![]() Read this pergola plant guide for more information on the pros and cons of live foliage and which plants work best for your pergola. Here is a list of the leading contenders for climbing foliage to create pergola shade:Ĭlematis, Honeysuckle, Grape, Climbing Rose, Trumpet Vine, Black Eyed Susan Vine, and Morning Glory. The flowering vines are another favorite. Wisteria is a common grower over pergolas on the eastern seaboard. It’s a great option for those of us in North America that don’t need rain protection. The Tuscans let grape vines grow over their pergolas to provide shade in the summer and sun in the winter when the leaves fall off. Reed mats are also used to transform pergolas to sukkahs in the fall. In the western world these are still viable options in the dryer climates. If you live in Egypt, they are still highly recommended. The ancient Egyptians probably covered their pergolas with reeds or palm leaves for sun block. Let’s look at the different ways to create pergola shade. The interesting thing is the variety of materials that can be used to screen the sun. However, sun protection is the primary purpose of every pergola regardless of geographic location. I reviewed a variety of pergola covers in an earlier blog on pergola roofs. Rain protection is another feature that is a highly desirable feature for a pergola. These characteristics encourage spending more time outdoors and that’s what outdoor living is all about. Most people build a pergola to relax outdoors in a space that is inviting, comfortable and with a modicum of privacy. A fully featured pergola includes a sun screen of some sort. Our pergolas here in North America are really an idea that is incomplete when only rafters are overhead. They are simple frames covered with a variety of materials that tend to vary according to geography or time and place in history. Pergolas have been built for centuries to protect from the sun and provide shade. Perhaps a little history is in order to shed light on the origins of the pergola and its evolution to the pergola shades you see in backyards now. It leads one to wonder why they exist at all then. ![]() For those of you just starting to look at pergolas as an outdoor living accessory, you may be shocked to learn they don’t really provide much shade and they certainly don’t protect from rain.
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