Shadow provider in the garden with the Photinia fraseri Devil's Dream®

The summer is the most beautiful time of the year, but the sun can eventually become too much of a good thing. This applies to plants as well as humans, as both can suffer from excessive heat and sunburn. If you have your own outdoor space, sooner or later you will be looking for a shade provider for your terrace, balcony, and so on. While you could opt for privacy fences, screens, or umbrellas, these items lack the vibrant flair that a natural shade provider brings. Plants are the way to go! But which ones are best suited for a task that involves providing shade while also thriving in direct sunlight?

Devils Dream in the foil tunnel
Devils Dream in the foil tunnel
Hedge with flowers and red leaves
Hedge with flowers and red leaves

Which trees are suitable as shade providers on the terrace?

If the garden or green space has been around for a while, a tree can serve as a shade provider on the terrace. The rustling of leaves or fruit trees in the wind, the dense leaf canopy that filters sunlight - all of it is beautiful, but the trees need to reach a certain size before they can fulfill their role as natural shade providers. This can take several years, often even decades, depending on the species and variety. That's why hedges made of fast-growing plants are usually a better choice. This includes the Photinia × fraseri 'Devil's Dream', which quickly gains height and density with an annual growth of 20 to 30 centimeters. This allows you to have a shade provider on your terrace in no time that reliably blocks the sun and also serves as year-round privacy. Don't like the concept of a hedge? Does the shade provider on the terrace have to be a tree? No problem: Photinia 'Devil's Dream' is extremely tolerant of pruning. It makes it easy to shape the robust plant into a trunk up to 250 centimeters tall with a dense, bushy crown.

The Japanese photinia as a perfect shade provider on the terrace

Among all plants that can serve as shade providers for terraces, balconies, and the like, the Japanese photinia is the most impressive. This is not only due to its fast growth. The flaming red young leaves, in particular, are a spectacular sight. They clearly show how much the plant has grown in the current year. Towards autumn, the foliage changes into a rich green that remains throughout the winter. With a shade provider on the terrace made of Devil's Dream®, there is always something to discover. At the same time, the plant loves sunshine. Feel free to place it in direct sunlight, and the Japanese photinia will reward you with strong, healthy growth and beautiful shade. Thus, it becomes the ideal shade provider for terraces and more.

Packshot with label - Devils Dream