LED & Lit Trees

LED artificial trees are faux specimens with lighting integrated into the branches, so the tree works as an ambient light source as well as greenery. They come into their own after dark in bars, restaurant terraces, hotel lounges, event spaces and garden rooms, where a warm glow filtering through foliage does a job no lamp does.

Where do LED artificial trees work best?

Spaces that are used at night and lit low. In a brightly lit room during the day an integrated LED tree is just a tree - the effect only appears once the ambient level drops, which is why bars, restaurants, terraces and event spaces get far more from one than a daytime office does. Position matters more than with an unlit tree: put it where the light has something to fall on, such as a wall, a corner or a seating group, so you get glow rather than a bare point source. Two smaller lit trees flanking an entrance usually read better than one large one stranded in the middle of a room. See Artificial Plants for Restaurants.

Can pre-lit artificial trees be used outdoors?

Some can and some cannot, and this is one specification you should never assume. An outdoor-rated lit tree needs weather-protected connections and a suitable power supply as well as UV-treated foliage, and an indoor unit put out on a terrace is a genuine hazard rather than merely a durability problem. Check the individual product listing for whether that specimen is rated for exterior use. Where it is, run the supply through a protected outdoor circuit and keep connections up off the ground. For terraces and covered patios also see Outdoor Trees.

How to choose the right size

Size to the light you want rather than the space you have. A lit tree throws usable glow over roughly its own height and spread, so a 6 foot tree lights a seating group and a 10 foot one lights a room corner up to the ceiling. In venues, count sightlines from the seats: a tree that reads beautifully from the entrance may spend all evening behind a diner's head. For seasonal display, matched pairs either side of a doorway are the most reliable format. Browse Spruce and Christmas Trees.

Frequently asked questions

How do we clean an LED tree without damaging the lights?

Unplug it first, then dust with a dry feather duster or a vacuum brush attachment, working along the branches rather than tugging on the wiring. Avoid water or spray cleaners anywhere near the connectors or the light strand itself. If foliage well away from the wiring needs a deeper clean, a cool hair dryer setting lifts dust without wetting anything electrical.

How should we store an LED tree when it is not on display?

Unplug and let it cool before packing. Coil the light strand loosely rather than wrapping it tightly around a branch, since a sharp fold in the same spot every season is what eventually breaks a wire. Store in a dry space away from damp or extreme temperature swings, and keep the original box if you have it, since it is shaped to protect the folded branches.

Does the height listed include the planter?

Treat the number on the product page as the full assembled height, tree plus base, unless it says otherwise. This matters more with a lit tree than an unlit one, because the lighting effect depends on the crown sitting at the right height relative to a wall, doorway or seating group, so a few inches of difference changes how the glow reads in the room.

Do we need to assemble the tree and connect the lights ourselves?

Yes, in the same way as any multi-section artificial tree. The trunk arrives in pieces that lock together, and the branches ship folded flat against the stem, so setup means standing the sections, then shaping the branches outward and separating the leaves by hand. The light strand is already run through the branches at that point, so there is no separate wiring step.

Why buy a pre-lit tree instead of adding our own string lights to a regular one?

An integrated LED tree has the lighting run through the branch structure when the tree is built, so the strand follows the natural line of the foliage and stays hidden inside it. Wrapping string lights around a tree afterwards usually leaves the wire visible on the outside of the canopy and takes real time to do well, especially on a tall or dense specimen.