Garden post-top lights, garden bollards, spike lights, these are the practical boys in the garden lighting family. These are the garden light fittings that define pathways, illuminate drives, and make sure that your Great Aunt Clarissa doesn't fall down those garden steps in the dark.
However, this 'backbone' of the garden lighting world has another string to its bow; it makes good accent lighting too! For sure, put post top lights around your decking and at the entrance to your driveway but don't forget to think about the effects the light creates.
Accent and decorative lighting works on the basis of shadows created rather than the light itself. A pool of light is a pool because it is surrounded by shadows. Does that make sense? By noticing where the pools of illumination from your post top garden lights fall you can create all sorts of effects, yet provide practical lighting at the same time. Imagine that you have four post top lights at the boundaries of your decking, one in each corner, and then in your mind's eye picture the pools of light falling symmetrically rather than haphazardly.
Get the picture? That is just a simple example, by having the light fall onto plants or architectural features, there is no end to the effects you can create.
The difference between designers and 'us' is that designers notice small, seemingly unimportant details, and make use of them.
Start to think like a designer and practice with garden post top lights, you'll be improving your garden's safety at the same time.