Parasols & Shade

Centre-pole or cantilever

A centre-pole parasol puts the mast through the middle of the canopy, and usually through a table, so the weight is shared between the base and the table itself. It is the steadier design, the easier one to store and the cheaper one to replace. A cantilever hangs the canopy from an arm to one side, leaving the whole area beneath it clear, which is what you want over a seating group, a sun lounger or a hot tub. The trade-off is ballast: all the load is off-centre, so a cantilever needs a substantially heavier base, and most are supplied without one.

Getting the size right

Work from the furniture, not the space. The canopy wants to overhang the table by roughly half a metre all round, because shade moves through the afternoon and a canopy sized exactly to the table stops shading it by about three o'clock. Round canopies suit round tables, and a rectangular table is better served by a rectangular canopy than by a larger round one. If you are shading seating rather than a table, measure the group and add the same margin.

Height is the measurement people forget. Check the clearance under the ribs against whoever will be standing at the table, because a canopy that clears a seated guest can catch a standing one. On a cantilever the arm crosses overhead, and a low one is easy to walk into. Where a mast passes through a table, check the hole diameter against the pole before buying either, since neither is standardised.

Canopy fabric, UV and fading

Canopy fabrics are quoted by weight, and heavier generally means a denser weave that blocks more sun and sags less when wet. Many carry a UPF rating, which describes how much ultraviolet the fabric stops rather than how dark it looks. Solution-dyed acrylic holds colour longest because the pigment runs through the fibre; polyester is the more affordable choice and will usually fade along the folds first. Whichever you have, close it when you are not under it, as sun and wind both do their damage to an open canopy.

Not every space takes a full circle of shade. A half parasol has a flat back and sits against a wall or a fence, which is often the only thing that works on a narrow balcony or a terrace that runs along the house. A tilting centre-pole parasol angles the canopy into low sun, which is what you need on a west-facing terrace where the hours you actually sit out are the last ones of the day. Rectangular canopies suit a long table or a run of loungers where a round one wastes span at the ends. Where two smaller parasols would cover a space better than one large one, they usually will, and they are easier to close in a hurry.

Bases, ballast and wind

A base is not an accessory, it is the part that stops the parasol becoming a problem. Weights are matched to canopy area and to whether the pole is also held by a table, and the figure quoted for a cantilever will always be higher than for the same canopy on a centre pole. Sand or water filled bases are lighter to move and heavier once positioned. Whatever you use, close the canopy in wind and do not rely on ballast alone: parasols are the most commonly damaged thing in a garden and almost always because they were left open.

Shade sails and fixed shade

A shade sail covers more ground per pound than a parasol and stays where you put it, which suits a play area, a run of decking or a spot you use every day. It needs fixing points that can genuinely take the load, tensioned corners and a slope so water runs off rather than pooling. Take it down before winter. Outdoor blinds solve a different problem, shading low sun from the side where an overhead canopy cannot reach.

Fixed shade and a parasol are not really competing. A sail or a blind handles the spot you sit in every day and needs no thought once it is up; a parasol handles wherever you happen to be sitting today and folds away when you want the sun back. Plenty of gardens end up with both, and the parasol is usually the smaller of the two once a sail is covering the main terrace. If you are choosing between them on cost, remember a parasol needs a base and a sail needs fixings, and neither price is the one on the shelf.

Frames, cranks and tilts

Most parasols are built on powder-coated aluminium, which is the sensible default: light enough to move, stiff enough for a wide canopy and it will not rust when the coating is scratched. Timber suits a traditional garden and wants the same annual attention as any outdoor wood. The opening mechanism is worth a look before you buy, because it is the part that fails. A crank handle makes light work of a large canopy and has gears inside it; a simple pulley has almost nothing to go wrong and is harder work on anything wide. A tilt lets a centre-pole canopy angle into low sun, which matters on a west-facing terrace where the useful hours are the last ones. Cantilevers usually rotate rather than tilt, which achieves the same thing differently.

Care and storage

Rinse a canopy with clean water and let it dry fully open before it goes away, because folding a damp canopy is how mildew starts. Wash frames down at the end of the season and check the crank or pulley while you can still get parts. Store the canopy dry and off the floor, and if the parasol stays out, use a fitted cover.

Two habits do more for a parasol than anything you can buy for it. Close it whenever you are not sitting under it, which protects the fabric from both sun and wind. And never put it away wet, because a folded damp canopy grows mould in the creases where you cannot see it until spring. Empty a water-filled base before the first frost, since water expanding as it freezes will split the housing.