20 Pergolas and Parasols – Ideas for Your Garden

It’s a quick blog post all about Pergolas and Parasols from me today. I always write my blog posts towards the end of the week, mainly because I talk about interiors and homewares.

I was increasingly finding that if I planned a blog post in advance, everything I had mentioned in my post would be sold out and found at 100 times the cost on eBay by the time I published. Homewares and garden accessories are in such huge demand at the moment!

The problem with only giving myself 2 days to plan and write a blog post is that I often don’t know what to write about until I actually sit down to do it. And whilst I was procrastinating (as always), I started looking at the weather and realized I did not want to spend my Friday in front of a computer, but rather on the beach.

And bing! It hit me. It’s going to be scorchio and we’re all going to want to run for the shade….

Pergolas and Parasols

You’re probably thinking, Mel! We’ve waited all of 2021 to get this heat wave and now you’re telling us to run for the shade and hide from the Sun? But I know what we Brits are like.

If the temperature dares to go above 23 degrees, we’re all reaching for the factor 50, fighting over the last fans in B&Q (you can actually still buy some fans here! You can thank me later) and telling everyone we know that it’s just too hot for us.

So here are some lovely Pergolas (with shades), Gazebos, and Parasols we can all gladly sit under with an ice-cold drink whilst bemoaning we’re so tired because it’s too hot to sleep at night. 

Parasols

Parasols have certainly moved on from the plain white synthetic umbrellas that only seemed to be available in the past. I think anything goes and you can easily find a pretty and patterned parasol to brighten up your garden space. Think patterns, tassels, and all the colors of the rainbow.

I love the lemon design above, it reminds me of summer holidays in the Greek islands with the Mediterranean Sea only a few paces away (I wrote about how to turn your garden into a Med paradise here).

Try adding a bit of color to your garden with this beautiful parasol in mustard, pink, and blue shades. 

Anyone for a Pina Colada? 

I think this gorgeous umbrella from Rockett St George really goes to show there are styles to suit all tastes in the garden!

Pergolas & Gazebos

Pergolas and gazebos have also come a long way in recent years. You no longer have to feel like you are at a rainy summer fete in a village green somewhere, eating your cold hot dog and drinking weak coffee whilst standing under a green gazebo.

They now come in all shapes and sizes, with frills and tassels, and can really become the main feature of your garden. You can also feature a bar, like the one below from Aldi!

This Gazebo is perfect for placing a large dining table and chairs under it. 

Just add a pool! We can all dream…

Gardenline Bar Gazebo – Aldi

Parasols are great if you don’t have a lot of space in your garden but you are lucky enough for it to be a sun trap so need a bit of respite from the sun’s rays.

But, if you have the room, they are brilliant for zoning a seating or dining area from the garden and making it a real feature. For pergolas, they are now much easier to set up as modern kits come with a comprehensive installation guide.

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These links help to pay the editorial costs of writing a blog. For more information, please read my full affiliate disclosure here.

I also use Artificial Intelligence Image generators to create some of my images. These are to show you examples of my ideas and inspiration when I cannot produce the real images myself.