Whether you love dining al fresco with family and friends or just lounging on a garden steamer with a glass of iced tea enjoying your gardens beauty, make sure you shade yourself from the unpredictable British summer weather with a garden parasol.

Parasols help you to avoid those harmful UVB rays of the sun around noon which can cause heat related disease and may also affect the immune system and also shelter from the summer showers that are infamous with the UK weather by shading you and your family.

The UK market for garden leisure products is growing rapidly so you can now find parasols in a wide variety of styles, materials and colours that will complement your natural surroundings.

People spend a long time choosing garden furniture so they can create the perfect ambience for their outdoor space, from elegant French bistro sets to contemporary glass and wood dining sets; and the right parasol will compliment any garden furniture whilst helping to keep it from deteriorating from sun and rain exposure.

The style you choose is obviously important to suit the look and feel of your garden. There are a myriad of traditional style parasols; round, square, oblong, with fringes, to name but a few so there is definitely something for everyone. Air vents in the roof of the canopy are recommended so the wind can flow through the parasol and stop it from swaying to violently in strong gusts and extras such as suede corners on the canopy will ensure a longer life span for the material.

Creams and greens are more traditional colours for canopies as they blend effortlessly with the colours of the garden but if you feeling adventurous or want to make a real design statement why not try a deep blue or red. One major tip is to make sure that the canopy is easy to clean so you can keep it looking like new without having to constantly bring it indoors after each use.

Choosing the construction of the pole is important for durability, rot resistance and matching with your furniture style. Materials such as bamboo are aesthetically pleasing but will obviously not have the same life span as a hardwood or aluminium pole, which if treated properly will last for many years.

There are also different mechanisms available for raising and lowering the canopy. Wind up systems are possibly the easiest to use as they take the least amount of effort and look stunning when finished in materials like brass. Pulley and peg systems are also readily available and very traditional.

Irrespective of what type of garden you have, be it an English country cottage type or a Japanese minimalist look, relax and enjoy the lazy pleasures of the outdoors at any time of the day with the protection of a beautiful garden parasol.