Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
purpleinopp

dancing solar flower

Dancing solar flower. Who has one? Seems like a cute little basic gauge of light level, aside from being daggone cute of course.

...but do they all work on the same amount of light? I mean, can we gauge something like, "if the plant is dancing, it should be getting enough light." ??

Comments (17)

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    11 years ago

    I do...received from a kind member here...

    One is sitting on the kitchen windowsill. Just couple of hrs ago it was wawing it's leaves pretty fast - it started to get darker as the clouds came in & it is still right now (it is only 4:30pm) - so I would say it does react to amount of sun it gets.

    Rina

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes, no doubt. I specifically wanted to know if the same mechanism is likely in them, or if it would vary by maker. Do they all start/stop dancing in the same amount of light or dark?

  • val1
    11 years ago

    I have three of them in a north window and they are very cute. The African violets in the same window do very well and an orchid there has sent up a new bloom stalk. Lucky bamboo has also done well there. I purchased these one year at a dollar store. I have seen them in novelty shops for up to $10.

  • grabmebymyhandle
    11 years ago

    I was excited I thought you meant about some plant that I didnt know about...not a toy...goodness!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hey, grab. LOL doubt I know any plants you don't, especially Aroids.

    It may be more than a toy. Not all of my windows have strong enough rays to make it "go." Val's north window is obviously different than mine which has a porch overhang blocking most of the light. I want one for each window.

    Also wonder if these work as well with some of the new UV-protection windows. Luckily we don't have those.

  • umughal147
    11 years ago

    dancing solar flower is one of my favorites, i have also used the image on my blog i.e. http://www.funbench.com to make it more beautiful with flowers and greenery.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bollywood Celebrities

  • val1
    11 years ago

    I have found that with the solar flowers, the more sun the area gets the faster the flower moves. They move much faster in my south window than in my north.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi umughal, welcome to Gardenweb!

    Val, yes, that's kind of my point. It takes a certain amount of light to make them dance. I'm curious if that amount of light is basically standard for these.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    11 years ago

    These things are pretty interesting. I noticed one early last summer, dancing on the dash of a Volkswagen. I went home & started looking around the net until I tracked them down, then tried all summer long to get some. The store people kept saying they get them in on XXXday, but they ration them between stores, and the stores have to save them for their ads, which start on Thu. They said there is always a line up for them on Thu morning before the store opens, and the first few people in the store buy all they have to resell on eBay or in gift shops.

    I went to the store website and noticed that if you order a case (48), they will ship direct to you (at a charge) or to the nearest store (at no charge). The problem is, they're always out of stock or unavailable for order (still on the boat). I kept looking on the website & was eventually able to order a gross. They make EVERYONE smile. I've been giving them to customers, family, friends ......

    Some might remember me talking about my friend Fred, who's almost 100 years old, a professional plantsman all his life. He was in assisted living until about a year ago, and still had his room full of plants and maintained a beautiful garden on the back lawn of the high-rise. They moved him to a different facility (kept falling) where the care is more intense, and he can't have his plants there. I think more than anything, that has affected his verve, and it's really sad to see him separated from the plants he's loved so much all his life. What a perfect candidate for a little dancing daisy.

    Al

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I think you're talking about DT. Website doesn't say if it's a mixed case or if it's 48 identical pieces. I would gladly get a case if there's at least 4 different styles/colors in there. I've seen pictures of many different ones out there since asking this, and some that are little bugs, you can tell there are different companies making them. If there's not a Santa one, somebody's seriously missing out on making those cash registers ding (or should I say swipe and beep now.)

    Reading through the reviews (189 reviews, avg 5 out of 5 stars - that's amazing!) one person did comment that these are more sensitive to other brands they've purchased. Must be the size of the solar sensor.

    I realized there's one of these stores in the town next to us and called. They don't keep them in stock, they save them for when they're in an ad. Not sure I understand this strategy since they don't seem to be used as a loss leader.

    I'm going to give my Gramma mine and work on replacing it. You're so right, she needs it more than I do. She's in a nursing home too and there's sometimes flowers in the lobby but she doesn't go there. The big window in her room should get enough light for this to dance all day.

    What other solar stuff do y'all have? I have this cool flashlight/radio/phone charger that's solar and also has a hand crank to supplement if needed. Very handy. Interesting thing about this item is that less than a year after buying it online for $10, the price was more than triple. They obviously realized the perceived value/demand would allow a much higher price. Curious that that hasn't happened (yet anyway) with this dancing flower.

    Also got a keychain in NOLA that has my name on it and blinks "on and off" in the sun. Really cool. $2.

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    11 years ago

    Use the search words dollar tree solar, and you'll come up with 'dancing daisies', 'dancing bugs', 'dancing sunflowers', and 'dancing crazy daisies'. They don't mix cases, but there are different colors (4) in each case.

    Many years ago, I managed a sporting goods dept for a company that rented their space from K-Mart Stores (a great job, back then!). We could change the black/white adds if we were out of an item, but we HAD to have stock on hand to at least partially meet demand for the color adds, which were sent from HQ to be inserted into the newspaper. People with nothing better to do actually do initiate legal action for 'false advertising', so that's one reason they might want to hold on to advertised merchandise. The other reason is, it's one thing to be out of something when it's not on sale - people sort of get over that; but when they show up the first day of an ad after driving across town for an item, they get particularly angry. The problem then is, an angry customer is apt to tell 7 or more people about a bad experience, which predisposes those people to being less tolerant of any sort of inconvenience - you can see where this is going .....

    Al

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Aha, 4 colors would be a fine assortment for a case of 48.

    It's just really cool how so many people love these cute little things!!

  • umughal147
    10 years ago

    There are a lot of flowers and plants, which you can choose for your home. But i recommend you the plant of red flowers, which always gives you an amazing look and fragrance.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Flowers Wallpapers

  • paul_
    10 years ago

    Saw one of these for the first time just a day or so ago on someone's dashboard. Rather amusing.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I've managed to find a couple more twerking blooms, now have 3. Found the other 2 at Maxway (which has other names in other states.) I feel like I have a baseline now for when plants come inside again. When it's really cloudy, they don't dance. Otherwise, there is movement most of the day in the shade, I never have put them right in the sun since that would also mean they'd get rained on, and I think they might melt.

    Anyway, if the flowers are dancing for a few hours, that should indicate sufficient light for most plants that are in a "partial" position outside. Most of the plants are used to a brief period of direct sun, either morning or afternoon, then "shade dancing light" the rest of the time. I can also test different spots to see if they are as bright as I think they are. Still doesn't help prioritize who gets to be closest to the windows but a couple rooms have windows on 2 sides and I think there are cross-fire spots that I've discounted before where some plants might think are a fine place for a few cold moths of winter.

    I'm going to use the 2 east windows to better advantage by putting more shelves by those, not just one surface near the sill, more hanging above.

    If nothing else, they're daggone cute! I never tire of 'noticing' them.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    last year

    Solar dancers remain a fun way to gauge exposure. Some of them make a surprising amount of noise. I haven't had any stop working but some have been damaged by being blown around.