Outdoor Bollard Lights

Height and spacing for outdoor bollard lights

Height decides how wide the pool of light is. A 20 inch body lights a narrow garden path. A 30 to 36 inch body covers a drive or a wide walk and is still low enough to stay out of the eye line from a window. Above that, the fixture starts to read as a street light.

Spacing follows height. As a working rule, set them about three times their height apart, so 6 to 8 feet for a low body and 8 to 10 feet for a tall one. Stagger the two sides of a walk rather than facing them in pairs.

Keep the run shorter than instinct suggests. A drive does not need a column every few steps from the road to the door. Marking the entrance, one change of direction and the arrival point is usually enough, and it leaves the planting rather than the hardware as the thing you notice.

Wired and solar outdoor bollard lights

A wired body runs from a low voltage or line voltage circuit and gives the same output every night. It needs a cable run, which means a trench on an existing garden.

A solar body is placed where it stands and needs nothing else, which is why it suits a garden that is already planted. Output follows the weather. Both types appear here and the product page states which applies.

Material matters more on a bollard than on a sheltered fixture, because the column is hit by mowers, hoses and winter salt. Powder coated aluminum and stainless steel are the two bodies that come up most often in this range for that reason.

How the light leaves each bollard

Body	Best in	What it does	Price here
Slim lit slot	A modern path, a driveway edge	A narrow band, no glare at eye level	$159 to $299
Open frame and cage	A terrace, a planted border	The lit core shows through the frame	$229 to $429
Louvered and slatted	A step edge, a low wall	Light slips out sideways and downward only	$159 to $469
Paneled diffuser	A garden corner, a seating area	The whole face glows, soft and even	$149 to $429
Fluted and ribbed column	A front path, a formal border	Texture on the body, light aimed at the ground	$159 to $389
Trapezoid frame	A lawn edge, an open border	Wide base, light thrown out over the grass	$389 to $479

What to check on a bollard

IP65: Every bollard here carries IP65: dust tight, and able to take a water jet from any direction. That is what a fixture standing in a border needs, since a sprinkler hits it at close range and the base sits in wet soil.
Integrated LED: Almost all of these hold their diodes sealed inside the body with no socket. Nothing opens, which is what keeps water out, and it also means the whole bollard is the part that gets replaced years from now.
Ground fixing: Most are set into the ground through the base, on a spike or on a plate with anchors. Soil moves, so a plate on a paved edge stays upright far longer than a spike pushed into a soft border.
Wired or solar: Some bollards here are offered either way and a few are solar only. Wired holds the same output in December. Solar follows the sky, so it dims after several grey days and runs shorter in midwinter.
Spacing along a path: Bollards read as a rhythm rather than as single objects. Even spacing with fewer units beats crowding them, and putting one at each change of direction or level does more than lighting the straight runs.

Questions about bollard lighting

How are they fixed to the ground?

Usually a spike for soft ground or a base plate bolted to paving or a deck. The product page lists which fixings come with each model.

Do they light upward as well?

Most direct all their output downward through a shielded head, which keeps glare out of the eye line. A few also wash the column itself. The photographs on each product page show which pattern a body gives.

Will one survive a lawn mower?

Nothing at this height survives a direct hit. Set the column back 8 to 12 inches from the mown edge and the question does not come up. On a spike model, a body knocked out of line usually just needs pushing straight again.

You may also want Solar Pathway Lights, Outdoor Post Lights and Outdoor Lantern Lights. For wall mounted fixtures, see Outdoor Wall Lights. The whole exterior range sits under Outdoor Lighting.

What are the different types of outdoor path light?

Three, by height and by how they throw light. The stake path light, 12 to 20 inches tall, which pushes into soil and casts a small pool directly below it. The bollard, 18 to 42 inches tall, which stands on a fixed base and lights a wider circle, enough for a drive or a wide walkway. And the recessed or in ground light, set flush into paving and aimed upward, which marks an edge without any visible fixture during the day. Bollards are the only one of the three that also reads as an object in daylight.

How much does an outdoor bollard light cost on this page?

From $149 at the entry to $389 at the top, across 15 fixtures. The middle of the page sits at $229 and nine in ten fall under $369. Shipping is free and installation is not included.

How far apart should bollards be spaced?

8 to 12 feet along a path, and up to 15 feet along a driveway where the fixtures are taller and the light spreads further. The aim is overlapping pools rather than separate circles, since a row of bright points with dark gaps between them is harder to walk than a continuous dimmer wash. On a curve, place a fixture at the apex so the turn is visible from both approaches. Every fixture here carries an IP65 rating.

Buying guide reviewed October 2026 by the OroDwell editorial team.