Garden Leisure
Hello sunshine! Time for garden umbrellas…
May
Fun fact: In Spanish parasol – or ‘para sol’ actually just means ‘for sun’.
The first proper sunny day of the year is always a huge treat. If we’re lucky it happens in April, otherwise it’s usually a May thing, when the temperatures ease upwards and the leaves finally unfurl on the trees. It’s fab sitting in the sunshine but for most of us, a bit of shade is welcome to avoid painful burning and peeling. Here are some of the most attractive garden umbrellas and garden parasols to keep you cool… and dry!
Cool ways to use garden umbrellas
First, let’s take a quick look at the ways you can use a garden umbrella.
- Shelters you from sneaky little breezes and draughts
- Keeps showers off your garden dining area while you’re eating
- Creates privacy for garden parties and alfresco dining
- You can use your laptop, phone or reader in comfort without annoying screen-glare
- You can see your guests – or your book – clearly, in comfort, without being bedazzled!
- Keeps your pets and kids cool
- Creates a pool of shade and shelter above a bistro set
- Extends your outdoor fun when there’s a bit of rain
- Keeps your sunbathing stuff dry until the rain stops
- The kids can play under it
- Your pets can shelter under it
Delightful outdoor umbrella designs
The Norfolk Leisure 2.7m LED parasol
This stylish dark grey Norfolk Leisure LED Parasol measures 2.7m across, a generous size for staying out of the rays or keeping dry in a summer shower. The colour makes it a popular choice, a lovely warm dark grey that blends perfectly with our trendy grey garden furniture and doesn’t clash with anything. There’s a built-in LED light for fun after sunset and a classic umbrella design completes the picture.
The GLS Nona 3m Cantilever Parasol in Grey
The GLS Nona 3m Cantilever Parasol in Grey is another popular choice with its practical cantilever tech and stylish look, another symphony in grey but this time a lighter colour. It’s lightweight and easy to move but at the same time tough and well-built, made to last. The cantilever styling means you can stand it closer to a wall or fence, making it a great space-saver for smaller areas. At 3m diameter, it gives you BIG shade!
The Pacific Lifestyle Icon Premium T1 4mx3m Oblong Faded Black Parasol
The Pacific Lifestyle Icon Premium T1 4mx3m Oblong Faded Black Parasol is the perfect choice when you have a large space and want the biggest possible chunk of shade, a whopping 4m x 3m, big enough to shelter even the largest outdoor furniture sets. It offers a handy wind stabiliser, strong ribs and 78 x 78mm pole for stability in the wind. The aluminium frame is as tough as old boots and never rusts, and the material is colourfast for an impressive amount of time, even longer when you buy a fitted cover. It also comes in other colours, and they’re yummy.
The Pacific Lifestyle Challenger Telescopic T1 3.5m Square Manhattan Parasol
Another stunner of a large garden umbrella, the Pacific Lifestyle Challenger Telescopic T1 3.5m Square Manhattan Parasol is free-arm model with a telescopic system for raising it easily and fast. No messing about. All you do is raise the pole via the gas-powered spring, open the parasol, and lower it to the right height. The tilt system means you can move it backwards and forwards without shifting the heavy base, moving afull 360 degrees to keep life shady.
The Norfolk Leisure Garden Must Haves Carousel 2.5m Parasol (base separate)
The beautiful Norfolk Leisure Garden Must Haves Carousel 2.7m Parasol offers lovely oriental looks with a beaded trim for extra prettiness. If you’re in the market for a classic, this is it. The simple crank and tilt system lets you angle the shade wherever you want it and the beads sparkle in the sunshine. Lovely! All you need to do is buy a separate base and you’re ready for rock ‘n’ roll.
Another fun fact: Umbrella comes from the Italian word ombrella, which is a modified version of the Latin word umbella, which means shade or shadow.
Inspired? Check out our popular garden umbrellas collection, packed with different designs in on-trend colours like greys, creams, and black.
