Year round fairy lights- do they make your garden look like a pub?!

[linmanuel]

I have been coveting some outdoor led lights

But bit worried it would look like a beer garden

Thoughts

HomeHomeInTheRange

They are very bad for wildlife sad“

How so?

Genuinely interested. As in scaring wildlife away?

I guess she means LED? smile Could be solar or not?

Honestly that’s so funny 😂 it’s all LED irrelevant of lower or upper case, the question, clearly is is it solar or wired, because solar stays on all night, wired people often switch off if not in thr garden,

Is the length of time the light is on key? I have a number of motion sensor lights which come on for 30s or so. Great for keeping deer away from the veg bed, also lovely to see badgers eating food on the patio

@Orchidsonthetable

I guess she means LED? smile Could be solar or not?

Honestly that’s so funny 😂 it’s all LED irrelevant of lower or upper case, the question, clearly is is it solar or wired, because solar stays on all night, wired people often switch off if not in thr garden,

Yeah I know. I thought you didn’t know what led meant, given that you asked.

@FuzzyPuffling

Yes. They are also a (collective) pain for anyone who would like dark skies to do a bit of stargazing.

Don't be daft. She's looking a few strings if fairy lights. She not planning floods to rival old Trafford

We have solar powered ones. I didn’t know they were detrimental to wildlife! But we live in central london and the lights are pretty much powered out by about 6pm in the winter / 11pm in the summer and our neighbours literally never turn their flat lights off (!) (plus we’re next to a busy high street) so I don’t think any wildlife around here is going to be put off by our lights.

They look super nice. I love sitting out in the garden with them on.

Would really recommend the solar powered ones.

We've got some great tiny solar lights, wrapped round a dead tree in the garden (more attractive than it sounds!).
Ours only come on for 6 hours a day.

Next door neighbour has put up lights in order to MAKE it look like a pub garden at theirs. They spent days nailing them up all of the six foot panels at the back of their garden. Sadly the cosy, English country pub garden they envisaged is ruined somewhat by the copious amounts of dog crap they never bother clearing up and the piles of scrap metal and old appliances left to rot in their garden, after they did a kitchen refit two years ago!

I thought you didn’t know what led meant, given that you asked

Oh! I think nearly all adults know what an led light is…😀

I have some little solar lights wrapped around my apple tree, from the wrong angle it looks like a two fingered salute to my not so nice neighbour. Oops!

Folk at the house behind us have a huge collection of bright lights in their garden and have done for a few years. And yes, it looks like a beer garden

And no, they spend hardly any time out there other than in the summer.

We no longer get hedgehogs.

@HomeHomeInTheRange

They are very bad for wildlife

Eh, street lamps, 24 hour shops, peoples House lights don't think a few fairy lights in the garden will make much difference.

Bad for wildlife ? I assumed that they attracted fairies and having read...

It is believed that wherever fairies stay, they leave blessings. In your garden, that could mean more flowers, bigger vegetables, lusher lawns, and happier gardeners!

It's why I rushed out and bought some.
Have I been duped?
This bloody Government, you just can't trust them.

Crikey
Went to do bedtime
Was not expecting so many replies
Thank you all

Had not considered the wildlife element we are actually quite rural but do have neighbours so wouldn't want to annoy. Perhaps smaller twinklier solar ones would be better for the very few occasions (parties etc)

I was thinking of an led type festoon (hence I was worried about the pub garden look, as really mainly see them like that)

So annoying that my MN app won't let me add photos

Would really recommend the solar powered ones

Any recommendations?

We have lights around a small tree. Solar powered ones. As we have a street light shining above it, they won’t have any effect on wildlife that the street lamp doesn’t.
I quite like them. I was reluctant to get them but teen dd wanted them after seeing some at a friends and persuaded me.
Now we both really like them.

Our garden is festooned with lights of all sizes, shapes and energy sources. Can confirm we still attract all the London wildlife - we get a whole family of foxes, a badger, hedgehogs, bats, parakeets, crows, dormice, and once we even had a deer. We do have a coop of ducks, which I’m willing to suppose may counter the effects of the lights because it’s a veritable predator buffet; but even before we had them we still had regular wildlife.

And I’m not fussed if the garden does look like a pub. I happily serve drinks all year round a sight cheaper than our wanky local.

@MrsSkylerWhite

HomeHomeInTheRange

They are very bad for wildlife sad“

How so?

Genuinely interested. As in scaring wildlife away?

Moths and insects are attracted to the white light rather than flowers. This is because they use the glow from the moon/stars on pale coloured flowers to identify them and feed. But lights mask the flowers. They then starve and die. So then there are no insects for bats to eat or hedgehogs so they then move on to darker areas. Which them become over grazed and cannot sustain the numbers so they then die too.

@Thatsplentyjack they absolutely do. Mainly due to their proximity to flowers and other plants that nocturnal insects feed on.

Also, I find threads like these really depressing. On one hand MN is all "save the planet" by everyone doing a little bit. But then when there is something so simple that can have a direct effect it's all "well my neighbours have them" or "I'm sure just me isn't a big deal". Most people will have no idea what happens in their gardens overnight because you are asleep.

Very bad for wildlife,
bad for stargazing.

And I presume they dont last very long so probably fairly quickly end up in landfill.

@Fireflygal

Would really recommend the solar powered ones

Any recommendations?

I have these! Solar Led String Lights, 18FT 12... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TTP597Y?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

@Wafflesnsniffles

Very bad for wildlife, bad for stargazing. And I presume they dont last very long so probably fairly quickly end up in landfill.

The whole point of LEDs is that they last for thousands of hours. How often do you replace your indoor lightbulbs?

Ours are on a switch we only use them if we're out in the evening. I wouldn't want them on all the time - just seems odd.

@AuntyBumBum

What's wrong with beer gardens? Surely this is a bonus?

Beer garden is literally the look I'm aiming for! I have a picnic type bench and even bought one of those round black trays the pubs use 😁

Love a beer garden in summer! Love having one I don't need to walk or get an uber home from too!!