January in the UK is not exactly the sunniest place to be. The country is swallowed up by thick gloomy fog and one can be forgiven for forgetting what it's like to be sat out in the garden. But despair not - the sun is coming - I promise! Spring is only just around the corner and soon the weather will pick up, the trees will gain some colour and you'll soon be outside enjoying the sun.

Spring is the best time of year for planning and preparing your garden for the peak usage in the summer months. During this time you may consider planting new plants and re-organising your outside space.

It is easy to visualise where plants will grow this makes planning the plants in your garden relatively easy. It is, however, often difficult to imagine what your garden will be like when the warm rays of the summer sun finally bless it. I would recommend that you factor sun shade into your garden plan. There are a number of sun shade options that you could utilise in your garden and this article aims to make picking between your options easy.

Gazebo

The gazebo is a freestanding structure that usually has a roof but no solid walls and provides shade for people. Gazebos can be permanent structures and can often be found in public parks and communal areas in cities. The most common type of gazebo is the temporary canvas version that has become extremely popular with many people looking for temporary shade in their garden. As demand for these gazebos has increased they have become cheaper. Manufacturers can mass produce them and as a result they are a viable option for the majority of homeowners. They have also become particularly popular with schools, sports centres and festival goers.

The major benefit and curse of the garden gazebo is that it is a temporary structure that needs to be taken up and down as you wish. In many cases this may be a benefit as it means you can take it down when it is not sunny and you can also move it to the area of the garden that receives the most amount of sun. If this changes dramatically throughout the day this could be a real bonus however the reverse side of this is that being temporary it is also quite weak and will not withstand difficult weather.

Garden Umbrella

The garden umbrella is the favoured option for pubs and bars that have a beer garden. An umbrella that can be raised from the centre of the table has proved to be extremely successful. This is particularly important in light of the recent smoking ban. More and more pubs and bars are taking steps to ensure that their patrons have a comfortable outdoor space to enjoy a cigarette. The garden umbrella has also become popular in private gardens.

Generally the garden umbrella is secured by a table that stops it falling or tipping over. This means it is a great option for when you want to have a meal outside on a sunny day but is probably not a great option if you want to sit on a comfortable chair or hammock in the shade. There are a number of freestanding garden umbrellas but these have not really achieved the popularity of other types of garden shade.