I AM sprucing up my patio in preparation for the summer and have decided to add some light to the scene to create atmosphere when I'm chilling out with my glass of wine in the evening during the warmer months.

A little light goes a long way at night, so don't over-light the area as extremely bright garden lighting often has a garish, unwelcoming look. Instead, decide what features to light and to what intensity. Use lighting selectively, making use of darkness and enhancing the best elements at the same time as concealing the worst.

There are so many different lights on the market it's difficult to know what to choose, but if you have any borders around your patio, subtle solar lights in flowerbeds or along paths can create a relaxing mood. I particularly like the new Gardman Luna stainless steel solar light (£12.99), a contemporary, rust-proof light which provides both good looks and a long life (for stockists phone 01406- 372227).

You can buy patio umbrellas fitted with solar lights in the canvas, but they will only provide a limited amount of light. Low voltage garden lighting products are easy enough to connect, but the transformer connection and installation of any other mains voltage lights or equipment can lead to dangerous situations if not done correctly, so hire a registered electrician to do the work.

The key to successful garden lighting is flexibility: use spiked fittings so the position of the lighting can be changed to suit the changing seasons and planting growth. You can also buy water features which have lights incorporated to create a mood.

In a small shady planting area of my patio I recently installed a textured glass pyramid (Stonesdale, £199.99), one of the Alan Titchmarsh range of contemporary water features, which has multicoloured LED lights inside. At first, I felt it was a bit of a throwback to the 1970s with its changing coloured lights, but now that I have planted ferns and other shade-loving plants, it looks more subtle and certainly provides a talking point among guests. Incidentally, the Alan Titchmarsh range includes polished stainless steel balls, tubes and other contemporary designs (for stockists phone 0113-244-2299).

Think about highlighting individual features. Big patio pots containing impressive architectural plants can be enhanced with lighting underneath. You can buy cheap plastic uplighters and push them into containers to cast interesting shadows in the evening.

Of course, the cheapest form of lighting is candles, which can give a surprising amount of light when placed in groups on a table. Go for the outdoor types which have a thicker wick to stop gusts of wind blowing them out.

If you don't have easy access to electricity, and want to avoid the cost of an electrician, there are loads of candle holders and oil lanterns available. For a splash of colour, place Weaver nest tea light holders in colours of aqua, fuchsia, olive or tangerine, on branches of overhanging trees (available from Fairwind, www.fairwindonline.

com/020-8374-6254).

Jobs this week

❃ Plant gladioli corms in succession until the end of spring to extend their flowering season.

❃ Plant out young sweet peas raised from autumn sowings.

❃ Stand containers on pot feet or bricks to ensure good drainage.