Garden lights - which ones?

[finallysomesunshine]

I'm ridiculously indecisive and I also can't make sense of what is what - so I'm looking for recommendations!

We have a u-shaped terrace (4x5 metres), surrounded by raised beds. I'd like to get some pretty lights to give the area a twinkly feeling - they don't need to provide much 'real' light (we're in a city), more a pretty ambience. Ideally I'd be able to leave them outside May-Septemberish. We have an outdoor plug, so they can either plug into that, or they need to be solar powered. I'd rather pay more for something that lasts.

I get into a total muddle about how many lights, how waterproof, is solar going to last, outdoor transformers, replaceable bulbs - help!!

Does anyone have a setup they love and can recommend?

watching with interest!

We wanted:
Robust light that would last - that meant excluding solar
Dimmable
Replaceable weatherproof bulbs
Extendable system so we could chose the length we needed.

We chose a commercial lighting system - it was definitely more expensive but it's built to last longer than one season - we used this company. We had an outside plug and we were able to hang them down the length of the garden ourselves. We used clipped hooks to hold the lights in place. They even work on a remote control - so we can switch them on from the house and not the socket!

https://www.festive-lights.com/festoon-lights

www.amazon.com/FSAH-Q-Hanger-Outdoor-Hanging-Christmas/dp/B0DGQFK2ST?th=1

Thank you! I’ve been looking at something really similar but more expensive so this is really helpful. Which ones do you have - the link goes to lots? And for some reason the Amazon link is to the US Amazon which I can’t see either…

I'm not in the UK at the moment - try searching for 36 PCS Q-Hanger Hooks, Screw Hooks for Outdoor String Lights, Safety Buckle Design Cup Eye Hook for Hanging Christmas Lights, Plants, Wind Chimes, Mounted on Wall Ceiling, Include 1 Wing Nut Driver

And the lights we got www.festoonlighting.com/products/10m-20-sockets-black-e27-connectable-festoon-belt?_pos=1&_sid=52c1e2ebc&_ss=r

Don't recall what dh used to make the whole system remote controlled I suspect he used Tapo. I'll find out more details from him if this is something you'd like to do.

rhis is amazingly helpful - THANK YOU! Remote control will depend on how pricey it is, I think (am a bit of a meanie on these things and it’s not a big deal to walk up and turn them on!

one final question - bulbs! There seem to be lots of different options at startlingly different price points - what did you go for?

I have just come across your thread so you may have bought your lights already! I have solar lights out every summer. Basically you get what you pay for. Some are cheap and cheerful but may only last on season. I always try to buy stake lights where you can replace the batteries. Some types are soldered in and you can't do this. The rechargeable batteries provided with the lights are usually the cheapest and do not last forever. However we replace them with better rechargeable ones. Ikea do a good range but we have also bought them from Lidl in the past. At the end of summer we take all the batteries out (that we can) and store the lights away. If you leave them out all winter the innards go rusty. My husband has a battery charger and it is his job to make sure all the rechargeable batteries are charged up before we put the lights out again the following year However sometimes the solar panels on the lights wear out too.
The tiny micro rice lights tend to last longer and I leave them out all winter because trying to untangle the thin copper strand is absolute hell! I also have mains operated festoon lights around a gazebo in the summer. (we have an outdoor plug). These have a thick robust (but a bit ugly) wire. We attach the wire with velco strips to the frame of the gazebo. We also use the same lights at the front of the house at Christmas so they are quite versatile. you can buy plastic hooks called cliff hangers to hang the lights around guttering. I have bought 3 different types some Eveready ones from B&M, some from Tesco and some from QVC. However it depends on the make and the voltage how many strings you can join together. You cannot / shouldn't join two different sets together. Hope this helps!