By Mairi Beautyman

Here's a stylish solar way to brighten up your potted plants. The resin Solar GardenGlo planter by Patio Living Concepts uses sunlight to power six LED bulbs, which last 20,000 hours, according to the manufacturer. The planter comes equipped with a solar control unit, meant to be mounted to a ground stake and positioned in direct sunlight. The unit then captures and stores rays, saving the glow for later. The planter's best feature? The hi-tech control unit is also light sensitive—a flick of a switch, and it can be programmed to turn on automatically at dusk (it can also be turned on or off manually). Color choices include frost, lemon, green, stone, and blue and terra cotta (shown here). To the surprise of Patio Living president Dale Klaus, the planter has also been known to serve as a cooler. Add a little ice, and it keeps a bucket full of beer chilled…

An electric version of the planter is also available. To locate a retailer near you, email dklaus@patiolivingconcepts.com.

Syndicated from Treehugger.