photo credit: rengber

The solar garden lantern, though a staple of outdoor lighting, remains a top pick among solar products. The consumer now has a wide array of choices for styles and materials, not to mention pricing. Another common option is the use of a single solar panel for multiple lights, which allows for placement in areas once considered too shady for a lantern.

Low voltage string lights are a natural evolution of solar power in the backyard. The solar panel can be placed in an area of maximum sun exposure, and the entire string will sparkle evenly long after sunset. Styles run from simple white holiday lights to large and colorful Chinese lanterns.

Adjustable solar landscape lighting allows for the illumination of trees, walls and garden artifacts. Without the need for a power source, placement of solar landscape lighting is easy and flexible, even at the edges of a property or driveway.

Solar fountains bring the welcome sound of running water into the yard, minus the worries about wasting electricity. Placing a fountain near a bedroom window creates a peaceful background for sleep, and there is no need to turn the power off. Many times these garden decorations also double as bird baths.

photo credit: Ian Muttoo

Many are re-discovering garden decorations brought to life by the use of solar power. For example, kissing fairies once hidden after sunset now have their snowy faces illumined by the light of a glowing orb. Likewise, a trio of gnomes hold lit lanterns high to see the trail ahead. The whole yard can indeed be a wonder at night.

For the backyard connoisseur who must have it all, a solar patio umbrella provides both an attractive and practical solution. During the day solar cells gather energy as the umbrella provides shade; during the night LED lights on the underside of the umbrella provide light for meals and socializing. The system can be turned off at any time and the solar cells will continue to gather energy.

As a final step, check the sales rank of products to help find the best solar landscape lights on the market. Adding motion, sound and lighting to the yard without the guilt of wasting energy provides a special satisfaction. In addition to bringing enjoyment, it can also be surprisingly easy and economical.

To further investigate the solar lights and decorations in this article visit Robert Mann’s Solar Garden Center .

When you live with an Interior Designer there is never any question about what to do on the inside of your home; they always make it look spectacular! I have also recently discovered that their design knowledge carries over to the outside as well with a couple of tweaks here in there.
photo credit: Jeff Sandquist

One such issue has to do with the look and feel of your yard as well as what you would like to plant where. It is very important to think about placement and color as well as season. Plants come up at different times of the year and some need full sun while others will require shade.

Once you realize the differences you will need to consider, the help you may need to hire and the time it will take you from start to finish, you can then get down to business. To begin with let us look at some of the design elements you will want to consider.

One that comes to mind first is always balance. At first it would seem that balance would be whatever is on the left should also be on the right but that’s not really true. Balance is achieving a flow throughout your outdoor space where no one thing that overwhelms the whole.

In other words, putting up a large greenhouse in the middle of your backyard does not create balance. Having paths that go to the greenhouse along with other gardens and areas can create a wonderful balance throughout the entire space.

If you can look at your outdoor space as a natural place for meditation and think in terms of what one would love to hear, see, touch or smell then you can imagine bringing in elements such as water, fire, wind and earth.
photo credit: Scoobymoo

Planting flowers that bring the earth out of its shell or a water fall or small stream to listen to and just relax. All of these are wonderful ways to fulfill this since of balance in a natural way.

This brings us to the next element of design; rhythm. Nature has natural rhythm’s that you hear and see in the earth, wind, fir, water elements but you also find it in colors or plants, even in the types of grass or grasses you use in the different parts of your yard.

The patterns you use in the stonework or pattern you plant with in a garden. All of these things have an impact on the rhythm of your outdoor spaces.

You want you yard to sing in perfect harmony with you and you do that by using the rhythms and balance that we have discussed. The thing I love about harmony is it’s not all packaged and pretty for to have harmony there must be contrast.

There is always a little “bad” to make sure the “good” is noticed. It is almost always subtle and wonderful.

That brings me to the last element I will discuss, which is focal points. You might have one main focal point or main one and several smaller ones. Either setup can work as long as you remember the other design elements.

You might have a storage shed towards the back of the yard that you do not want to highlight though it’s large so you use an elegant cedar arbor to bring your eye away from the shed to a lovely garden area.

Everyone in your household has great ideas that should be explored and developed to see if they can be incorporated into your overall plan. To help you eliminate, design and decorate your yard it is well worth the effort to hire someone with a design background and experience.

Every effort should be made to have the best outdoor spaces to match the great indoor space of your dreams. Get started today!