Earlswood Garden & Landscape Centre News

Light My Way

Solar lighting is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to not only light your garden but to add beauty to it. Solar lights come in all shapes and sizes but which is best for you? That all depends on your preferred style, what you want to light and the reason for lighting it.

The first question people ask is are they any good? And the honest answer is, it depends. There are a lot of well made, high quality lights out there which give around 8-10 hours of light but as with everything there’s also some cheap and cheerful products out there that are not that bright and only hold a charge for a couple of hours. Standard solar lights are not as bright as wired as you’d expect but with the advancements in Solar technology the difference is becoming marginal.

The most appealing factor to Solar lights other than the price is the fact that there are no wires, this means no hiding wires from plain sight and should you want to see what they lights look like ‘over there’ it’s as simple as picking up the light and placing it back down.

The typical solar stake light is the cheapest, most common and more often than not the most appropriate light for the job. They can be used for highlighting hazards in the garden, make keyholes more visible or to just add a bit of light to the garden at night for those that don’t have a large area to light or only want something simple and elegant.

Another popular solar light are Rock Lights, these types of lights are affordable, yet durable and easily blend into a border, edging or shrubs. Several of these along a garden path tucked into the plants will give a great effect at night as they softly illuminate the path.

Solar powered Fairy Lights are aesthetically pleasing and help create a nice ambience especially if you’re having a romantic dinner for two on your patio. Submergible solar lights are relatively new but are fantastic for adding extra character to a mini stream or garden pond.

We have a fantastic range of solar lights ranging all the way from the fun decorative lights to high quality, ultra bright lanterns. Pop in and take a look at our range and if you’re after something specific and we don’t have it just let us know and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Product Review
Cole & Bright Ultra Bright Border Lights (2 Pack)
Cost: £21.99

I bought some solar lights a little over 7 years ago, they were standard run of the mill border lights and cost around £15. I was very impressed as Solar Power was all new and exciting then, even if they gave out as much light as a firefly. When some new solar lights arrived here I jumped at the chance to update my old, barely visible lights to something new.

There’s not much you can do with a border light in terms of looks but the brushed aluminium top and stem look quite smart and when assembled, which is nice a simple, the border light is very sturdy. When placed in the ground it gives a great contemporary look to the garden.

Once night falls the light given out by the 7 LED’s is very, very impressive. These two lights illuminate an area of 12m2 nicely and hold a charge for at least 7 hours. I’ve had these lights for almost 6 months now and they are still as good as the day I bought them and as someone who was a little apprehensive about spending £20+ on some solar lights I can say with certainty that its been money well spent.