Shading Plants That Help Keep a Room Cool

Shade Trees

• Planting large shade trees around your home provides your family with a cool, shady area to relax during the hotter months, but it also cools your home's interior. Shade trees can block the greenhouse effect your home may experience, especially if it has plenty of windows and glass doors. Trees shouldn't be planted too close to the house, because their root system may interfere with plumbing, but shade trees with expansive crowns will provide ample shade. Consult your agricultural extension or local nursery about low-maintenance shade trees adapted to your area. In central Texas, for instance, a live oak works well. If possible, plant the tree so it shades the air conditioning unit but doesn't sit too close to it, so the circulating air is a bit cooler.

Hedges and Shrubs

• Hedges and shrubs provide shade to specific areas around the property and privacy screens. Cool a front room or sun room by planting a row of tall shrubs in front of your porch. They also cool the porch and give you an area to read or have a nap. Hedges and shrubs lining your yard's perimeter may also give a bit of shade, especially toward the end of the day when the sun lowers. Look for shrubs adapted to your area. In Southern California, for instance, oleander and bougainvillea abound as privacy screen and shade hedges, and they add color and soft fragrance.

Houseplants

• Houseplants add shade to your home when carefully placed, cooling the room. They also clean the air, making it more comfortable and fresh for your inhabitants. Hang sun-loving flowers or cascading plants in baskets, and hang them in a sunny window to filter the light. Dwarf trees and large, leafy plants can lightly shade a room as well. A banana leaf plant's broad leaves give a cool, tropical look and some shade, when mature. A dwarf crape myrtle works well in a container near a large window to filter light, giving shade and bursts of color with its crape-like blossoms.

Caring For Your Plants

• Plant care depends for outdoor shade plants depends largely on your climate and the plant species. Most shrubs and trees thrive in moist, well-drained soil, though cultivars or varieties adapted to clay or sandy soil typically exist in areas with poorly-drained soil. Your shade trees may get enough water from precipitation, or you may need to irrigate them.

  Houseplants enjoy temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, generally. Keep them in an area away from drafts and near filtered or partial light, depending on the plant. Water them so the soil stays moist, but not wet.