In what is probably the most generically named product launch of all time, Govee’s new Outdoor Garden Lights (I’m not kidding, that’s the full name) are an attractive and modular, low-lying feature light for your garden or outdoor pathway.
Personally, I’d have called them Happy Little Tree Lights because of their branching design. They’re available as a set of two for $190 or equivalent—seemingly everywhere except the UK—and they’re Matter compatible.
Modular build
What might shock you is how modular these garden lights are. The two-pack contains two top light sections, two mid-lighting sections, and four pole sections, so you'll need to construct your fixtures yourself.
At first glance, the box art makes them look very similar, but actually, you have a lot of freedom when making them. For instance, they don’t need to be exactly perpendicular to each other—they could be inline with both branches pointing in the same direction, or offset at whatever angle you want.
You don’t need to have both branching light bars at the top, either; you could have one in the middle or even at the base if you wanted. You don’t even need to use the full-height pole; one can be half-height. Anywhere from 12 to 36 inches is possible. They feel a lot like LEGO in that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of unique combinations and permutations of the parts and design.
So these are surprisingly magical in your outdoor environment, with plenty of creative freedom.
The one thing you can’t adjust is the angle of the lighting. It always points downward. It does spread a lot, but you can’t, say, turn it 90 degrees to point onto a wall or tree. It’s always going to aim down.
Outdoor-ready hardware
Also in the box are two bases and ground spikes, but you can screw the bases directly to concrete or decking if needed.
They’re IP66 rated for year-round outdoor use in temperatures from -20 to 40 °C (-4 to 104°F), and I’ve had these outside for about a month now, through heavy rainstorms and (by British standards, anyway) sweltering heat. No problems so far, except for the pesky grass, which insists on growing and covering up the cable.
Matter-compatible (with limitations)
They’re fully Matter compatible, though, as ever, you’ll get limited control via Matter. That's not Govee’s fault; it’s just a limitation of the protocol. Only power, brightness, and a single color command are supported.
Open up the Govee Home app instead, and you’ll find a standard selection of 64 dynamic scenes in many categories. You can also create your own DIY scene modes or stick with basic color choices for a specific look.
The Outdoor Garden Lights feature LumiBlend technology, a fancy way of saying they blend colors smoothly, avoiding harsh transitions.
They do look amazing; no doubt. There’s plenty of light output for decorative purposes or lighting up a pathway—1100 lumens each, to be exact, though that’s in white mode. Color is always a bit less.
White mode is great for general use, but if you’re into architectural or ambient lighting, the colours and scene modes offer a lot of flexibility and creativity. They can integrate with a DreamView audio controller too, for synchronized music-reactive lighting displays across multiple Govee products.
A few frustrations
Two things frustrate me with the Garden Lights:
- The cable length is too short. It’s 5.5 meters (~18ft) from the socket to the first light. I can barely get that inside the door to my cabin. Then there’s just 2 meters (6.5ft) between the lights. You’ll likely need some sort of waterproof socket hidden away in the bushes. Govee is usually really good at providing ample extension cables, but seemingly not in this case.
- The price feels a bit high, so I’d probably say wait for a sale. I know outdoor products carry a premium, and these are powder-coated metal, which adds material cost. But from a lighting perspective, the actual LEDs are very minimal, with less than a meter of LED strip per fixture. I understand that the cost is mostly going into the other elements of the hardware, in terms of how much LED you get for your money, it feels a little off.
You’re probably going to want more of these to line your entire garden path, rather than just having two random lights. That’s when the cost starts to add up.
Time to RGB your garden path?
Aside from the price and cable length, this is a great addition to the Govee outdoor lineup. Whether it’s for holiday vibes or year-round ambient lighting, the design really appeals to me. It’s a very rounded, clean tube style, the natural green finish doesn’t stand out too much, and the modular build offers a ton of creative freedom.
But maybe wait for a sale—especially if you’re planning to do a whole garden path’s worth of these. And don’t forget to plan ahead for power, thanks to that 5.5m socket-to-first-light cable.
If you're looking for something more impactful that covers a larger area, the Outdoor Lamp Post is a stunning feature light. Alternatively, the Flood Lights 2 are more discreet fixtures for your house or garden.
