You’ll love these fab garden sail shades

Frequent acute heatwaves are the name of the game as the climate warms, and that means shade is at a premium. In this article we take a look a garden sail shades, a simple and elegant way to create shelter outdoors. Here’s what you need to relax, snack, dine, drink, socialise, nap and enjoy the fresh air even when the sun’s beating down and it’s a bit too hot for comfort.

Our sail shades collection majors on three key on-trend colours that’re inspiring both interiors and exteriors right now. We have beautiful pale grey sail shades, creamy off-white versions, plus a collection in subtle sand. They go with every style of garden without clashing, and they’re available in a choice of shapes and sizes.

Because we don’t do cheap and nasty, our sails are excellent quality. Unlike the cheapo versions they’re made to last from strong HPDE knotted fabric. Our Nesling Shade Sails can stay outside for the entire garden entertainment season, from March through to September, and because the material resists mould, they stay looking good for longer.

It’s about more than simple shade, though. The fabric gives you as much as 95% protection against the sun’s UV rays, which means there’s little risk of sunburn. They’re very easy to keep clean and the only thing you’ll need is the right installation kit. To make things simple for you, we’ve included the installation kit code for each shade on the product description page.

Where can you put a sail shade?

A single sail shade or a group of them will transform a smaller space or an entire garden into somewhere comfortable to relax. They’re perfect for shading a patio or decking, an area of the lawn, your garden dining and lounge set, your daybed, even a roof garden or the area where the kids play. Because they’re so easy and fast to erect and can stay up for so long, a sail shade is an instant way to create sanctuary outdoors for the whole garden party season.

You can easily attach your sail to suitable objects at the right height, things like walls, trees, poles and fences, sheds and wall hooks. Bigger sails need stronger fixing points. If there’s nothing to fix it to, you’ll need poles. Height-adjustable aluminium poles are the bunny, simple to use as well as tough, strong, and easy to place wherever you want them.

What does a sail shade do?

As well as cool shade and protection from the sun, a sail shade can work hard in other ways to make your garden lifestyle better. It protects the area underneath it against leaves, dirt, bird poo and more. Roll your BBQ under it when you’re not cooking and it’ll help keep it dry for next time, handling showers and light summer rain with ease. If there’s a summer shower mid-party you can all go duck under the sail with your drinks until it stops. Fit yours at a slight tilt and the rain will run right off instead of pooling in the middle of the sail.

A sail makes a handsome focal point in the garden, a destination after dark that you can light up with solar lamps or LED lights to make a sociable place to chill out. Add funky floor cushions and seating for an intimate place to chill and chat. And if you’re keen to create better privacy while you enjoy the garden, they’re excellent for that as well. Just position one or more of them so nobody can see in.

They’re even useful for gardeners. If you’re growing tender plants that’ll wither in the full sun, you can use a sail to shelter them – or provide shade to plant seeds and pot up cuttings in the shade. Then there’s camping. Because it’s portable, a sail can be your best friend on a camping trip for cool, privacy, and shelter.

Different size shade sails – large and smaller

The sail below measures a whopping 5 metres, giving you an enormous area to relax under in comfort. We have 5m square shade sails in a choice of colours, giving you a full 25 square metres of shade underneath. This 5m one is waterproof, the Pacific Lifestyle 5m Square Waterproof Shade Sail Grey. There are also smaller versions at 3m.

How to choose the right garden sail

It’s a looks thing, of course. You’ll want to choose a sail you find beautiful. But it’s also a size thing. Before you buy, do the measuring so you know what’ll fit and what won’t, and which shape will work best to cover the space.