lights.

Protecting the Landscape

Draping lights across trees and hedges should not damage branches or bark. As a lawn care company, we pay close attention to the plants. Lights are placed to sit naturally on the foliage and removed carefully after the season.

Evergreen Hedges in Memphis

Many Memphis backyards have evergreen hedges, like hollies, ligustrum, cherry laurels, or magnolias, which keep their leaves through winter and hold lights beautifully. Southern magnolias, with their large glossy leaves, reflect light especially well.

Timers

A timer turns backyard lights on at dusk and off at night, so the yard is lit when you want it without anyone flipping switches.

View From Inside

Think about the view from the kitchen, living room, and back windows. Lights placed where they can be seen from inside the house let you enjoy the display on cold or rainy nights without stepping outside.

Combining With the Front Display

A backyard display can coordinate with the front of the house for a cohesive look, using the same warm white or color palette. Or it can have its own personality, softer and more relaxed than the front.

Holiday Gatherings

If you are hosting a holiday party, a lit backyard extends the gathering outdoors. Paths, steps, and seating areas should be well lit and free of cords so guests can move around safely.

Outdoor Kitchens and Bars

Outdoor kitchens and bar areas are natural spots for holiday lighting. Lights along a counter edge, under a bar top, or across the cover above create a festive spot for holiday cooking and entertaining.

Playsets and Kids' Areas

Families with young children sometimes light a playset or treehouse for the holidays, which kids love to see from inside. Keep cords well out of reach and use LED lights that stay cool to the touch.

Back Rooflines

The back of the house is often overlooked. Lighting the back roofline, even simply, ties the backyard display to the house and makes the view from the patio feel complete.

Swags and Spacing

For draped swags like those in the photo, consistent spacing and sag matter. Each swag should dip to roughly the same depth so the rows look intentional rather than random. That takes planning and careful attachment.

Wind and Weather

Backyards can be more sheltered than front yards, but winter wind and rain still affect lights. Swags and string lights should be secured at each attachment point so they do not swing or fall in a gust.

Year-Round Potential

Some homeowners enjoy their backyard lights so much that they keep warm white string lights up on patios and pergolas year round, removing only the holiday-specific accents after the season.

Commercial-Grade Lights

Commercial-grade lights hold up better to weather and keep consistent color, which matters in a backyard where you see the lights up close every evening.

Takedown

Backyard lights come down along with the front display in January, unless you choose to keep patio string lights up. Careful removal protects trees and hedges.

What a Lit Backyard Looks Like

Imagine this. It is a mild December evening. Friends gather on the patio as warm white swags glow across the trees, the hedge shines along the far side of the pool, and every light is mirrored on the water. Someone says it feels like a resort. You are just in your own backyard in Memphis.

What to Do Next

Look at your backyard from the patio and from inside the house, and note trees, hedges, fences, pergolas, and seating areas that could be lit. Plan power carefully, keep everything well away from the pool, use outdoor-rated lights and GFCI-protected outlets, and start with the view you see most.

If you would rather have someone else handle the ladders and the design this year, we are here for that. Roper Lawn Care offers Christmas light installation across the Memphis area. Call 901-290-8165 or visit roperlawncarememphis.com to request a free quote.

Here is what to expect. We will look at your home and landscape with you, talk through the look you want, and explain what the installation would include before anything goes up. You will know what you are getting and when.