How to Create Shade in Your Garden

Having a shaded garden will not only improve the look of your property but it will give you somewhere cool to be outside during the summer. It can also help shade your home, keeping it cooler too and reducing the need for you to use your air conditioning. Create a shaded entertainment area by having a veranda or retractable awning over outdoor pavers and your barbecue and this will give you the equivalent of an extra room on your house.

Trees
Planting trees that will produce a lot of shade is the most obvious way to create shade within your garden. Before you go to the nursery make sure you have all the information gathered regarding what your property is like. Things like soil type, whether certain areas get more sun or if your soil is well drained or prone to being wet are all things you should tell the sales assistant at the nursery so they can help you get the right plants for your property. They will also consider the climate of your location. You will find there will be a wide variety of trees to suit your property and from there you only need to decide on which ones you like the best.

Veranda
A veranda is a great way to create shade in your garden. It also has the added benefit of creating a shaded place for an entertainment area, making a great spot for the kids to play when it is too hot or when it is raining. Having a veranda around your home will also help keep the interior of your home cooler as the sun can not come in through the windows of your home and it will also keep your bricks cool, which will reduce the temperature inside your house.

Retractable Awning
A retractable awning works a little bit like a veranda with the added bonus that you can fold it away when you want to. A retractable awning will create a shaded area for your garden alongside your home and can be used to cover a paved area. The awning can shade the windows of your home during summer and throughout winter you can keep the retractable awnings closed so that the sun can warm the side of your house and come in through your windows.

Pergola
A pergola is a structure that is built within a garden. You can use it as an area where you can set up outdoor furniture if you wish and it is great to grow plants and vines over it to create a lovely leafy shaded area.

Umbrellas
Umbrellas look fantastic set up on a timber decking and will give you a shaded area to sit and enjoy your breakfast or lunch. A large umbrella set up on your lawn makes a great shaded area for kids to play on a hot day.

Shade Cloth
Shade cloth can be set up draped between poles to cast shade over a decking or paved area, put up over plants that need more shelter from the sun, or be put over a sand pit or play equipment for the kids.