Solar Garden Lights ... Ornamental Lighting for Gardens
By far the majority of solar garden lights on the market are low powered ornamental lights, and as such come in a very wide variety of shapes and designs. For the most part they are lights that sit on top of a plastic post or stake between twelve and twenty inches high. The starting price for these lights is generally around $20 per single item, but can be far more expensive depending on the model you chose. These stand-alone lights may be places randomly in flowerbeds to give a pleasing effect after dark. There are several of these lights specifically designed to be placed alongside a driveway or garden path as very effective edge markers.
Nearly all of these garden lights contain a couple of AA rechargeable batteries, which are charged during the day by a few photovoltaic cells usually placed on top of the device. Most solar garden lights are advertised to give about six to eight hours of light before the batteries lose their charge. The batteries will normally charge on even an overcast day, though not fully - for that they need bright sunlight. Batteries for solar garden lights may need to be replaced after two or three years' continuous use.
I mentioned that most solar powered garden lights are those that sit on top of a short post. There are also designs that hang from trees or brackets that attach to the outside of a building as well as free standing lamp posts. There are also a number of very gimmicky lights available - glowing plastic balls that float on the surface of a pool or ornamental pond. There is a plastic globe that slowly changes color, going through all the colors of the rainbow. There are frogs that light up at night, turtles, and lighthouses - even artificial rocks to put in your rock garden. But the most gimmicky - plastic tulips that light up in the dark - available in red, white or purple!!
Other types of solar powered lights that may be classified as garden lights are floodlights and security lights, and I shall deal with these in a separate article. However it is worthwhile mentioning garden spotlights - a number of solar powered spot lights with a wide range of power output - 3 watts up to 150 watts - are available. These may be used for the illumination of certain garden features such as rock gardens, gateways or gazebos etc.