Set For an Indian Summer with Garden Sails

“Summer” is nearly over and the Indian summer typical of British weather patterns is almost upon us. Time to get the garden sails out, if one hasn’t done so already, in anticipation of all those late September barbecues!

For anyone who hasn’t encountered these wonderful bits of garden furniture: shade sails, as they’re also known, recently entered the UK market after doing extraordinarily well on the continent. Garden or shade sails, which are similar to those toughened awning type affair one sees over the outside table areas of cafes and galleries, are made from a treated canvas like cloth, which offers outstanding protection against both sunlight and inclement weather. The sails are waterproof, weather proof and UV proof: tough enough to withstand winds and long lasting enough to be a worthwhile investment.

Garden sails look amazing, adding a real dash of style and drama to any outside area. They can either be moored to the walls of a house, or its fences: or they’re available with their own mooring posts so they can be erected as free standing structures. Their uses, in the garden, are multiple – as well as providing shade and shelter they can also be used to create specific seating areas or relaxed spaces from which to really enjoy the surroundings. A shade sail effectively becomes a roof, making a dedicated area of a garden into a kind of outdoor “room”: garden sails are ideal in this respect for entertaining on clement evenings, when a whole dinner can be hosted out under the protection of the “roof”.

The sails can be arranged singly or in groups, according to the size of the garden and the intended use of the sails. “Nests” of sails arranged ship fashion have a real good look to them: overlapping shapes and angles making a garden statement that is nothing short of art. The sails can also be used for more practical purposes: making an outdoor car port, for example, by providing a large awning type space to park under. Because garden sails are both weather and UV proof, they can help prevent sun fading on bodywork and they stop the sap from trees damaging a vehicle’s paint during spring and autumn.

Garden sails do require a little maintenance, as one would expect from something that has been designed to stay in situ all year round. A little wipe every now and then keeps the algae away – though the sails are treated with an antibacterial agent, which for the most part keeps it off anyway. Look after the sails in this fashion and they will give years of style and enjoyment.