The best shade-providing garden structures during hot summers

Ask anyone who lives in the United Kingdom what the summer weather is like and the chances are that the answer will feature the words ‘grey’, ‘rain’ and ‘miserable’. However, while the traditional U.K. summer is famously dreary and cool, the Met Office has issued a warning that the extreme heat wave of summer 2022 - where temperatures rose to 40C - will be the norm by 2050. This means we are all going to have to reconsider our gardens and how we use them during increasingly hot summers.

With average temperatures set to rise, we need to look at how we can design gardens that include shady retreats and protect us from the hot summer sun. There’s a variety of options for different sizes and styles of garden. In this article we’ll look at the most popular garden structures used to provide shade in hot weather, plus we’ll share how we’ve used them in some of our garden designs.

Don’t let hot summers prevent you from enjoying your outdoor space.

Pergola

This is one of the most popular garden structures to provide shade in hot weather. A pergola is a structure with an open roof supported by columns or posts. It provides partial shade and can be used to support climbing plants such as vines. Pergolas are great for creating a defined space in your garden and can be used to frame seating areas or walkways. This structure can also add vertical elements to your garden, creating height and adding depth to the overall design. If your garden lacks privacy, pergolas are a great structure to use as they obscure the view of your garden from neighbours passers by. Indeed, pergolas are the perfect privacy solution for space-restricted gardens because of their openness, meaning they don’t feel heavy or like they take up too much space in the garden.

Pergolas are ideal for climbing plants.

A range of materials can be used to create your perfect pergola.

Gazebos

Another garden structure we frequently include in our designs to provide our clients with cool and shady parts of their outdoor space is the gazebo. This is a freestanding garden structure that is typically octagonal or hexagonal in shape. Unlike a pergola, a gazebo has a solid roof, which makes them a popular shelter-providing structure to place over dining, entertaining or hot tub areas. Gazebos can have open or closed sides, depending on how you want to use them, be that for increased privacy in your garden or as a semi-sheltered space for relaxing or socializing. Once installed, gazebos often feature decorative elements such as curtains, blinds, lanterns and furniture, so there are many ways you can personalize this structure to add character and style to your outdoor space.

Gazebos can also be a focal point in the garden, meaning they draw the eye to the most visually interesting part of the garden. As such, gazebos help to structure the space by guiding the viewer's attention and providing a sense of direction, thereby enhancing the entire garden.

This gazebo is an effective source of shade as well as an elegant focal point for this garden.

This sturdy gazebo provides shade and complements this site’s beautiful renovated barn.

Sail Shade

The sail shade - also known as shade sail or sun sail - is a lesser known but wonderfully versatile shade-providing garden structure. It consists of a flexible, tensioned fabric that is stretched between anchor points to create a shaded area. This fabric is UV-resistant and provides effective sun protection by blocking a significant amount of harmful UV rays, protecting you from heat and glare while still allowing some airflow and maintaining an open feel.

Sail shades come in various shapes, including triangles, rectangles, and squares, and they can be custom-designed to fit specific areas or pre-made in standard sizes. This makes them an excellent candidate for smaller gardens or other areas where you don’t want or don’t have room for a permanent structure such as a pergola or a gazebo. Sail shades are likely to increase in popularity over the next few years because they are relatively easy to install, cost-effective compared to permanent structures, and can be adjusted or removed as needed.

Sail shades provide shade and are visually appealing.

Espalier

Espalier planting is a horticultural technique in which trees or shrubs are trained to grow flat against a wall, fence, or trellis in a specific pattern. This is achieved via pruning and ‘training’, which is where bamboo canes or metal wires are fastened to branches to ensure they grow in a specific way. When trees or shrubs are trained in an espalier pattern, their branches are spread out horizontally along the support structure. As the plants grow and develop foliage, the overlapping branches create a dense and leafy canopy. Not only is this a beautiful and elegant way to incorporate planting into your outdoor space, this canopy can help filter sunlight and create shade underneath or across a space.

The extent of shade provided by an espalier planting depends on various factors, including the type of plant, its growth habit, the density of foliage and the orientation of the espalier planting in relation to the sun's path throughout the day. Espalier planting is primarily used for aesthetic purposes and to maximize space, and while it can also be used to provide shade, it’s worth bearing in mind that the trees and shrubs are living organisms and, as such, take time to develop and mature into effective shade screens. In the meantime, if you require instant shading in a garden, it may be helpful to invest in another shade providing structure to use alongside espalier planting.

Espalier planting is aesthetically pleasing but often best used in conjunction with another shade-providing structure.

Espalier trees can be high maintenance but give your garden more than a touch of class.

Trees

Let’s not forget about trees, an excellent natural solution for creating shade in a garden. Choose trees with a dense and broad canopy that can provide ample shade. Deciduous trees, which shed their leaves during the winter, are particularly useful because they allow sunlight through in colder months while providing shade during the warmer months. Examples of such deciduous trees include oak, maple, beech, and sycamore.

Plant trees strategically to maximize shade coverage in desired areas of your garden. Additionally, place taller trees on the south or west side to block the intense afternoon sun. Consider the path of the sun throughout the day and position trees in locations where their shadow will fall on your desired shaded spots, be that an outdoor lounge, a seating area or a playground.

Which is your favourite?

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to finding the best shade-providing structure for your garden. From large, permanent, man-made structures such as gazebos to elegant espalier planting to add that bit of extra shade, there is something for everyone. Not only do these structures serve a practical purpose by keeping you and your loved ones comfortable and safe in the sun, they can also be a stunning garden feature and really enhance your space.

If you find yourself struggling to spend time in your garden because of the heat or would like a shade-providing structure which complements the rest of your outdoor space, get in touch for a friendly consultation. Perhaps we’ll discover the garden you never knew you had!