Give your small patio a cool, tranquil vibe by densely surrounding it with large-leaved plants. Go for a few tall specimens to create overhead shade and supplement them with midlevel and ground-cover foliage.
We often think that we shouldn’t clutter up a tiny yard with big plants, but a tree can, in fact, work well. Large proportions actually can help make a yard feel bigger. With this in mind, it pays to plant a tree in your compact space to provide an area of shade.
4. Build an Outdoor RoomThis patio is entirely in shade since the owners turned it into an outdoor room. The solid roof and hanging plants shelters it from the sun’s strong afternoon rays. If you can extend the footprint beyond the roof, you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
The easiest way to create a shaded spot is to push seating right up against the wall or fence that gets the least amount of sun. Tucking it into a leafy border is even better since the plants will help form a natural canopy.
This front yard lounge area is ideal since there’s enough room for a few people on the built-in bench — even more can pull up a seat on the other side of the fire pit.
A pergola is an elegant option for shading a yard, even in a small space. A metal structure like this one is lovely in itself and even more beautiful with string lights hanging on it.
The overhead structure on this pergola goes well with the design in the rest of the space, and it allows slivers of light to filter through to the area below.
If you want some flexible shade in your little yard, a shade sail is the way to go. This piece of canvas can be attached to any high hooks, branches or posts to shade you when the sun is at its hottest. When it gets cooler, you can simply take it down or move it to another position.
In this courtyard, climbing vines grow up the walls and across the wood beams to soften the building and shade the dining area. As an alternative, you could use wire cables to run across the pergola frame.