Glow in the dark

Short of a complete volte face either from Mother Nature or from us fallible human beings, global warming looks as if it¹s here to stay. Which, it seems to me, requires something of a rethink in our attitudes to the great outdoors. Whether you have splendid green swards, a tiny urban patch or something in-between, if temperatures are set to rise, our relationship with the plots beyond the kitchen door will have to change. It offers us a chance to think in more expansive ways. We might begin to conjure up something of the pleasure of those balmy nights that many of us have enjoyed on holiday in the Med.

For me it starts with lighting. I'm just back from South Africa where it's a feature of some safari outfits to give you a surprise dinner in the bush — these are rendered utterly magical by myriad lights, on the ground, in the trees, on the tables. Key is the fact that there are masses of them. One or two would do nothing. A close look revealed that often the containers were very inexpensive — on one occasion they used glass lanterns for hanging in the trees, but on the ground there were tea lights of every description.

Another time, simple paper bags had been used as the containers.

Anybody looking to add this sort of magic to their outdoor eating adventures might like to know that this year there seems to be a sudden rash of enchanting little lights that run on batteries. Start with Marks & Spencer (0845 3021234; www.marksandspencer.com), which has a host of charming, free-standing, battery- operated lights — so no fear of fire, or the wind blowing them out, and no need for electricity or wires. They're all made from solid white and transparent acrylic, and come in the shapes of flowers, butterflies or dragonflies. A mass of these (£3.50 each, with batteries) scattered around would be captivating. Turned on, the light changes through a whole spectrum of different colours. For trees, M&S offers some ethereally beautiful battery-operated star and flower stake lights (£19.50 for five, with batteries).

Meanwhile, Lakeland (015394 88100; www.lakeland.co.uk;) has battery-operated hummingbirds (above, £9.99 each) which change colour from blue to green to pink. Mounted on black sticks (invisible at night) which you stick into flowerpots or the earth, the hummingbirds appear to hover.

Lakeland sells lanterns at £4.99 (they're good for hanging in trees), while should you have a lake needing illumination, there are floating water lilies (£8.99) which have an LED set inside them so that the light changes as it glows. Lakeland also sells a version of the paper-bag container — a charming, tall, rectangular holder (£5.99) made from fire-retardant white paper with a pretty etched pattern. Line a gravel path or steps up to the house in them if you¹re giving a summer party.

For something much sturdier, a company called Hotspot (its main business is gas-fuelled patio lights and barbecues) has some splendidly theatrical Olympic Torches which would add considerable drama to any night-time proceedings out of doors. They cost £30 from Mode (0870 2403606; www.mode.co.uk) and are powered by disposable gas cartridges which run for 8-14 hours.

All these ideas are portable, not very expensive and need no electricity.

However, if you want something instant and more long-lasting it is worth getting in a professional. Our West London terraced house has two small patches of outdoors — a patio and a roof terrace — and both have been completely transformed by lighting installed for us by Stephen Woodhams (020-7730 3353; www.woodhams.co.uk). It's rain and frost-proof and wasn't expensive.

We can switch on the lights inside the house and they instantly illuminate our oversized white pots on the ground-level garden and our planted pots on the roof terrace, so that we can see the magic from inside the house.

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