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June 19, 2017 · 35 Comments

How to Add Outdoor Ambiance

Gwin Gal Blog· Hardscape & Garden Art· OUTDOOR DECOR

Solar lights provide just enough light for outdoor ambiance but no glaring in-your-eye brightness. Here are some ideas for adding a touch of mystery to your backyard.

The first solar chandelier that I made, was beautiful, but didn’t last. So after some research, I did a redo and it worked perfectly.

A gardening friend of mine had solar cattails in her garden, but she had gotten them from a store up north that we don’t have down south, so I was really pleased to find some on clearance at Walmart! They are strategically placed beside Uncle Henry’s goldfish pond.

Solar lighting adds ambiance to outdoor living space

A solar spotlight in a flower pot makes fun light on a deck fountain. It’s just enough light to show off the fountain, but not enough to ruin the romance.

Put path lights into flower pots and set it by the deck stairs for safety. It not only identifies where the steps start to its right, but mine also sits at the edge of the deck and makes the drops off more visible.

Light your arbor nicely with these solar string lights.

This accidental photo of the arbor is pretty cool I think.

String lights work great in many places.

See that green light to the right of the window? I can’t even remember where I got it, but it is one of my favorites.Β It’s a cute painted metal flower and the light changes colors.

*This post contains affiliate links to products or companies that I truly love and believed in before I joined the affiliate program. If you use these linksΒ to make a purchase, I will be compensated at no extra cost to you.*


You might remember my Ginger Rock Garden. I have several “ball” solar lights in that garden. Most of them don’t work anymore, but I still like them, so I leave them.

I am thinking about spray painting them to update them. What do you think?

Do you love solar lights? I want more.

How to easily & cheaply add outdoor ambiance

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like Garden Art.

 

 


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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Hollowell says

    June 19, 2017 at 5:38 am

    I will have to show this post to Hunter. He LOVES lighting of most any kind. He has bought cheap solar landscape lights from Walmart and done all sorts of things with them. I have never really thought about it before but it would be very nice to have solar lights along the walkway to the front door, so we can actually see where we are going when we come home in the dark. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Lisa Hollowell says

      June 19, 2017 at 5:38 am

      Oh and those cattail solar lights are really really cool!

      Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 19, 2017 at 9:39 am

      Lisa, I have used the cheapo path lights from the Dollar Tree and they last for a couple of years! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Lisa Hollowell says

        June 19, 2017 at 10:58 am

        Just showed Hunter the post – he said “Oh I LOVE outdoor lighting…” Of course he loves most any lighting!

        Reply
        • gwingal says

          June 19, 2017 at 2:59 pm

          Ha! Have I ever told you how much I love your kids??? πŸ™‚

          Reply
  2. Linda says

    June 19, 2017 at 8:39 am

    Lighting is the key for creating nice ambiance. Looks like you have it covered. I would try painting those balls for some added color. Thank you for sharing at DI&DI.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 19, 2017 at 9:40 am

      Thanks Linda! Now I have to decide what color…. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Rosemary Davis says

    June 19, 2017 at 10:29 am

    I love your idea of solar lights in potted plants. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it before? I going. To pick up a few next HD trip and light up a few dark spots in my garden.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 19, 2017 at 10:08 pm

      Rosemary, it took me a while to realize that path lights look good (or better) in other places than lining a path. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Christine @ www.rustic-refined.com says

    June 20, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    Wow, your garden looks great at night. Plus those solar cat tails? Those are genius!

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 20, 2017 at 4:01 pm

      Thanks Christine. I love sitting out there at night. (after the mosquitos leave!) πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. sizzlesue15 says

    June 20, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    Perfect for long summer evenings. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing with us at #overthemoon link party. I’ve shared on social media. Have a great week and see you at the next OTM.
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
    http://www.sizzlingtowardssixty.com.au

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 20, 2017 at 10:09 pm

      So true Sue! We have been sitting out there every night after supper. Loving it! Thanks for visiting and sharing. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. K.Rupp says

    June 21, 2017 at 8:01 am

    I love garden lights!!! I don’t really have any…..I am adding some of these ideas to the list!!

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 21, 2017 at 9:06 am

      You will LOVE it! It makes things look so different. Thanks for visiting! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. Oh My Heartsie Girl says

    June 21, 2017 at 9:44 am

    I love adding solar lights to my backyard, many are in pots.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 21, 2017 at 6:47 pm

      Karen I really like them in pots! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. MyHusbandHasTooManyHobbies says

    June 21, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    Nikki, I love solar lights too! Love those cattail lights. I haven’t seen them around here, but maybe because I wasn’t looking for them . . πŸ™‚ Thanks so much for sharing with us!

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 21, 2017 at 6:48 pm

      I haven’t noticed them this year either Laurie. But I am always on the lookout for something different. Well, different that I can afford. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. Debbie-Dabble says

    June 25, 2017 at 8:43 am

    Love all of your solar lighting ideas!! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 25, 2017 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you Debbie! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  10. harropaj says

    June 25, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    I love solar lighting too and lights in the garden they are so nice

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 25, 2017 at 9:31 pm

      Aren’t they fun?! Thanks for visiting. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Leanna says

    June 26, 2017 at 12:32 am

    Solar lights are gorgeous and whimsical when scattered in little spots around the garden. Yours add whimsy to your yard. Love how you did them.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 26, 2017 at 11:36 am

      Thanks Leanna. They do seem magical. Lovely to see you again! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  12. acraftymix says

    June 28, 2017 at 2:20 am

    Your garden looks so lovely Nikki, all those lights make it look like a fairy tale at night. So beautiful

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 28, 2017 at 10:07 am

      Thank you Michelle. I do enjoy sitting outside. Thanks for visiting! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  13. Kathleen Aherne (@CoolTweed) says

    June 29, 2017 at 5:13 am

    Your photos, garden and lights are just lovely. I do love solar lights, I don’t have a garden any more but I still love solar lights on my balcony.

    Kathleen
    Blogger’s Pit Stop

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 29, 2017 at 9:32 am

      Oh I think its great that solar lights will work on your balcony! Thanks so much for visiting Kathleen. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  14. Beverly Roderick says

    June 29, 2017 at 8:36 pm

    Your outdoor lighting looks lovely, Nikki. Lots of great touches. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle. Pinning.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      June 29, 2017 at 10:17 pm

      Thank you Beverly! I love the magic quality it gives the garden. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  15. Melissa Storms says

    November 11, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    That is all so lovely. We have to pick up a screen house to sit outside here after dark. I plan to get one for next year. I love the light up punks and your arbor.

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      November 12, 2017 at 8:42 am

      We have a lot of bugs here in the summer! Have you tried citronella torches? They seem to help some. Or my husband just builds a fire…. Those gnats we’ve been having are terribly aggravating! I hope you do get you a screen house soon! Thanks for visiting my backyard Melissa! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. Dee | Grammy's Grid says

    October 1, 2018 at 9:34 pm

    Everything looks nice, I really like the cattails, very unique. The chandelier and the lights in the flower pot is nice too! Yes, paint the balls, maybe a metallic color. I love solar lights but they seem to burn out too quickly. I also like for them to be extra bright, haven’t found any like that yet. Thank you Nikki for linking up at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty 31! Shared x 4 β™₯

    Reply
    • gwingal says

      October 5, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      Yes, solar lights are not usually bright. You certainly could NOT read by them. They are more of an ambiance glow. I just like that I don’t have to have electricity run to all these places. Thanks Dee! πŸ™‚

      Reply

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