Five Categories To Watch In Outdoor Living
1OUTDOOR DECOR
Outdoor solar lighting is used mainly for freestanding landscape lights and even bug zappers, but as living rooms continue to expand outdoors, solar lights have gone with them in the form of desk lamps. Hampton Bay has a solar rechargeable LED lamp for use on decks and patios. The lamp has an all-weather plastic wicker shade and a charger with a 55-inch cord to reach sunny spots. And its batteries can keep the lamp lit for 8 to 10 hours when fully charged.
2OPEN-AIR ENTERTAINMENT
As outdoor living spaces become more elaborate, home entertainment systems are moving with them. To adapt to the outdoors, suppliers are making products that are waterproof and, in some cases, camouflaged. That’s what KLH has done with its new Faux Rock Outdoor Speakers. The two speakers are hidden inside fake rocks with a beige finish that protect the speakers and blend silently into any backyard landscape—until you turn up the volume.
3GARDEN STATIONS
Automatic garden hose reels have been a huge hit with consumers since they eliminate the task of rewinding a hose by hand. And now suppliers are coming out with hose reels with add-on features like the No Crank Sink Station from Hydro-Industries. The station comes with an automatic hose reel, work shelves and a fully functioning sink that can be turned on with the flip of switch to divert water from the hose to the sink faucet.
4ALL-IN-ONE YARD TOOLS
Handheld blowers have become a noisy staple of 21st century gardening and they’re evolving into multipurpose outdoor tools. The latest incarnation from Yard-Man is a high-powered blower that converts into a vacuum and mulcher with the flick of a switch. The vacuum instantly mulches what it picks up into garden debris and comes with a vacuum patio head to handle smooth surfaces. The unit also comes with a throttle allowing the user to adjust the power for various jobs.
5NEXT-GEN BIRD WATCHING
Bird feeders serve a dual purpose by providing outdoor decor and a routine stop for birds on their daily feeding routes. But they’re also a lure for other hungry animals like squirrels that can burn through a week’s supply of bird food in a single day.
That’s why suppliers like Brome Bird Care have created Squirrel Buster feeders that discourage the critters without doing them any harm. The feeders are equipped with weight-sensitive perches that collapse and close the feeder when anything heavier than a bird lands on it, closing the diner for squirrels.