Garden Cooling Strategies: Ranging from the Art of Shade Creation to Lawn Care Management
Sweltering summers call for a cool, refreshing haven – especially when it comes to our precious outdoor spaces. Whether you're chilling in the garden or mowing that lush lawn, it's essential to keep the heat at bay and avoid becoming a hot mess. With expert advice from garden pros, follow these seven savvy tips to ensure your garden stays nice and cool this summer without breaking a sweat.
Cool Down in Style: Garden Shade Ideas
Staying cool and comfortable outside applies to both indoors and outdoors. While it's crucial to know how to cool down a room, when you're out in the garden, you'll want to create a cool retreat. Here's how:
- Create Shaded Zones: Installing pergolas or integrating parasols can make an immediate difference. John Foster, exterior installation and service manager at Hillarys, recommends pergolas with adjustable louvres and side screens for controlling sunlight and ventilation throughout the day. Don't forget to add some ornamental plants that love shade to your newly-shaded area for additional summer beauty.
- Outdoor Fans: A gentle breeze goes a long way in reducing temperature. Portable fans, especially those with mist settings, are an excellent choice for outdoor use. Opt for the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo fan with a mist function; it's ideal for cooling and acceptable for outdoor use.
- Maintain Your Lawn: Regularly mowing and watering your lawn is not only crucial for the overall health of your grass but also cools it, making summer strolls more comfortable for kids, pets, and us humans. Cut grass also reflects more light, reducing heat absorption.
- Add Cooling Plants: Similar to using houseplants to keep a room cool, certain plants can help lower garden temperatures. Fiona Jenkins, a UK-based landscaper with over 25 years of experience, suggests Aloe Vera - it's particularly effective at cooling the atmosphere around itself. Learning how to care for an aloe vera is simple, thanks to its tropical preferences.
- Light Colors: Choose light-colored outdoor furniture, cushions, and umbrellas. Dark-colored items absorb more heat and make outdoor seating areas uncomfortable during hot days. Stick with lighter hues for heat-resistant furniture and accessories.
- Vertical Gardens: These innovative, self-watering planters offer multiple benefits. Not only do they add beauty and a cooling effect in your garden, but they also contribute to air purification by releasing moisture. You can select your favorite climbing plants and design your vertical garden using wire mesh or trellises.
- Outdoor Rugs: Cool your feet and enhance the aesthetic of a patio area with a light-colored outdoor rug. Natural materials like jute or bamboo have better heat resistance, and light colors reflect sunlight rather than absorb it, keeping the area cooler.
Stay comfy during those steamy summer evenings by putting these expert tips into practice and creating your very own outdoor oasis. Happy gardening!
- To create a cool retreat in your garden, consider installing pergolas or integrating parasols, as recommended by John Foster, for shaded zones that control sunlight and ventilation.
- Outdoor Fans with mist functions, such as the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo fan, can provide a gentle breeze and help cool down outdoor spaces.
- Regular lawn maintenance, including mowing and proper watering, not only improves the health of grass but also cools it, making summer strolls more comfortable.
- Fiona Jenkins, a UK-based landscaper, suggests including Aloe Vera plants in your garden, as they are particularly effective at lowering garden temperatures and are simple to care for.
- Opt for lighter-colored outdoor furniture, cushions, and umbrellas, as these materials have better heat resistance and keep outdoor seating areas cooler during hot days.
- Vertical gardens, featuring self-watering planters and climbing plants, offer multiple benefits, such as increased beauty, cooling effect, and air purification through moisture release.
- Enhance the aesthetic and cool your feet on a patio area by using light-colored, natural outdoor rugs made from materials like jute or bamboo that have better heat resistance and reflect sunlight.
