Anyone who has ever visited a public garden will know that they are usually illuminated after dark. The garden designer will often use accent lights to highlight specimen trees and shrubs, or to create a certain mood or tone in the garden space. Such a thing can be easily replicated by the home gardener who chooses to use solar lighting fixtures.
It is important to remember, however, that a lighting fixture doesn't disappear when the sun rises and the loveliest bed of roses can be made ugly by several large and unpleasant spotlights stuck in front of them. This is something to always keep in mind when selecting and placing garden fixtures.
Fortunately, anyone who wants to add decorative garden lighting, but who also wants to retain the charm of their daytime garden can do so with the many stylish and lovely solar powered lights. Because they are designed to be used strictly out of doors, solar fixtures are crafted from the same high-quality materials as traditional, hard wired fixtures. This means that copper, bronze and cast iron appear just as frequently in the solar powered selections as in the others.
Garden lighting can encompass everything from beauty to security and solar lighting fixtures are available for every need. There are sturdy and strong lamp posts, motion detector fixtures and even decorative strings of lights for porches and patios. The important thing for the gardener to do is remember that the lighting should highlight and accent the garden, but not be distracting. A good garden lighting plan takes into consideration the changes that occur throughout the seasons and will really emphasize the well-developed areas of a yard or garden.
The great thing about choosing solar lighting for a garden is that the fixtures can be quickly and easily installed without disrupting the plantings in any way at all. Consider that traditional electrical fixtures would require wiring, which could mean digging trenches to bury the lines, which in turn could mean digging up established beds and destroying roots.
Additionally, the appeal of solar lighting of any kind is that it requires only the initial investment, and then operates entirely for free thereafter. The light bulbs used in solar led lights are very efficient, and they offer an average life span of roughly sixty to one hundred thousand hours. This is compared to the standard fluorescent lifespan of twelve to twenty four thousand hours.
There are many practical reasons to use solar outdoor lighting, whether in your gardens, your lawn or walkway, your deck or patio. A few top reasons include the economical and environmental impacts. The fact that solar lights use sunlight for energy, which is free for gathering and storing, leads to both environmental and financial savings. Going green will save green!
Solar lights have a battery which is used for storage of solar energy. Since these batteries have such long lives, it is needful to replace them perhaps once every 2-3 years. This is one cost-saving measure.
There is also the fact that solar lights require no wiring, and therefore use electricity generated by the sun. They need no fuel except for the sun, so they will create no additional utility costs.
There is also no wasted energy, since these solar lights gather their own energy, store it in their batteries and use it efficiently.
They have built-in photo sensors that detect when darkness is falling, so that there is no need for the owner to install a switch to turn them on and off, or have to remember to flip the switch when one desires to have them on. They will automatically come on at the appropriate time. Then they will simply stay on until the battery runs out of stored energy or the sensor detects daylight again. This feature makes them both low-maintenance and extremely convenient, as well.
Solar lighting is also much brighter, at least in the first few hours after the lights come on, than standard lighting.
