Perfect solar lights to create glowing gardens as it gets darker

The nights are drawing in but you can still harness the sun's rays to light up your garden

The nights are drawing in and while we'll soon no longer be able to enjoy sunny summer evenings in the garden, it's the perfect opportunity to add some ambience to your outdoor space with new lighting. And if you're looking to save money on energy bills, solar lights can be a great choice.

While we may get fewer hours of daylight in the autumn and winter, it's still enough to ensure you can add some ambience and atmosphere to your garden. And you can choose from a wide variety of solar-powered styles, including garden stakes, and string lights.

Here's a selection of some of the best styles currently available at B&Q, Wickes, Homebase, Asda and Amazon. It's time to get that garden glowing!

The Solar Company Spiralites come in a pack of three and are ideal for hanging from a trellis, parasols, border crooks and hanging hooks. The lights have a striking spiral design and automatically illuminate at night, charging in direct sunlight.

The lights have a perfect five out of five rating on Homebase's website. Customer Griffo said: "These Solar Company Spiralites are just beautiful, They are so bright when hung in the garden, very pleased with them, I have ordered more."

Meanwhile Elspeth said the lights are "very attractive and work well". She added: "Hung in different branches in my garden and they look beautiful at night." And Jay B said: "These solar lights look fab hanging in the trees in my garden, would definitely recommend, love them."

The lights were originally £16 but at the time of writing, they were £8 in a Homebase 50% off sale on garden lights.

These crystal ball solar garden lights are popular with Amazon customers, who say they give a "lovely glow" in the garden. The 60 lights are on a 30ft line and have eight different lighting modes. There are several speeds, including flashing, twinkling and chasing lights.

Reviewer Emily Baxendale said: "These are lovely and bright on a nice summer evening. They give off a lovely glow and are really easy to place on a fence in the garden. I have bought 2 packs to make sure they go all around my fence to make my garden lovely and light." And Claudia wrote: "They look great in our trees and work really well, giving a soft glow during summer nights."

At the time of writing, the lights were £13.89 on Amazon's website.

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The budget-friendly Saxby Toko Solar Brushed Stainless Steel Post Light needs little after-fitting care due to its polycarbonate construction, Wickes says. The spotlight is weather resistant and includes an GU10 LED bulb which takes 6-8 hours to charge.

Customers have praised them as "stunning". Celia said: "Love these lights. They are so bright and look stunning on my decking" while John described them as a "very bright solar light". Starpirate said: "Look great on my decking. Give off so much light amazing."

The lights are currently £29.50 on the Wickes website.

B&Q says the solar-powered lights, which come in a pack of four, are "perfect for entrances, fence posts, gates and sheds". It says they offer super bright lighting and automatically illuminate at night, with no wires needed. You'll need AA batteries, which are sold separately. Bulbs are included.

Bozz555 said: "On offer when I bought them, so far they have charged well even in cloudy weather and are nice and bright at night" while supazang said: "Great product easy to put up and work really well and a great addition to anyone's garden." And CC said: "Nice white light highlighting topiary shrubs and adding light to pathways. Easy to fix to areas using double-sided tape."

The Smart Garden Black Solar-powered LED Outdoor Post lights are currently £15 on the B&Q website for a pack of four.

They won't be to everyone's taste, but for something a little quirkier in the garden, this set of two solar light ducks has been a top seller for Asda's George Home. Each figure is dressed for uncertain weather - umbrella included - with a warm white light that automatically illuminates when it gets darker.

The pink and blue ducks are made from a plastic resin with stone powder and plastic. Two AAA batteries are included. The ducks were £10 and at the time of writing were reduced to £6.50.

Reviewer Shell said: "Lovely pair of ducks, good quality, nice size and lovely features to the ducks faces. Really happy with my purchase." Laura bc said they were smaller than expected but said she would recommend them to others: "Love these cute little ducks and they definitely look at home in the garden.

"They are great value for money although, I did think they were going to be a little bigger. Other than that I would highly recommend these ducks to all to brighten up your garden."