Few pleasures can compare to lounging on your patio on a balmy summer day, the soft breezes tempering the heat of the sun. All the same, the sun can get to be a bit overpowering on especially hot and bright days. Plus, you probably do not want to have to constantly slather on sunscreen just to take advantage of your own backyard.
The solution is simple: just add some shade to your garden or patio. In fact, there are numerous ways you can do this, each suited to different outdoor layouts and tastes. Let's check out some cool and comfortable backyard shade ideas.
1. Plant more trees
If you are patient and will be living in your home for years to come, one idea is to add some living shade to your outdoor spaces by planting more trees. There are some trees that can grow around 5 feet per year. That means that it may only take several years to start enjoying dappled shade.
As a bonus, you will discover that there are a lot of plants that grow best in this kind of filtered partial sunlight. So, not only will your trees increase your comfort, but they may also help you become a more successful gardener.
2. Patio parasols
If you are looking for a more immediate shade solution for your patio or balcony, consider getting a parasol. Some patio umbrellas are large enough to provide shade for an entire table, allowing every person to dine and chat in comfort. You may even be able to adjust the angle of the parasol as the sun moves across the sky, ensuring soothing shade throughout the day.
3. Grow vines for shade
Planting fast-growing trees is not your only option for living shade over your deck, porch or patio; another thing you can try is growing vines over a pergola. Star jasmine, moonflower, wisteria, honeysuckle and climbing roses are just a few examples of plants you can train in this manner.
While it takes time and effort to direct the vines to grow where you want them, your efforts will pay off in an abundance of stunning foliage and fragrant blooms.
Not only can you grow them overhead, but you can also train them up vertical trellises or columns for additional shade from the side.
4. Pergola
Speaking of pergolas, these backyard structures are great for more than just growing plants. Another simple way to use them for shade is simply to attach a canvas. This is a fast and easy option if you do not have a green thumb, or simply prefer a different look or more even shade.
5. Greenhouse shade cloth
If you have a greenhouse in your garden, you are going to need a way to shade the plants inside on the hottest, brightest days of the year. The most effective way to maintain cool temperatures for your plants is by installing greenhouse shade cloth.
Greenhouse shade cloth is not ordinary fabric. It can reflect the sun's light, preventing it from travelling through the cloth and heating up your greenhouse. For the best possible protection, you should choose a greenhouse shade cloth with a high-density rating, like 85% or 90%.
Tip: Don't have a greenhouse? You may still find greenhouse shade cloth useful in your garden! Picture how much more effective it would be at shading your patio than regular canvas if you attach it to your pergola. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you think outside the box with outdoor shade options.
6. Install an awning
An awning is a simple, inexpensive way to shade a large area of your patio-or even the entire thing. It also can change its look and feel; a striped awning, for example, gives a patio a very traditional, nostalgic appearance.
If you live in an area that can get to be windy, make sure you choose an awning that is retractable. They do great shielding patios from sun and rain, but heavy gusts of wind can easily damage them.
7. Hanging plant spirals
Here is a cool and unique way to bring shade to your outdoor spaces while also growing more plants! You simply clip the spirals to your ceiling, and train vine vegetables to grow on them.
Originally, these hanging plant spirals were intended for use in a backyard greenhouse. But you should also be able to hang them from a pergola or anywhere else you have the right growing conditions available.
8. Put in a backyard shed
Sometimes even a gazebo doesn't offer quite as much shade and shelter as you want. The ideal solution is to install a backyard shed or "summerhouse." Sometimes on social media, you will also see these quaint little structures referred to as "she sheds."
Your backyard shed is a personal retreat that offers you shade and shelter from wind and rain. Because you can close it up completely during harsh weather, you can put the most sumptuous indoor furnishings inside. When you want to enjoy the fresh air and views of your garden in complete comfort, just leave the front doors open.
It is the perfect marriage of indoors and outdoors. Kick back and read a book, work on a hobby, or just watch the birds. Whatever you do, you will feel like you are taking a vacation in your own backyard.
9. Bench Arbour
If you just want a shady spot in your garden where you can sit, a bench arbour is perfect. It's just like a regular garden bench, except it features a little roof on top. While the shade a bench arbour offers is welcome on a hot, bright day, you will also love how much it beautifies your garden just to have it there.
10. Turn your patio into a greenhouse
Here is one more idea for how you can add shade to your patio. Earlier, we talked about how useful greenhouse shade cloths can be, in or out of your greenhouse. But have you ever considered adding a glass roof to your patio to fully enclose it and turn it into a greenhouse? You can hang greenhouse shade clothes above, or you can simply grow plants for shade.
This can also be a beneficial idea if you live in a climate that gets a lot of precipitation. The glass roof will keep the rain away so you can dine out on your patio comfortably in any season.
Bring the Cool Comfort of Shade to Your Patio or Garden
Some people are lucky and live in areas where there is naturally a lot of shade. But you do not need to have a woodland garden to have some shady spots in your landscape where you can relax and take a break from the sun.
Even if you live in the wide-open desert under endless blue skies, there are easy ways to create some shade. Install an awning, get a gazebo or pergola, grow some plants, or try one of the other ideas in our list. You will soon be able to enjoy your outdoor spaces to their fullest, even at the peak of summer.