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The best solar garden lights for creating a beautiful outdoor environment

Solar lighting is arguably one of the most convenient things to happen to outdoor spaces. You get to add lights wherever you need to — no fussy cords, electrical wiring, or fire hazards required. Instead, you get soft, gentle light– like these top choices on our list offer — and upgrade your outdoor space to something truly magical.

Solar lights are convenient because you can place them anywhere you need illumination or accent lighting. The sun takes care of business, and you get to enjoy the lights coming on in the evenings like clockwork. These choices from our list are fun, whimsical, and practical — there’s a product for every need. Let’s take a look.

TAKE ME Garden Solar Lights

Cutest Design

This adorable owl is made up of a series of solar lights with rust-resistant metal in the shape of a whimsical woodland creature. It features an automatic on for up to six hours of run time every evening. The lights connect, and batteries are included, so it works right out of the box. The micro-LED lights last a long time, and the stake is durable enough for lots of weather. Just switch it on and you're ready to go.

SUNNEST Stainless-Steel Outdoor Solar Lights

Best Overall Garden Lights

These traditional style solar lights come in a 12-pack and work together to create lighting wherever you need it. They feature a clear LED light with weatherproof housing and come on at dark for up to 10 hours of overnight lighting. The stake is easy to drive into the ground and they're discreet enough for garden or path lighting. They're water-resistant and require some assembly at first.

Wohome Solar Garden Stake Lights

Best Colors

These happy solar lights feature flower shapes and vibrant colors, bringing a ton of whimsy into the garden. They feature a color-changing pattern with a broad solar panel to capture light even in cloudy weather, and the flowers are adjustible. They offer up to eight hours of light on a charge and come on automatically in the evenings. The three-pack features four lilies on a single stake.

Solpex Solar Pathway Lights

Brightest Light

Many solar-powered lights produce a gentle glow, but not this option. These stake lights offer a bright white LED with double rings of pathway light for visual interest. They're made of heavy-duty weather-resistant materials and UV while producing up to eight hours of light on a full charge. They're easy to install and come in a convenient eight pack.

Allow solar lighting to handle your outdoor illumination without expensive and difficult electrical wiring. These options feature reliable and automatic lights with simple operation and a long life. Whether you need something whimsical or you’re going for coverage, there’s something on the list for you. Now, you just need a little creativity to set up your lighting and enjoy your outdoor space during the evenings.

Good, better, best: The best warm, stylish outdoor fire pits for your patio
best outdoor fire pits bowl

When the seasons change, the air becomes crisp, and the mercury starts to fall, certain cravings start to well up. For some it’s football, or cozy clothes, or pumpkin spice. But let’s talk a minute about fire. Nothing else has the ability to bring people together and capture attention quite the way that a cheerful flame does. If you’re not so sure, try this experiment. Set up a fire pit on your driveway and, right around sunset, fire it up. Chances are, you’ll have visitors before long. As long as it’s not the fire department or your HOA authorities, it should make for some good conversation.

Whether you’re a long time believer in the power of a fire pit and need to replace one after years of faithful service, or you’re just looking for a good reason to be outdoors in the pleasant fall evenings, we’ve got a few suggestions. You could go with an easy to use gas burner, and forgo the smoke and ash, but then you would also miss out on the smell. We believe that a little bit of seasoned hickory, oak, or maple aroma is an essential part of the deeper fire pit experience. So, we’ve assembled this list of outstanding wood-burning fire pits based on durability, ease of use, styling, and price point.

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How to install solar lights to save on electricity and protect the planet
illuminated yard light at night

Tired of walking through a dark yard at night? Outdoor solar lights offer an affordable, convenient way to illuminate the landscape without the hassle of wiring. Best of all, DIY installation is beginner-level easy.

We’ve assembled these solar landscape lighting tips to help you decide if this is the best solution for you. Each brand and style of solar yard light differs somewhat on installation details, so it's important to read and follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Just ahead, read the basic steps for installing these lights, along with key considerations as you plan your project.
How to install solar lights
For this project you will need:

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Good, better, best: Outdoor sheds for garden storage
Garden storage shed

Once you start to hunker down on the gardening life, you’ll eventually find yourself in need of space to store all of your planting tools. Luckily, plenty of garden storage sheds exist out there. Still, having a host of choices can be overwhelming, in and of itself! If you have limited garage space or don’t want to go back into the house every time you need to grab your supplies, an outdoor garden shed may just be what you need. Ahead, we break down three choices for the top picks out there and give them a good, better, best ranking to help you choose one that suits your home and needs.
Good: Rubbermaid Horizontal Storage Shed
The Rubbermaid Horizontal Storage Shed is a good choice when you’ve accumulated quite a few garden supplies but don’t need a full-blown shed yet. It has a convenient, horizontal size at 34 x 55 x 28 inches, the perfect dimensions for storing your fertilizers, pruning scissors, gloves, watering cans, sprays, and other tools. The construction is also high-quality—it’s made from a water-resistant resin material and features double-walled construction that resists leaking and denting.

Because it’s essentially plastic, this outdoor garden shed resists rot, mold, and insect damage as well. At $230, you get a high-quality product that can compactly store supplies for a small garden, and the assembly shouldn’t take you any longer than half an hour. The drawback is that it is relatively modest in size, so you’ll need extra storage when you expand your gardening toolkit. And while it can accommodate a lock and some shelving, you’ll need to purchase those items separately. Some reviewers have mentioned slight warping when you leave the shed outside for too long, so be careful about extreme temperatures!

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