Garden Articles - Solar Landscape Lighting

Solar lighting has many benefits, the most notable being they’re maintenance free, easy to install and run at no cost. The only disadvantage is that they must be in an area that receives a lot of sunlight. Depending on the amount of sunlight, solar lights can provide up to 12 hours of light in the evening.

And don’t think solar lights are just for lighting purposes. Available in many styles, solar lights can easily improve the beauty of your garden

To help assist you with solar lighting, we’ve compiled a few steps for you to get the most out of these efficient products.

Style first! Solar lights come in a huge assortment of style, most notably the following:

• Solar spotlights: accent light on a specific object

• Low fixture lights: light close to the ground, perfect for landscape borders and driveways

• Taller fixtures: spreads the light over larger areas and used in gardens, patios or walkways.

• Tier lights: direct light downward on the ground and minimize glare, making them ideal for lighting walks and steps

• Motion sensor lights: Lights an area for a few minutes whenever it detects motion

• Patio lights: permanently installed light on a deck or patio

• Hanging lights: wall mounted lights for entranceways

• Decorative lights: comes in many styles from solar frogs to solar statues, they can add a personal touch to your garden décor. 

After you choose your style, make sure the area that you place your solar lights receives plenty of sunshine, noting that the position of the sun changes from season to season. Remember, areas that may receive plenty of sunshine in the winter may be in the shade during the summer.

If the area is too shaded, you can install a solar panel on your roof or a place that will receive the proper amount of sunlight. This will be more expensive, and you’ll have to run a wire from the solar panel to the lights.

Make sure to position the lights in a line, or a circle by placing them closer together instead of farther apart to create a more effective lighting system. Once your lights are in place, adjust the photocell so it’s receiving sunlight most of the day.

Also, although these lights are low maintenance, occasionally clean the panel surface to keep it dust and dirt free, which will allow the solar lights to work properly all of the time.