Spike vs Recessed vs Brick Lights: Which Ground Fitting Is Right?
Spike lights are flexible and cheap to fit but visible by day. Recessed lights disappear into paving but need the surface lifting to install. Brick or wall-mounted lights are the only real option for lighting at height on a wall or pillar. Most gardens end up using a mix.
Please note: per-fitting cost differences below are typical and illustrative, not a quote for your garden.
If you're comparing quotes and wondering why one uses mostly spike lights and another specifies recessed fittings throughout, it usually comes down to the surfaces involved and the look the installer is going for — not one being objectively "better." Here's how to judge it yourself.
| Fitting | Best for | Visible by day? | Install effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spike | Borders, soft landscaping, young planting | Yes — sits above ground | Low — pushes into soil |
| Recessed | Paths, patios, driveways | No — flush with surface | Higher — surface must be lifted/cut |
| Brick/wall-mounted | Walls, steps, entrance piers | Yes, by design | Moderate — needs masonry drilling |
Spike lights
The workhorse of border and planting lighting. A metal stake pushes into soil, making them quick to install and easy to reposition as planting matures — genuinely useful in a young garden that will change shape over a few seasons. The trade-off is that they're visible in daylight, sitting above the border rather than hidden within it, so placement matters if you care how the garden looks by day too.
Recessed lights
Set flush into a hard surface — a path, patio or driveway — recessed lights disappear completely by day and give the cleanest look underfoot. The cost is installation: on an existing patio, this can mean cutting into paving, which adds labour compared with a spike light simply pushed into a border. On a new-build or a project where the surface is being laid anyway, the extra cost is far smaller since it's built in from the start.
Brick and wall-mounted lights
For lighting a boundary wall, entrance pillar or a run of steps, there's no substitute — you need a fitting mounted at the right height on a hard surface, which means drilling into masonry. It's a moderate step up in installation effort from a spike light, but it's the only option that actually achieves that kind of placement, so it's not really competing with the other two — it's solving a different problem.
Choosing the right material for the coast
Whichever fitting type you choose, on exposed Eastbourne properties the housing material matters more than the mounting style — see our coastal garden lighting guide for what to specify.
Not sure which fittings your garden needs?
Our design visit specifies the right fitting type for every spot in your garden, with a fixed quote and no obligation.
Book a Design VisitFitting choice is one part of the wider plan — see how it fits alongside technique and layout on our garden & outdoor lighting service page.