Is Your Garden Getting Too Much Sun? 3 Ways To Reduce Exposure

Designing a garden can be a lot of fun. You get to pick the flowers you want to plant, you get to decide the parameters of the lawn, you can set up all kinds of furniture and fun little accessories to decorate – these are all enjoyable design choices that help you to landscape a backyard paradise.

However, there is one element of garden design people forget to consider: sun exposure. Getting a bit too much sun during the day can dry out the ground and make it hard for certain plants to grow. It also means you can’t spend time out there in the summer, no matter how nice the place looks!

So, is your garden getting too much sun? Here’s to block out the worst of those UV rays.

Plant Tall Trees

Trees are the most natural sunshade known to man. If you’ve got tall trees in the garden, you’ve got the starting of a canopy round the borders of the main space. Tall trees won’t be tall from the moment you plant them, of course, but you can carefully cultivate your trees over the next few years and start blocking out the sun in due time.

This will then help to keep you cool, keep the soil cool, and provide a much more dynamic eco system for the plants to thrive off of. A nice bit of natural shade does wonders for the perception of the garden in front of you, and you can even get a little rock garden and water feature sprinkling away underneath to really complete the vibe.

Install an Awning

An awning is a good way to block out the sun when it’s a little too present in the sky without using up too much space on your lawn or patio. Indeed, retractable awnings are best for this purpose, as just a touch of a button can bring them in and out when they’re needed.

Setting one up on the side of the house can bring a lot more shade into the well used areas of your garden. You can then sit under the awning with your family, or if you’re an avid gardener you can use the potting table under it without sweating your skin off!

Mulch the Ground

Mulching is very good for the soil. We touched on soil temperature very briefly earlier, but if you want to keep the ground from getting too hot during the day, have a protective layer of mulch on top in the spots that get the most sun exposure.

Mulch not only keeps the heat out, but it traps moisture in and makes the ground much easier for the bugs to move through. Earthworms are essential garden helpers, and if you’ve got some mulch spread around, they’re going to be very active!

With July here, if your garden is getting too much sun, use tricks like these to keep the entire area cool and much more enjoyable during the height of summer.