Northbrook has the trees. Anyone who has driven Pfingsten Road, Shermer Road, or through the older Northbrook neighborhoods in winter knows what those old oaks and maples look like when they're bare — dramatic silhouettes with wide-reaching branch structures that seem built for wrapping in light.

Professional tree and shrub lighting is one of the highest-impact holiday investments you can make on a Northbrook property. When those trunks and limbs are lit from the ground up with warm white LEDs and the whole yard glows at 6pm on a December evening, the effect stops people in their cars.

Getting there takes a level of care that DIY approaches rarely achieve.

What Makes Tree Lighting Look Professional

The difference between professional tree lighting and the DIY version is legible from the street.

Amateur wraps have a few tells: a single strand looped loosely around the lower trunk, lights that are clustered in one area and sparse in another, visible extension cords running across the lawn, and a brightness level that's either overwhelming (too many lights for the tree's size) or underwhelming (too few to register at a distance).

Professional wrapping starts with the structure of the tree.

For a large oak or maple — Northbrook has plenty of both — we begin with the trunk. A tightly and uniformly wrapped trunk with warm white LED mini lights creates a glowing column that anchors the whole display. From there, we extend light into the primary limbs as far as the tree's branch structure safely allows, creating depth and dimension.

The goal is for the tree to look lit from within rather than covered with lights. That distinction is everything.

Shrubs and Foundation Plantings

Tree lighting alone is striking. Combined with well-executed shrub and foundation planting treatments, it creates a display that has layers — something interesting at every level from ground to canopy.

Northbrook properties often have significant foundation plantings: boxwoods, arborvitae, ornamental grasses, and evergreen hedges that define the front of the home. When these are lit, the home reads as a complete composition rather than a roofline sitting on an unlit yard.

We treat each planting type differently. Dense boxwood hedges get a different approach than open ornamental grasses. Arborvitae columns are handled differently than spreading yews. We assess every element of your front yard during the design consultation and build a plan that works for your specific landscape.

Combining Tree & Shrub Lighting with Roofline

Some of Northbrook's best holiday displays use tree and shrub lighting as the primary feature, with a /services/installation providing structure from above. The roofline grounds the home; the trees bring the yard to life around it. Used together, they create a display that works from any angle.

If your property has significant front yard trees, we typically recommend discussing the full composition — roofline and landscape together — during the /services/design. The budget doesn't have to cover both at once; but seeing how they work together helps you prioritize.

What's Included

  • On-site consultation and custom lighting plan for your specific landscape
  • Professional installation using commercial-grade LED mini lights
  • Soft-tie installation methods that protect branch bark and structure
  • Clean power routing with timer setup
  • Mid-season maintenance included
  • Takedown and removal after the season
  • /services/takedown-storage for next year

Frequently Asked Questions

Will wrapped lights damage the trees?
No. We use soft ties and approved installation methods that don't constrict growth or damage bark. Everything removes cleanly in January without marking.

Can you light very large trees?
We work on trees accessible up to approximately 25–30 feet with our professional extension ladders. For taller specimens, we discuss what's achievable during the site visit.

Do I need to be home during installation?
Someone should be available at the start for access and to confirm the plan. After that, the crew works independently. Most installs are complete within a few hours.

Serving Northbrook and the North Shore Suburbs

We serve all of Northbrook and the surrounding communities including Glenview, Northfield, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Deerfield, and Lake Forest.

Your yard is already beautiful. Let's make it unforgettable this December. #contact and let's plan your Northbrook landscape lighting. Twinkle Bros Lighting — We Bring the Twinkle.