• Patios are wonderful outdoor living spaces, giving you access to natural surroundings while supplying a sheltered place to play or lounge. Providing shade for patios that lie in full or partial sun can help make these spaces more comfortable. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, incorporating shade into your landscape and patio design can help decrease your air conditioning costs. Patio shade alternatives include flexible covers, fixed structures and natural solutions.
  
  

Flexible Covers

• Some people want to shade their patios during the hottest part of the year, but also enjoy the warmth and light the sun brings to their patios in the winter. If you want flexibility in how you shade your patio, consider using wide patio umbrellas or retractable awnings. Both of them can be opened or rolled out when shade is needed, and stored away when you prefer sunshine. They also come in a variety of colors and styles to match your décor.
  
  Shades and privacy blinds can be pulled down to provide patio shade from a side angle, or rolled up to allow air to circulate. Shades and blinds attach to any fixed structure, such as a pergola, a deck roof or even to a tree.
  
  

Fixed Structures

• For a more permanent patio shade alternative, the University of Minnesota recommends building a pergola to cover all or a part of your patio. Pergolas are simple structures with spaced roof beams, but no roof. The beams support climbing plants and vines that provide shade, color and flowers, depending upon the plant variety you select.
  
  Or, build a roof to cover your patio. Roofs can be simple structures designed solely for the purpose of providing shade.You can also screen them in, creating a shady environment that will keep insects out.
  
  

Trees

• The U.S. Department of Energy notes that through their shading ability and the processes by which they move and release water vapor, trees can lower the surrounding air temperature as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Although trees can take several years to grow to heights where they provide adequate shade, they also increase the value of your property.
  
  The University of Missouri Extension recommends taking a long-term view when planting trees. Decide where a shade tree is needed, then select a species to meet your shading needs. For example, if your patio is fully exposed to strong sunlight from the south, you might want to choose a tree that spreads outward as well as upward to maximize the shade your patio receives during the day. You might also want to plant two or three shade trees in strategic locations to block the sun as it moves across the sky.