GARDEN lighting not only allows us to entertain and dine outdoors in the evenings, but it's also great for creating an ambience in any outdoor space.
Light up your garden, balcony, patio or porch with beautiful but affordable garden lanterns - we've rounded up 12 of the best available to buy now.
Garden lanterns are an easy way to light up your outdoors on the cheap, and there are many different types and styles available, with candlelight lanterns and solar lanterns among the most popular.
Solar lanterns automatically light up at night after their solar panels heat up from the sun during the day.
You'll find them in a variety of silhouettes to suit your space and aesthetics, like Moroccan-style filigree designs which cast beautiful patterns of light in the garden.
Rattan garden lanterns are another popular choice for a natural finish, while torch lanterns are easy to install in your plant beds.
When you need your garden lantern to do more than be a source of light, you'll also find garden lanterns that will help move buzzing insects away.
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1. Best solar garden lantern: Tencoz Solar Garden Light
- Tencoz Solar Garden Light, £12.99 at Amazon - buy here
This well-rated, well-priced, solar-powered garden lantern is a versatile choice for any garden that you can hang or display as you like.
The stylish design with floral motif makes 'a beautiful pattern of light' at night, but also looks great on display during the day - as one reviewer notes, 'in the day it looks like a nice garden ornament'.
One even describes the lantern as 'magical'.
2. Best garden string lights: Dunelm LED Festoon Outdoor String Lights
- 5m 20 LED Festoon Outdoor String Lights, £15 at Dunelm - buy here
String lights can be hung along a fence or round a gazebo to create a cosy, warm ambience.
These warm, white festoon lights from Dunelm can be used indoor or outdoors if you can connect to the mains.
You can also interconnect up to three sets of these string lights for a longer chain.
3. Best rattan garden lantern: John Lewis & Partners Rattan Solar Powered Garden Lantern
Place this solar-powered garden lantern on your patio to create a warm glow in your garden.
It's freestanding with a contemporary shape and rattan-effect design, which would go well with rattan garden furniture.
Simply push the button to switch on and emit a warm light.
It's recommended to charge for two days in sunlight before first use - the lamp will automatically charge during the day and switch on at dusk.
4. Best torch garden lantern: Jio Garden Lantern
- Jio Garden Lantern - Small, £15 at nkuku - buy here
These cute bowl-shaped lantern torches can be stuck in a plant pot, flower bed or lawn to decorate your outside space.
Add a tea light and put a few in a row to light up a pathway in your garden - the glass of each torch has a hammered finish that deflects the light to enhance the soft glow.
5. Best hanging garden lantern: Pearlstar Solar Hanging Lights
- These solar garden lanterns come in a set of two and hang beautifully
- Pearlstar Solar Hanging Lights, £18.99 for 2 at Amazon - buy here
These solar-powered garden lanterns win points as they handily come in a set of two, can be suspended from trees and walls, or placed decoratively on stairs or porches.
The waterproof lanterns create a striking star pattern on the ground, with reviewers commenting on the 'warm glow' and 'excellent quality'.
They also consider them to be 'very stylish', insisting that these 'keep glowing well into the early hours when most of my other lights have gone out'.
6. Best garden lantern for keeping insects away: Thermacell Camping Lantern
- Thermacell Camping Lantern, £29.99 at Amazon - buy here
Nothing spoils a perfect evening in the garden quicker than a load of biting mosquitoes.
This garden lantern is designed to protect you from midges and mosquitoes, and includes three repeller mats and a butane cartridge (it also requires 3-AAA batteries, which are not included).
The portable design can be used in the garden or on camp-outs, offering a 15-foot protection zone - and it really works.
'Excellent product if a little expensive.
'The LED lighting is good and not too bright, easy to operate and Thermacell works really well keeping away midges and mozzies', writes one reviewer.
7. Best wall garden lantern: Argos Home Indira Grey Outdoor Cage Wall Lantern
- Argos Home Indira Grey Outdoor Cage Wall Lantern, £30 at Argos - buy here
This vintage outdoor lantern is ideal for lighting up your patio or porch.
It's a traditional wall lantern with an aluminium wire cage and clear glass diffuser.
It's also weather resistant so you don't need to worry about it rusting in the rain.
8. Best candle holder garden lantern: White Company Ribbed Domed Glass Candle Holder
- Ribbed Domed Glass Candle Holder With Tray - Large, £50 at The White Company - buy here
This mouth-blown domed-glass candle holder from The White Company would look beautiful as a garden dining table centrepiece.
It's made from recycled glass and has a unique shape due to being hand-finished.
Put a large pillar candle on the iron plate and create a soft, warm candlelight reflected by the ribbed finish of the glass.
It'll create a stylish look on your lawn or patio but also could sit on a fireplace inside.
9. Best glass garden lantern: Luer Gold & Glass Blue Lantern Extra Large
- Luer Gold & Glass Blue Lantern Extra Large, £49.50 at Oliver Bonas - buy here
With gold edges and a navy blue and clear glass, this extra-large glass lantern would look ultra-chic on a balcony, patio or any outside space.
The structured silhouette really shows off the glow of the candle inside - plus, there's a handle so this lantern can also be hung up if you wish.
10. Best garden stake garden lantern: Navarre Battery Candle Stake Lantern
- Navarre Battery Candle Stake Lantern, £14.99 at Lights 4 Fun - buy here
Lights 4 Fun has tons of garden and outdoor lighting options to choose from and we loved these simple but effective LED candle stakes.
You can secure the stake into the ground and the warm white LED will add a soft glow to footpaths and flowerbeds.
The black metal stake can be put into plant pots or line a row up on your lawn to light up a pathway.
The LED candle is battery powered - 3 x AAA batteries for 180 hours of illumination - plus, there's a timer for six hours of shine time every evening.
11. Best garden curtain lights: Robert Dyas 180 LED Warm White Net Lights
- Robert Dyas 180 LED Warm White Net Lights, £17 at Robert Dyas - buy here
These LED low voltage warm white net lights by Robert Dyas are perfect for hanging over a fence, balcony or covered area in your garden.
Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, these lights can switch on and off with a timer that turns them off after 8 hours and back on again 16 hours later.
12. Best Moroccan garden lantern:Moroccan style large hanging glass lantern
- Moroccan style large hanging glass lanterns (Turquoise & Green), £23.95 - buy here
These lovely Morocco-inspired iron hanging lanterns would add colour and light to any outdoor space.
You can choose from three colour combinations: orange and red, pink and purple or turquoise and green.
Display them inside or out - just add tea lights or fairy lights inside to complete the look.
Where to buy garden lanterns
We found a great range of garden lanterns at many online stores - in particular Amazon and Robert Dyas have a good selection to choose from.
Lights4Fun also has a huge selection of outdoor lighting - from fairy lights to plant lights, hurricane lamps and more.
How to make a garden lantern
There are many ways to make your own garden lanterns.
One of the simplest ways is to make a design with holes in a tin can and put a tea light inside or you can put candles in wine bottles for easy garden lamps.
Empty jars of varying sizes can also create a warm, cosy feel grouped together with candles, bunched up fairy lights - or even glow sticks inside.
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