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Gardening

Garden fairy lights - on trend or naff?

(87 Posts)
shysal Tue 18-Jul-17 16:02:49

I am thinking of putting something with solar powered lights on a newish west-facing fence. I have planted climbers but it is rather bare at the moment. I have noticed lights in neighbouring gardens and like some of them. What do GNetters think? These are two of the options I am considering.

TerriBull Thu 18-Jul-19 09:34:46

I like lights, all lights Christmas lights, garden lights, they attract me I think I was a moth in a previous life grin

Bluntzhou Thu 18-Jul-19 08:34:35

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Scorpiogran Thu 10-Aug-17 09:13:04

They're fun. They make me smile so what's not to like. I have one or two scattered around the garden and they give me pleasure.

LadyGracie Fri 21-Jul-17 12:04:49

I like them but wouldn't have any, my neighbours garden is like a grotto, they have so many lights all around in trees, around their fences, even the shed is covered it looks really beautiful at night.

shysal Fri 21-Jul-17 09:25:14

My lights have come! I am disappointed with the butterfly which is quite garish in daylight but has only a very dull background dirty white glow at night. The strings of fairy lights are pretty and stayed on until 5am. I am, however, wondering whether I should have gone for white rather than coloured. They were so cheap that I can chop and change if I wish.

grannygrace Thu 20-Jul-17 22:00:52

I have 4 sets of solar fairy lights in my garden,find them very restful late at night sat on the patio with my bedtime cuppa. Have a small fairy garden I created for the Granddaughters and several windchimes. If people think its tacky it's okay I like them.

Luckylegs9 Thu 20-Jul-17 18:23:12

If you like them and they make you happy, have them, doesn't matter if they are naff or not.

Eloethan Thu 20-Jul-17 15:30:11

I think what is perceived as "naff" is a very personal thing. There are things I dislike which other people might like, and vice versa.

I don't like the idea of there being some sort of style police - they generally aren't "ordinary" people but people with some sort of public profile who think what they like or dislike should be the norm for everybody. (And who often make a lot of money out of making such pronouncements).

Nelliemaggs Thu 20-Jul-17 10:37:04

Jalima, I'm feeling better now thank you?

Kitspurr Thu 20-Jul-17 09:02:04

I put some solar lights outside, then read on the RHS site that night lights can be harmful to wild life, so I removed them. I even keep the outside security light off when the swallows are nesting in the verandah.

W11girl Thu 20-Jul-17 08:15:38

My garden is one long open strip at the back of six houses where I live. Each of us has our own section. Fortunately I have the corner plot and built my section into a "garden", using bushes for privacy. One thing in particular I have placed is a 3-monkey ornament "hear no evil", "speak no evil", "see no evil". I have put it in a prominent place so that the local gossip monger gets the message! My husband thinks I'm naughty, but it works, it keeps her away from me with her tittle tattle!! Having read your posts I may well now put lights on it now!! Naughty, naughty!

shysal Thu 20-Jul-17 08:06:56

Love your froggy rubylady, and your Buddha, theoddbird!

Hope your solar units will dry out Imperfect.

Just ordered another string of fairy lights to go around the shed on the opposite side of the garden from the fence, so that I will have lights on both sides. I like symmetry! I will stop now!

What do you all use to attach the lights? Drawing pins, panel pins, duct tape?

Imperfect27 Thu 20-Jul-17 07:30:59

Sigh ... five days and the mother of all storms later and two out of three strings of lights have stopped working sad.

Anya Thu 20-Jul-17 07:03:27

Shysal it's your garden, you can do what you like with it.

I've some solar sticks in the second part of my garden which is fenced off from the main garden and is a sort of Secret Garden where I like to sit. It's very much a wild life area, with flowers and shrubs thar attract bees and birds and my hedgehogs. I installed them to mark out a path at night so I could see where I wa going in the dark, but they throw out a pretty pattern which radiates from each stick so are quite attractive as well as functional.

maddy629 Thu 20-Jul-17 06:03:15

shysal I don't have any solar lights but I am thinking of getting some, my daughter has some and they look very pretty. I do have a Robin like yours, bought mine from RSPB Titchwell. I love the Butterfly in your picture. I think I might look out for one of those.

Theoddbird Wed 19-Jul-17 21:51:22

I have just put a buddha head on top of my boat. It has lavender pots either side that have windmills in. Oh and I have fairy lights around the cratch cover on the bow. This is just the start of course...it will evolve...hahaha

rubylady Wed 19-Jul-17 20:52:26

Sluttygran Youcan get artificial flower vines from eBay so you could weave them round your fairy lights and have an indoor window garden. Plus you could get, like mine, battery fairy lights for your window, different shapes and colours. Mine are pink hearts around the window, went up for Christmas and didn't come down. Try them, it feels lovely and cute. X

rubylady Wed 19-Jul-17 20:46:41

My gorgeous sexy frog! He has solar powered eyes and he makes me smile every time I see him. ?

Plus I have fairy lights across the fence tops, more little lights around and at dusk it changes and becomes a magical world. Admittedly, I need to do lots of work in it to make it more attractive, but I sort of like it's random, chaotic look.

Go for it Shysal, enjoy everything magical that you can, it doesn't matter what anyone close thinks as long as you get pleasure out of it. They bring your garden to life again when the sun goes down, brilliant. X

rosesarered Wed 19-Jul-17 20:29:43

A bit naff but I like them, go for it Shysal ? And we also have some crackle glass solar lights and a peacock ( which stands aloofly in some shrubbery) what's a bit of naffery if we like it?

Purpledaffodil Wed 19-Jul-17 20:23:49

I have to admit that I think they are a bit naff but I like them and they are somewhat habit forming. I am forbidden to buy any more! The word "Blackpool" has been muttered by DH.
They don't seem to last more than a year now. I even tried replacement batteries, but that didn't work, so I now "test" with an ordinary battery and I'm afraid it's usually a different fault. We have a lot of parakeets which look beautiful but are rather partial to wire nibbling and so several strings have had to be binned and replaced.

Skweek1 Wed 19-Jul-17 20:11:16

I mormally loathe them (next door have no taste and they have them!) That said, I haven't seen attractive ones till I saw the ones you put up and really like the butterfly - go with them and enjoy!

Grandmama Wed 19-Jul-17 19:49:22

Oh dear, sorry to be a misery but the UK is the worst in Europe for light pollution. It confuses and disrupts wildlife, there is info on the internet. Some areas such as Kielder forest and Dalby forest are dark sky areas for astronomy. It's almost impossible to see the Milky Way in many parts of the UK. For me, night time should be dark.

Iam64 Wed 19-Jul-17 19:40:03

Fabulous to know so many of us like a bit of light and frivolity in our gardens

Morgana Wed 19-Jul-17 19:28:42

I too managed to prune the string of lights along with the clematis! Most of our solar lights have now expired. Is it worth buying new batteries?

sluttygran Wed 19-Jul-17 19:26:34

Lovely, gorgeous, magnificent! Naff or not, if it feels good then go for it. I'm very envious as I have no garden. Maybe I'll string fairy lights around the windows of my flat. grin