Create Shade in Your Yard Fast
Written by: Dottie Baltz
One problem with many newly built homes today is that there is very little shade if any in the yard. Here are my tips on creating more shade in your yard fast.
- Have a landscaper plant the largest trees you can afford. This may cost several hundreds even thousands of dollars, but can go a long way in gaining shade quickly.
- Choose trees that grow quickly such as Pin Oaks, Honeylocust, Japanese zelkova, Crab Apple, Crape Myrtle, Tulip Tree, White Pine, River Birch, Sweet Gum, and Red Maple.
- Situate the trees so that you will have maximum shade in the areas of the yard you will likely be in most. Take into account where the sun rises in relation to your yard.
- Construct a pergola or arbor over an outdoor sitting area. Grow vines up the pergola or use shade cloth to create even more shade under the sitting area.
- Construct or purchase outdoor screens made of lattice to inexpensively create shade in sitting areas. Place the screens so that they block the shade from the sun. Putting the screens on wheels with locking casters will allow you to move the screens as the sun shifts throughout the day.
Tips & Warnings
- Plant slower growing trees that are more long lived at the same time you plant fast growing trees. Faster growing trees tend to be weaker and may not last for more than 15-20 years. If you have to cut one of them down, you'll have a stronger tree ready to take over.
- Take the full size of the tree into consideration when planting it near your home. Never plant right up against your home's foundation.
- Plant several of the same trees in a row to create more shade.
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