In daylight, my garden is a beacon of color and texture, but when the sun sets, the yard becomes a black hole. Delivery drivers struggle to see the house numbers or find the footpath, and I hold my phone flashlight awkwardly to avoid tripping as I take out the trash. Sure, lighting would help, but I didn’t have in-ground electricity already wired, and I’m not about to put it in. I was also skeptical of investing in solar lights, since all previous efforts had been cheap but ineffective, but I recently decided to give it another shot—and I was delighted with what I discovered.
How advancements in LED and smart technology have made outdoor lighting cheaper
I’ve always wanted curtains of overhead lights, but was stalled by how much electricity they pull, and that they would often blow the circuit. Even traditional string lights generally limit you to three strings in a run. But newer LED lights are better made, can be strung in almost infinite runs, and have a much lower draw on your electrical.
I tried four kinds of LED lights, from Philips, Target’s in-house Christmas brand, and two Amazon brands, and landed on the Zuske Globe Patio Lights. These lights behave like the more expensive string lights you see at restaurants, with an LED that is much better disguised, and a nice long string so there are less connections. It still had lights every twelve inches; I noticed many brands had them much further apart.
String Lights in the Garden
String Lights in the GardenMarried with an outdoor smart plug, these lights come on at sunset and go off at 10 p.m. every evening, meaning that I’m minimizing my electrical draw through smart automation. You can use smart bulbs for your porch light as well, adding in automation so it only goes on and off when you need it to, saving money on your electrical bill.
Solar lighting is no longer subpar
Solar lights use the same rare Earth metals that devices like cell phones use, and yes, that’s problematic. But because regular lighting suffers from the same problem, there isn’t an ethical choice except to hope for better legislation—and that the solar industry will learn how to rely on more common metals like pyrite or zinc.
The upside is that as the industry makes that move, they’re finding other new technology, including silicon, so we are able to produce better, more reliable and affordable solar power with more efficient, longer-lasting batteries, resulting in less use of the electrical grid and more reliance on alternative energy sources.
How to light a path in your yard with LED lights
The most common way most people have come to use solar in their yard are the light sticks we’ve seen in big box stores for years. An LED on a plastic stake, with a clear plastic dome and a photocell on top. They come apart easily, tend to not be weatherproof and don’t last very long.
Your delivery drivers will thank you. Photo: Amanda Blum
But now there’s an entire generation of higher-quality footpath lights out there, and effectively lighting a path can now be stylish, and the batteries mean the lights require less sun exposure and stay on longer. There’s a flood of modern lights on the market.
Even here in the Pacific Northwest through a terribly long overcast winter, these pathlights have been a success story. They allow you to switch between warm and cool white light, choose an adjustable height, and even on our cloudiest days, come on reliably at night and stay light until 2-3 a.m. They feel sturdier than previous lights, and don’t come apart.
How to spotlight your garden features
The game-changer for me was using in-ground solar lights as uplights on my larger plantings. It does help add light to the yard generally, but isn’t really useful for navigation or walking. Instead, it helps create focal points and makes the yard look finished. In many ways, they’re better than wired lights because they can be placed anywhere, including your parking strip or spaces far flung from your outlets.
In-ground lights will work best for this, and again, they seem to have advanced mightily in the past years. Mine have already made it through two winters successfully, and I’ve yet to have one go out.
Place the lights at the very base of your shrubs, so it shines up into the shrub itself. For trees or larger plantings, place it a few feet away, aimed at the base, up into the tree. Examine it again at night to see what needs adjusting.
Novelty lights will illuminate one-off features
Do your delivery drivers a solid and get some light on your house numbers. There are numbers that have integrated lighting, but if you really love the numbers you have, add a solar light above them specifically for this purpose.
If you have a feature in your yard that would benefit from some additional lighting, like a water feature, novelties like lights shaped as rocks help disguise the lights during the day, so they’re better integrated.
Solar lights disguised as rocks illuminate this feature at night, but blend in well. Photo: Amanda Blum
You can add a lot of joy to your yard with solar lights that are purely for show, and if you can afford it, there are a lot of high-end solar options out there. These wild fennel lights from Nest & Flowers have been in my headspace for months after seeing them installed at a residence. Their solar glass pebbles are drool-worthy. I’m still trying to figure out how to DIY both.
There’s a good chance you’re underestimating the impact this type of lighting can have visually: Start simple by lighting the most essential footpaths of your yard and build from there. Your neighbors will notice.
