These are the best solar lights for garden beds for those that want a bright, white glow that will show off the color and detail of your flowers at night.
I love spending time in my yard. I think this is thanks to my parents who always provided us with lots of space to play, encouraged us to be outside, and put a great deal of effort into carving out pretty spaces for evening meals and family gatherings.
The home they've been in now for over 30 years has two ground-level patios and my mother has surrounded each with an ever-growing arrangement of daisies, daffodils, rose bushes, and other perennials.
She puts so much love into them and sends me pictures of the pretty blooms every summer. It's easy to understand why she'd add lights to them. It allows her to enjoy those hard-earned results for more hours during those few short months that they're flowering in full glory.
Using solar options, too, means no one has to dig up the ground to run any line, you don't need a control box, and they save on your electric bill and if your beds are viewable from the street they add amazing curb appeal.
But what style should be used to fully illuminate rows of petunias, pansies or geraniums?
At first I thought it might be as simple as choosing something I liked but I found out that some styles work better than others.
After watching a number of videos and reading through some how-to guides it seemed the best style of solar lights that would really showcase the flowers themselves were either those that stood above the flowers and cast light downwards or a floodlight style that sits outside the bed and allows you to adjust the head to point at the beds.
That second option, though, only works if there's a solid structure behind the beds because otherwise you risk having light run past the bed and into whatever is behind it - windows into your home, into the faces of those pulling into your driveway, or lighting up less attractive sections of your yard.
With those things in mind I set out to put together this list of the ones I thought would work for nearly any situation but there were a few more things I thought were important to use in my selection process.
I stuck with products made mostly of metal and glass because they don't fade like those made of plastic. They require less upkeep and last longer.
I also chose only those that cast a fairly bright light as they'll better show the true colors of the petals so you get the same look at night that you're used to seeing during the day.
Of course, since these are also likely to be visible during the day I wanted ones that looked nice, too!
The following five products all met my criteria, have strong consumer ratings, and should do a great job.
The glass lamps have a dimpled surface that casts a pretty, patterned light and they come as a set of 4 or 8.
The tops are wider than the lamps which helps push the light down towards your flowers.
These are the 2nd tallest ones on my list at 16.54 inches from the very top to the bottom of the stake.
The stake itself is made of plastic and while some customers had issues with those breaking, I have used them before without issue. Just use a thick large screwdriver or a metal stake to prepare the hole first.
The lamps have a textured surface that casts a circle of light directly below with spokes of light that extend from that circle.
The resulting light covers a 4x4 foot area and as they come in a set of 6 this gives you 96 square feet of coverage.
If you position them so that the spokes of light extend just beyond your border you'll not only highlight your flowers but also frame the bed with an an interesting light effect.
The caps and stems are made of metal that is a dark bronze color. The lamps are made of glass with a metal frame.
The glass is dimpled and throws a light that is a circle at the center with scattered drops on the outskirt.
The caps are 5.3 inches wide and extend beyond the glass in order to keep the light pointing down.
They come as a set of six.
They come as a set of six and the light is bright but warm with a strength of 25 lumens.
The caps are 5.5 inches wide the total height is 15.8 inches which means they'll stand about a foot above the ground.
The solar panel is built into the cap so as long as it's exposed to the sun for 6-8 hours you'll get approximately 8 hours of charge to go through the night.
Silver stainless steel caps and bases with thick glass globes, these solar stake lights cast a bright white LED light on your pretty flower beds.
They stand 13 inches above the ground, look pretty on their own, and the 5 inch width of the caps pushes light down.
They're water-resistant and can be left out in all kinds of weather. The solar panel is inset flat into the top of the cap.
They're bright and easy to install. A plastic stake fits into the base. Just push that stake into the ground or a prepared hole and then insert the light over the stake.
They're well made and the dimpled glass throws direct light in a ring at the base of the stake with spokes of light extending outwards.
If you're looking for more color, I've been testing out these color-changing floodlights in my yard and love them!
