Throwing shade on Summer gardens

While the term “throwing shade” has become popular in modern time to describe when someone insults or pokes fun at another, normally online through use of social media such as Twitter and Instagram, creating shade in a summer garden, especially here in Durban, means increased appeal, especially for people and pets seeking solace from the summer heat.

Awnings
Popular to provide shade for a patio, or even as a way to protect vehicles as a car port, an awning is best described as a type of supplemental roof or cover to help control intense sun exposure and the resulting heat both indoors and outdoors.
Modern awnings can be stationary or retractable, and made of a variety of materials, from metal to cloth, vinyl or even wood.
They can help cut down on home energy costs by decreasing the need for cooling and are easily erected without too much fuss or inconvenience, yet add a lot of extra space to outdoor spaces in the home.
Pergolas
The word Pergola comes from the Italian word pergula meaning projection which refers to the way they were traditionally used in Roman gardens projecting from exterior walls and supported on one side by pillars.
The architects of the Italian Renaissance started including pergolas into their designs to reproduce, albeit on a smaller scale, the villas of Imperial Rome. Pergolas were one of the earliest types of garden structures having originally been created to support a climbing plant such as a vine.
Today pergolas are often used over patios or to create a shaded area outside next to a house or apartment. The vines can act as both covers over the open slats of the pergola and down the side. Shade-cloth is also sometimes used to add to the effect.
Practical modern applications of pergolas include using them as a privacy screen by using vines or shade-cloth to cover one side of a pergola over a patio area.
This can also hide unsightly views beyond the borders of your garden and create a tranquil atmosphere in even a busy urban environment.
Generally, pergolas do not offer the waterproof protection of the area they shade like a gazebo structure or an awning does.
Gazebos
Often used in a large garden setting as a focal point, a gazebo is a freestanding, open garden structure, with a roof normally constructed of wood or metal and with built in seating inside the sheltered area.
Sometimes hexagonal or octagonal in shape, they often have latticework or outdoor curtains or drapes to add a sense of enclosure. In large parks or historical homes, they are often situated in a such a way that they offer views while providing shelter from the sun.
Like their lean-to cousins, pergolas, gazebos can be traced back to ancient times. The Greeks built temples in public spaces that were surrounded by gardens, with marble gazebos in memory of gods and goddesses while the decadent elites of ancient Rome used them as a beautiful outdoor feature and gathering place in the private gardens they used to relax and entertain.
In the far east, gazebos have long been built as ceremonial tea houses in which people enjoyed provide a time of rest, meditation, and reflection whilst admiring nature and the benefit of another’s company.