As mentioned on my garden lighting page, there are several different kinds of garden lights available. Available here is a brief overview of many of the lights on the market, ranging from color changing LEDs, mood setting halogens, blinding floodlights, and everything in between.

Some of the best lights are the cheapest, and some of the worst lights are also the cheapest! Garden lights can be simple homemade designs that are both beautiful to look at and provide adequate lighting for safe conditions. They can also be expensive high-end namebrand garden lights to meet the toughest standards for durability and reliability. Nevertheless with a little creativity you can have a garden that looks just as good - or better - than any of the gardens in my pictures with less work and a lot less money

Here you got your basic stake garden lights. Made of cheap plastic and small LEDs, they're cheap to buy and don't produce a whole lot of light. Generally these cheaper alternatives do not add to the aesthetics of your garden so much as detract from it. Oftentimes these cheaper units barely put out enough light to navigate your garden at night. Not too much else to say about these uninteresting products, let's move on.

Here you can see the difference in quality just by using metal. The craftsmanship is superior and the durability is guaranteed to last. Generally speaking they all split higher quality internal electronics into these fixtures. Better bulbs, better wiring, better solar panels. It's a win-win. Since these garden lights are fairly mainstream and are built to quality standards they still remain relatively cheap compared to the really cheap ones. Metal finishes can also provide a variety of aesthetic looks, from antique and weathered, to shiny and new, to modern, and finally to a contemporary look. Increased their ability, fit and finish, and ease of installation make these the best choice for the average gardener.

These halogen garden lights can be a little more difficult to install but the benefits are increased lighting capacity, increase durability, and a sleek profile. The difficulties arise when wiring these lights because most of these lights run off a basic hundred and 120 V household connection. For some people this might require calling electrician. However, since it's not a huge job it shouldn't cost too much. Most do-it-yourselfers should be able to do this one no problem, although anyone it's not certain about electrical safety should definitely consult electrician before attempting. Like other garden lights, halogen lights come in a variety of shapes, styles, sizes, and finishes. Almost all of which are of decent quality. Anyone who has a large yard with the garden and should consider these lights is a viable option as they provide the most light for the safest environment. As a bonus they can double as security lights when installed with motion sensors. If you are an eco-minded person and do not think that halogen's are a viable option for garden or outdoor lighting, think again! Well they do not employ LED technology with individual solar panels, they can be wired up to a solar panel of your own choosing and a battery supply, and then the switch. The end result is entirely eco-friendly, with the best volume of lighting available, and the ability to change bulbs when they burn out.

Another fantastic option available or the discrete garden lights. Many people enjoy the look of the garden and want to keep it natural, you can do this by using discrete or stealth the garden lights like these. In most circumstances they have no wires and only a small solar panel. For the handy to isolate the save money and do themselves to be as simple as buying a small LED light, a small solar panel, and a bunch of Styrofoam. You can carve a Styrofoam painted any shape or design you want, easily insert the LED light and solar panel. If you chose to you could even forgo the solar panel and go with a wired set up, and use a more powerful light. The options are endless and only limited by your creativity. Obviously with these stealth designs it's a give-and-take. You may lose some functionality and overall durability, but what you get in return is a nice discreet design that isn't tacky or overly obvious to everyone else.

Lastly, another option is custom landscaping and garden lights, these lights are custom installed in special places throughout your yard with purely aesthetic purposes in mind while still providing quality, function, reliability, and the lighting requirements of the purchaser. Unless you do it yourself and have some experience in electrical and trades backgrounds, custom garden lights can be a very expensive endeavor. However, if you are really into gardening or landscaping, the results can be well worth it as you can clearly see in the pictures.