Solar Fireflies String Light

24 May 2023
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Your summer Floral Craft Pantry needs a summer makeover. The latest article that I wrote for the Plant something BC initiative shows you how to do that. Your container plants will be glowing after this!

... glowing...? see what we did there? Here is the Tutorial for the glowing fireflies that I crafted for the container.

For the string lights I chose these solar powered lights. These are fitted inside a lid for a canning jar... but it also perfectly frames the solar panel to be placed in a container on a stem, like a wand, so that the fireflies hover around the planter.

I will also add a link to the solar powered string lights (from Amazon) and a link to the article in next week's email. Make sure to sign up to receive advance notification when the next design is ready for you to view... and a bonus tip. The sign up is below this post.

Unroll the lights and place them on your working surface.

Measure where you would like your solar panel the be on the support stem. Mine is about halfway down because it needs to poke out behind a petunia to get exposure to the sun but hide behind grass so that it can't be seen from the front.

Cut wires to support the solar panel...

Wrap the wire around the panel and twist to secure.

Wrap the second wire around the panel

And twist the wire to secure around the solar panel.

Place the support behind the panel but make sure you still have access to the on and off switch at the back.

Secure the wire around the support and twist the ends in so that it is out of the way when you reach in to switch it on or off.

You now have a solar panel on a stick ready to design with...

Twist the lights up the support to the top and tape it with florist tape.

So that the lights start at the top of the support and can buzz all the way down

So that the lights start at the top of the support and can buzzzzz all the way down.

Fold in the first three lights to craft the shiny body of the firefly.

Design note: make sure not to fold the wire right next to a light. Bend the wire without damaging the wire and light connection.

Wrap the lights with the wire to secure.

Skip a light...

And wrap the next three lights.

Move all the way down the wire and craft your firefly bodies.

To finish off the firefly I am using passion fruit vine tendrils...

To cover the solar light shaped body...

And dried oxalis leaves for the wings

you can also use skeleton leaves.
Book readers turn to page 110 for detailed instructions on how to make skeleton leaves. Or to get you started I have included a Tutorial below.

For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman

Test the lights before placing it in the planter by covering the panel with your hand...

Press the support into the compost in your container so that the panel points towards the sun...

And drape the lights around the plants in your container.

This collaboration is supported by the BC Government’s Buy BC partnership program, delivered by the investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the Government of British Columbia to enable us to have an interdisciplinary relationship between BCLandscape and Nursery Association members and non-members from the floral designer, growers, the landscaper and garden centres.

Next month's Plant Something BC's article I will show you another design made from what I am growing and what is new in my balcony garden for this year.