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''I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.''
-Kurt Vonnegut
Wisteria and grape vines can help create an escape from the sun amid expectations of another hot summer
Planting to create shade has not historically been a priority for gardeners in the cool climes of northern Europe, but with hotter summers and the intense glare of midsummer sun it may be worth a rethink. A dreary winter punctuated by prolonged cold snaps and a cooler than average spring may have left us pining for a hit of sunshine, but a few weeks into a long hot summer can quickly find us seeking shade.
The Met Office forecasts that 2023 will be the 10th successive year that average temperatures reach at least 1C above pre-industrial levels — and that this year will see higher temperatures than 2022 due to the end of the climate pattern La Niña, which had a temporary cooling effect. In the same way that we now slap on sunscreen instead of tanning oil, maybe eating alfresco, reading and relaxing outside are best enjoyed under a dense green canopy that casts some shade and provides protection.
Pergolas and loggias are often associated with summer dining in the Mediterranean or the spacious grounds of grand country house hotels — such as the Grade I-listed garden at Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, where a tunnel of rose archways provides a shady promenade on sunny days.
But pergolas of all sizes and sophistication, like patios and terraces, can make an attractive visual link between a house and garden while fulfilling a useful function. A wooden, metal or even partially stone framework is constructed over which leafy, cooling climbing plants are trained. Wood is the preferable material as metal can absorb heat from the sun, scorching the young tendrils of climbers.