How to Create a Shady Deck Retreat

Tree Shade

• Trees are among the easiest and most obvious methods of shading a deck, and they don’t need to be planted very close to the deck in order to shade that part of the yard. Give them enough room to grow. If possible, choose large trees that will grow tall enough to shade the deck but give you a view underneath their branches. Possibilities include the red oak (Quercus rubra), which is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, or the Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinense), hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9. Plant a tree at least 20 feet from your deck and house.

Vine Cover

• With the help of a trellis, you can use vining plants to cover a whole "wall” on one side of your deck. Choose thickly growing plants such as trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), spreading to a width of about 6 feet, or trumpet vine, also called trumpetcreeper (Campsis radicans), spreading to about 10 feet. Both plants are hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. Plant vines slightly closer together than their width so that they eventually fill their trellises evenly and block unwanted light.

Cloth Top

• It might seem like a simple trick, but adding umbrellas to your deck is a simple way to create some shade and give your outdoor retreat a vacation ambiance. Insert the umbrellas through the center of tables made for that purpose, or buy a weighted stand for that purpose. If you want to use cloth for a more permanent shade solution, install an awning. An awning can be simply fabric draped from one side of the deck to another side, fabric with one of its ends attached to a wall and another end attached to poles or a professionally installed setup that expands and retracts.

Reed Relief

• Reed paneling is becoming a common sight in landscaping, especially in decks with a tropical theme. That kind of paneling is created from woven natural materials such as reeds and twigs. Although often the panels are attached to fencing, you could hang them around your deck by attaching them to the deck roof or to wooden support structures. Placing the panels between your deck and its western or southern exposure will create shade in the afternoon, which is the hottest part of the day.