Here Comes the Shade

Protect your plants from the hottest summer sun

QUICK FIX

If you’re renting or have only a small area that hits Saharan conditions on a handful of days a year, you want a fix that is temporary. Buy lengths of shadecloth – 50% to 70% strength will do – and drape them over your most tender plants. You can use ziplock ties or spring-loaded clamps from the hardware store to attach the cloth to fence tops and tent it down over pots or nearby beds, which will keep air flowing beneath and help avoid fungal problems.

SLAP UP A SCREEN

For a more significant solution, erect screens in your garden. The classic pergola is one option, but it takes up a lot of space and often requires planning permission. Simple slot-together vertical screens are available in steel, aluminium and timber versions from most hardware stores and take up a fraction of the garden space. By positioning them carefully, you can block the afternoon rays that cause most damage.

LANDSCAPE FOR CONSTANT COOL

Trees can take years to reach shading heights: try raising the soil level before you plant. A 1m mound will give your tree an extra two years of height and help with drainage. Shade sails and awnings can be installed in a weekend. Water features cool everything around them, as do green walls: even bamboo slatting to cover the heat reflected from a wall or fence can drop the temperature by degrees. All artificial surfaces are hotter than plants on a sunny day, so minimise your paving and bare walls in heat trap areas and use finishes like sandstone that neither hold heat nor reflect it at crisping levels.