Solar Garden Lights are much more popular today than ever before. Part of this is due to the higher quality lights that are now available at a lower cost. Early solar light company were expensive and, for the most part, poorly made. They had dim little bulbs that didn't produce much light, and even then, they would only burn a couple of hours at most. Today, for the cost of cheeseburger, you can get a light that will illuminate a decent area all night long. There has also been an increase in different styles that are available: spot lights, flood lights, decorative string lights and path lights.
Solar Path Lights
Leading the pack in popularity is the style of lights that are designed to be stuck in the ground along the walkway. These come in so many varieties that no matter what style of garden lighting you have chosen, you'll be able to find solar path lights to compliment you design. Pathway lights are designed to spread a circle of soft light down so that you can see the walkway, but not be so bright as to blind you.
Solar Spot and Flood Lights
Spot and flood lights are usually considered functional lighting and, although you can find decorative versions, typically, you get a light fixture with a solar panel attached. If you have a situation where you need to be able to mount the power pack a few feet away, you can get both of these types of lights with detached solar panels. This is especially handy if you want to mount the light under the eaves of your house, say beside an entrance door, but need to move the solar panel up on the roof so that it will get enough sun to power the light all night.
Decorative Solar Garden Lights
How about a dragonfly on a stake that will light up your garden at night? Or a colored glass ball, glowing from within. A garden fairy holding a lighted crystal ball. Gazing balls used to be daylight focal points. Now they not only light up at night, but also magically change colors, flowing gracefully from one to another. The garden lighting industry has changed dramatically with the invention of solar LED lights. Now you can buy whimsical lights that add color and visual appeal to your nighttime landscape for a relatively inexpensive price. Any spot that gets a few hours of sunlight each day is a candidate for a little lighted surprise for visitors to your garden after dark.
Solar String Lights
Solar string lighting is second in popularity only to the pathway lights. These are the types of lights that you've seen hanging from awnings and porch roofs. They are like Christmas lights, except that the bulbs have decorative covers over them. They can be found in glass or plastic versions, in hundreds of themes. Every season and every holiday has at least one strand of patio lights dedicated to it, as does every sport and almost every sports team. No matter who you are rooting for, you can show the whole world simply by stringing these lights around your deck and placing the attached solar panel in the sunshine for a few hours every day.
Going Green With Solar Garden Lights
The growing demand for "Green" products has sparked an increase in solar garden lighting. In this case, there is no downside. The companies that make and sell the products benefit, of course. The environment benefits because we are not using our natural resources for decorative purposes. But the homeowner benefits most of all; as technology increases, so does the quality and selection of the products available. In addition, they are able to enhance the beauty of their nighttime landscape, plus the safety and security of their family and visitors, without increasing their electric bill.