When the fence is a highway, not a wall

Mixing solar and wired lights actually worked out okay for me, but I had to be picky about the solar spots. The cheap ones really do look dim next to the wired path lights, especially after a few cloudy days. If you’re on a budget, it’s tempting to go all solar, but I ended up replacing half of them anyway. Learned to run conduit under the edging before setting stones - saved me a ton of hassle later. As for tarps, I use landscape staples, but wind still gets under there sometimes... not sure there’s a perfect fix.

Running conduit before laying stones is a game changer - totally agree there. I’ve had the same issue with solar lights losing brightness after a stretch of cloudy days. Sometimes mixing in a couple higher-end solar units helps, but they still can’t match wired output.

About the tarps:

“wind still gets under there sometimes... not sure there’s a perfect fix.”

One thing that’s helped me is doubling up the landscape staples along the windward edge and overlapping the tarp by a few inches if possible. Not foolproof, but it does cut down on flapping. If you’re dealing with really strong gusts, sandbags at the corners might be worth a try - just a bit more hassle to move around.

Curious if anyone’s tried those reusable tarp clips? I’ve had mixed results - sometimes they hold, sometimes they just slide off when the wind picks up. The sandbag trick works, but I always end up tripping over them when I’m not paying attention. For solar lights, has anyone experimented with hybrid setups - solar with a wired backup? Wondering if that’s overkill or actually worth the hassle.

Tarp clips are hit or miss for me too - sometimes they grip, sometimes I find the tarp halfway across the yard after a windy night. I tried doubling up with bungee cords, but that just made a mess. On the solar lights, I actually wired in a backup after one too many cloudy weeks. It’s a bit of extra work, but honestly, not having to stumble around in the dark is worth it for me. Maybe overkill for some, but I like the peace of mind.

Wiring in a backup for the solar lights isn’t overkill at all - if anything, it’s smart. I’ve learned the hard way that cutting corners on stuff like lighting or security just ends up costing more in the long run. As for tarp clips, I gave up after losing a tarp to the neighbor’s pool during a storm. Sometimes, investing in heavier tarps or even a semi-permanent solution pays off. Peace of mind’s worth a lot, especially when you’re protecting your property.