I love spending time in my yard. I think this is thanks to my parents who always provided us with lots of space to play, encouraged us to be outside, and put a great deal of effort into carving out pretty spaces for evening meals and family gatherings.
The home they've been in now for over 30 years has two ground-level patios and my mother has surrounded each with an ever-growing arrangement of daisies, daffodils, rose bushes, and other perennials.
She puts so much love into them and sends me pictures of the pretty blooms every summer. It's easy to understand why she'd add lights to them. It allows her to enjoy those hard-earned results for more hours during those few short months that they're flowering in full glory.
Using solar options, too, means no one has to dig up the ground to run any line, you don't need a control box, and they save on your electric bill and if your beds are viewable from the street they add amazing curb appeal.
But what style should be used to fully illuminate rows of petunias, pansies or geraniums?
At first I thought it might be as simple as choosing something I liked but I found out that some styles work better than others.
After watching a number of videos and reading through some how-to guides it seemed the best style of solar lights that would really showcase the flowers themselves were either those that stood above the flowers and cast light downwards or a floodlight style that sits outside the bed and allows you to adjust the head to point at the beds.
That second option, though, only works if there's a solid structure behind the beds because otherwise you risk having light run past the bed and into whatever is behind it - windows into your home, into the faces of those pulling into your driveway, or lighting up less attractive sections of your yard.
With those things in mind I set out to put together this list of the ones I thought would work for nearly any situation but there were a few more things I thought were important to use in my selection process.
I stuck with products made mostly of metal and glass because they don't fade like those made of plastic. They require less upkeep and last longer.
I also chose only those that cast a fairly bright light as they'll better show the true colors of the petals so you get the same look at night that you're used to seeing during the day.
Of course, since these are also likely to be visible during the day I wanted ones that looked nice, too!
The following five products all met my criteria, have strong consumer ratings, and should do a great job.
Silver and Glass Solar Flower Bed Lights
The glass lamps have a dimpled surface that casts a pretty, patterned light and they come as a set of 4 or 8.
The tops are wider than the lamps which helps push the light down towards your flowers.
These are the 2nd tallest ones on my list at 16.54 inches from the very top to the bottom of the stake.
The stake itself is made of plastic and while some customers had issues with those breaking, I have used them before without issue. Just use a thick large screwdriver or a metal stake to prepare the hole first.
Copper Garden Solar Stake Lights
The lamps have a textured surface that casts a circle of light directly below with spokes of light that extend from that circle.
The resulting light covers a 4x4 foot area and as they come in a set of 6 this gives you 96 square feet of coverage.
If you position them so that the spokes of light extend just beyond your border you'll not only highlight your flowers but also frame the bed with an an interesting light effect.
Bronze Metal Solar Lights for Gardens
The caps and stems are made of metal that is a dark bronze color. The lamps are made of glass with a metal frame.
The glass is dimpled and throws a light that is a circle at the center with scattered drops on the outskirt.
The caps are 5.3 inches wide and extend beyond the glass in order to keep the light pointing down.
They come as a set of six.
Metal and Glass Solar Stake Lights
They come as a set of six and the light is bright but warm with a strength of 25 lumens.
The caps are 5.5 inches wide the total height is 15.8 inches which means they'll stand about a foot above the ground.
The solar panel is built into the cap so as long as it's exposed to the sun for 6-8 hours you'll get approximately 8 hours of charge to go through the night.
Silver stainless steel caps and bases with thick glass globes, these solar stake lights cast a bright white LED light on your pretty flower beds.
They stand 13 inches above the ground, look pretty on their own, and the 5 inch width of the caps pushes light down.
They're water-resistant and can be left out in all kinds of weather. The solar panel is inset flat into the top of the cap.
They're bright and easy to install. A plastic stake fits into the base. Just push that stake into the ground or a prepared hole and then insert the light over the stake.
They're well made and the dimpled glass throws direct light in a ring at the base of the stake with spokes of light extending outwards.
If you're looking for more color, I've been testing out these color-changing floodlights in my yard and love them!