This Clever Outdoor Lighting Trend Is Quietly Replacing Harsh Floodlights This Summer – and It’s Budget-Friendly!

The evening winding down into nightfall is by far my favorite part of the day, especially during the summer months. After a busy day I love watching the world wind down as sunsets take over the sky and I switch on my cozy lighting instead of the harsh overheads.

It seems like gardeners have been feeling the same way this year, preferring to opt for solar-powered lanterns that offer a soothing, subtle ambience instead of the harsher bulbs of floodlights.

I decided to chat to an assortment of yard pros to try to understand why this shift has happened and what the pros and cons of switching out floodlighting in your yard for solar lighting are. Here’s what I found out.

Why Are Solar Lights Popular Right Now?

Solar-powered lights are super popular right now because the weather for them is ideal! When you’re out enjoying a peaceful moment in the yard alone or entertaining company, the day’s worth of sunlight will have likely already charged up your solar lamps to max capacity.

As Mirela Bajic, Senior Garden Designer at House Designer, explains, “Summer is when people live in their gardens, eating out, entertaining, sitting out late, so their garden lighting creates a nice atmosphere. Solar lights are great because long days mean they charge properly and perform at their best.”

Moreover, as people are often out late in their yards making the most out of the lovely weather before fall rolls in they may find themselves still outdoors when the sky begins to darken. Solar-powered lighting offers the perfect level of ambient lighting to bridge this gap at dusk, giving a soft amount of light to a yard so a person can see better when a huge level of extra lighting isn’t needed.

What Are the Pros and Cons?

There are a number of pros and cons that come with using solar-powered lighting, but there seem to be notably more positives to negatives.

Mirela notes that solar-powered lights having “no running cost or cables” are major selling points, especially as the world only seems to be becoming more expensive to live in. Mirela also added that solar lamps are “easy to rearrange and move around” in comparison to other outdoor lighting like floodlighting, which is often larger or anchored down.

Many gardeners adore solar lamps over floodlighting because it adds a warm glow to a yard instead of a harsh glare. You can also find solar lamps in various different styles, shapes, and colors to suit your vision.

However, a major con for solar lamps is their dependency on good, unblocked sunlight to run and the fact that cheaper models often only last a couple of seasons.

Angelika Zaber, a lawn care specialist and gardening expert at Online Turf, shares, “When it comes to disadvantages, solar lights may not change enough to keep your garden well-lit all night, especially if they are placed in a shady area during the day. They also tend to provide subtle light, so if you want your space to be well-lit, you may need to buy a lot of them or invest in some additional light sources.

“The batteries also tend to only last a few years. After that time, you may need to either swap the batteries or invest in new solar lights.”

Overall solar lamps are still a great addition to a yard. But if you’re hoping to solely rely on solar lighting in your space, it’s best to invest in quality lighting systems and place them in areas where they will receive as much sunlight as possible throughout the day.

Where Can You Put Solar Lamps?

The pros have already established the importance of placing your solar lamps in areas with good natural levels of sunlight, so if any of the below suggestions also happen to be somewhere where your lamps would receive enough sun they would make a great choice!

• Along a pathway: Mirela suggests, “I like solar lights placed along a path or steps, low and repeated. They’re practical and they draw the eye through the garden.”
• In spaces between foliage where sunlight still charges your lamps from above: Mirela says, “I also like them clustered at ground level among planting, so the light comes up through the leaves.”
• In areas of your yard you may need to access during a powercut, such as a shed: Angelika says, “Solar lamps are great in case of power outages since you do not have to rely on the main power supply.”

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