My wife is a big fan of cheap Solar lighting. We probably have 3 or 4 different types, a dozen or so of each, in a box in the garage. I don't recall them lasting very long at all. There are replacement batteries and bulbs that you can buy on Amazon. IMO low voltage lighting would be the better option.

My neighbor's yard and areas around the foundation of their home remind me of an airport and the landing strips. Plus they have a wrought iron street lamp in the middle of their back yard on a timer. So it's on all night,too. ugh.

I did find some nice solar lanterns to hang in the garden, one over and to the side of the garden gate and another one hanging in the sunken garden. The lanterns were only $18.99 but so far have survived all kinds of weather. Battery power is decent, and they give off an amber light, not the cold LED type. I no longer have the boxes and there are no names on the lanterns themselves, so I can't pass that info along.

There's no outdoor outlet any where near there so I'm just envisioning something like Schoolhouse describes, just a little light around the edge of the garden defining the path. But I don't want something shoddy plastic that will just wear out in less than a year and then I'll have to throw it away . . . like the ones I have.

We have low voltage lighting in our very shady front yard, but I wanted to try a single solar light out back. So far I'm very impressed. For $10 it does exactly what I wanted it to. Btw, it's metal construction.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Solar-Black-Outdoor-Integrated-LED-3000K-40-Lumens-Warm-White-Landscape-Metal-Spot-Light-with-Solar-Panel-NXT-1905/302620153?MERCH=REC

I like ours very much. We have two solar spots in the back garden and two in the front in addition to our exterior uplights on the front of the house. These are the two in the back casting what I think is nice light and shadows (pic taken just after we installed them a couple of years ago). They are metal and nicely constructed. The boxes they came in says Robust Lighting and we got them online but I can't remember where.

LOL Ida, with a name like "robust lighting" sounds like just what I'm looking for!

Edited to add that these are the ones I have. Barely lit at all even when new, now completely useless, https://www.amazon.com/Pathway-Wireless-Stainless-Brighten-Outdoor/dp/B073W19YSQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=robust+solar+path+lights&qid=1565533650&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzVUZaWDNSTTM2QUFHJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUxMzY5M0RQNFBHSDRZSUVFVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODAxNTU0MTlLSkpJNlo4UjVLRCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Mine are fairly inexpensive, from costco but have lasted 2 years so far. (Touch wood...). I like how they look in our backyard. This is not the best picture because the glorious full moon was the star, and because the moonlight overshadows the solar lights. (Boy Im full of mixed metaphors today, the moon being the star, the moon overshadowing solar lights...)

IdaClaire,

i love the look of yours, would you think they would work to light up a large tree in our backyard.

i am looking on amazon and they do have some spot solars but I am not sure which are like yours. If you get a moment could you look and let me know if you spot yours.

thanks

We have 6 in our back yard. I wouldn't use them in the front, but in the back you are viewing them from the patio (back is private and at far back of property there's a privacy fence). They are not too "fake white" if that makes sense. Our patio is between the wall of the garage/workshop and the sunroom - which makes the patio inset, if that makes sense. Patio edge is curved. There are a few pieces of flagstone that lead off the patio. On either side of the flagstone, we use 3 solar lights - spaced. They are good quality metal and glass, an oil rubbed bronze color. They look nice at night, and that is the area I take the pup out (occasionally during the night) and gives a bit more light to the area. I'm not sure where we bought them - possibly Lowes.

Hey Lyban - we actually have 4 of the solar spots in our front bed, and one is aimed up to highlight our adolescent live oak. I think they work very well to nicely accent landscaping. Below are a few pics; I took what info I could find from the box, but still can't tell you where we got them. DH thought Amazon, and I was thinking more like online from Home Depot or Lowes. Anyway, hopefully this will be of some help.

IdaClaire,

thank you so much for that information. I will try to find them or something similar.

much appreciated.

I believe IdaClaire posted her lighting before, because I added them to my Amazon list. Still haven't pulled the trigger on them, and kinda forgot until now!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XTMFFWW/?coliid=IH2H0Y4WBXVOS&colid=1JI0RNBMJURDD&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Ida, how close is that live oak to your house? They require a lot of room.

I have a very long dark rock walkway from the street sidewalk to my front door. I just have about a dozen cheep (1.00 ) ones. They give enough light to walk without falling. I get them at Walmart, and replace them every two or three years. Most are still working,and I put them in my planters.

Good job, Alex! That's them!

I would agree they don't last long which is why I buy them cheap cheap cheap. I have a few scattered along the front walk for no reason other than I like them. In my climate and with the way I garden putting in low voltage is not worth the entire day it would take and the maintenance--no thank you.

I dislike the LED blue hue on the ones that I have seen. Too harsh for me. But the softer lights, tucked into plants, can look lovely.

Agree with Jo. If it’s a nice soft glow, I like them, but too many look blue. I like the look of lights shining up into a tree such as a birch.