Elevate your outdoor space and keep the heat at bay with this DIY retractable pergola shade idea

With consistent heatwaves and record-high temperatures, it's hard to enjoy our gardens to the fullest without the heat becoming overwhelming. Which is why we've been on the hunt for clever shade solutions, and this garden expert's is the perfect DIY to shade-scape a pergola.

As the summer continues to get hotter and hotter, finding garden shade ideas that work for your space and help you keep cool whilst out in the garden is becoming more important. And it's not just us as gardeners that require the shade; some of the best patio container plants will need bringing out of the sun too.

With that in mind, this clever and affordable DIY from garden design expert and content creator Ish (@gardening.with.ish on Instagram) is just what we've been looking for to provide that much-needed reprieve from the sun.

Shadescaping your garden has so many benefits, the main one being that you can enjoy your outdoor space safely and more comfortably when the hot weather hits. So, if you have a pergola, this DIY is great for elevating it with added sun protection.

"I made my very own retractable shade cover for my pergola, and it took less than an hour, so let me show you how," Ish starts.

"Now, first thing I did is I got myself some shade cloth. You can find this on Amazon or even in the garden centres, and effectively it's like a little mesh here that you can still kind of see through, but as a result it keeps the sunlight out, and it has little eyelets on it," he shows.

"The next thing I did is get myself some rope, but you can also use gardening wire, and I tied one side over there on the pergola, and one side over there, and this is going to work as the guide which the eyelets of my fabric will go through, and as a result it retracts," Ish explains.

Whilst we're a big fan of shade sails in the garden, this retractable alternative is great for when you want to let the sun in on cooler days.

Finding DIYs like this one is a great way to keep costs down in the garden, but it does take a little more work, especially when you need to troubleshoot like Ish does here.

"As you can see here, though, it's sagging a little bit, and we want it to be nice and stretchy so that it sits tight and gives us not so much claustrophobia. So let's head to the back," Ish continues.

"The front part is the bit that retracts, and the back wants to stay stationary, so when you pull it, it sits nice and tight. I did this so that it was the right size for the width, but it was a little too long, so I curled it up a little bit, and then I used some cable ties to attach it to the pergola," he points out.

"With the back now in position, it means all I need at the front is actually just a simple screw, and then I line it up with the eyelet, give it a good pull and look at that, looks perfect," finishes Ish.

This is the first shade idea Ish has shared; his genius IKEA blind hack is great for the sides of a pergola to not only keep the sun out but also the breezes when the sun goes in.

Want to transform your pergola further? Why not add some of the best plants for a pergola to add a little colour and personality to the structure?