20 solar

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Light up your garden without increasing your energy bills

Solar-powered garden lights make a cheap and low maintenance addition to your home's outdoor scheme. They're not especially powerful – you'll need some mains-powered ones for proper illumination – but they're great for creating ambience, marking pathways and adding a final twinkly flourish.

There are plenty of styles on offer, including traditional stake lights for marking pathways and flowerbed edges, along with hanging lanterns, wall sconces and floor lamps. That's without mentioning all the fun decorative ones that are perfect for scattering in flowerbeds and staking into plant pots.

Solar lights use the sun's energy to charge the battery during the day before coming on in all their glowy glory in the evening. It means they won't add any cost to your energy bills, but may not shine as brightly on gloomier days. To help get the best from your lights, ensure they – or, the attached solar panel, in some cases – are kept in a well-lit area away from walls or where shadows are often cast.

The short answer is yes, but not as well. The more daylight the panels get to charge, the longer the bulbs will glow. So expect your lights to work for six to 10 hours in the evenings in the summer, which should gradually reduce as the nights start drawing in sooner. However, as you'll be less likely to sit outside come autumn, this shouldn't be so much of a problem.

Once it starts getting colder, it's best to bring your solar garden lights inside or store them in the shed, to ensure they stay in good condition for the next year.

Here are 20 of our favourite outdoor solar lamps, fairy lights and lanterns, so you can add some sparkle to your patio, tabletop, plant pots and garden fence in 2023.

Imagine how lovely your trellis or garden arch will look with these delicate lights wound around the frame. Choose from a 50, 100 or 200-light string.

This sleek, modern solar light has a diffuser to cast a larger pool of brightness. Unusually, it also has a motion sensor, so it's a good choice for illuminating your driveway, where you can be greeted with a cheery glow upon arriving back home.

Here's one of our favourite sets for this season. Sarah Raven's allium stake lights are expensive, but each piece contains 90 twinkly bulbs which sway gently in the breeze, making for a truly dreamy display when the sun goes down.

Nestle this set of three in your flowerbed for a subtle, Japanese garden-inspired glow.

Monkeys have been a familiar feature in the interiors world for a while now and we're still fond of their cheeky presence in our homes and gardens. This set of three friendly figures is guaranteed to make you smile when sat relaxing on your patio.

Staking some of these statement stars into your planter boxes adds something for you to enjoy, even when it's too dark to admire the blooms themselves.

These are pretty. They'll bring a bit of the Mediterranean to your outdoor space and cast some pretty shadows with a gentle glow. Use on the floor or suspend from your tree or pergola with the hanger.

More Moroccan vibes here but these hang in your trees instead. The mish-mash will help create a cosy, electic feel – finish the scheme with lots of colourful throws and cushions, leafy plants and an outdoor rug (or two – layering is key with looks like this).

Net lights will turn your boring bare fence into a style statement instantly. Simply add extra sets if you need more length. As they're solar-powered, they don't need to be connected together or to reach your outdoor plug.

Pop this on your garden table or cluster with some taller lights on your patio's edge. The colourful cool-toned lights create a different, more magical feel than you'd get with warmer options.

Recreate that pretty pub garden vibe in your own home with this long set of 60 festoon bulbs. Now you just need a garden bar!

The frosted finish here makes a chic display for illuminating front gardens and pathways. There's eight in a pack.

These solar stake lights are much larger than average and give off a subtle, flickering glow that's reminiscent of gentle flames.

These sweet little lanterns would look lovely hanging from a fence or the branches of a tree.

If you've got a set of rattan garden furniture, then you need a suitably themed solar lamp to match. This black John Lewis number is also available in a larger size.

Here's another set of four lights that give off a flickering flame effect. These are a little smaller, and cheaper, as a result.

These lights are only small but, at this price, you can afford to invest in several sets. With 10 per pack, there's plenty of stakes to help you create a decent glow around your pathways or the edge of your lawn.

These eclectic lights look really lovely when hung from a tree for an added bit of interest.

These look lovely when hung from a tree bough together. They'd also make lovely decorations for back garden weddings, a certain Coronation, and birthday parties going forward.

Set this frosted glass lamp on your outdoor table to illuminate your space as you enjoy the longer evenings outside.

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