Shade ideas

I'm trying to solve for the following on our new property.

The house is in a large field with 0 shade. We're planning on moving small trees around from other parts of the property later this fall, but I'd also like to create a shady area near the house on a relatively quick timeline so I have a place to play with my daughter when the sun is high in the sky. Right now we have some nice wooded areas but they're a bit far from the house, so might not be as practical for sitting outside for short stretches of time.

The area is very, very windy so I don't think a shade sail attached to the house is a great idea, though I had considered it.

I'm almost thinking of a natural courtyard, with bushes or small tree in a circle or square arrangement, with grass inside. Ideally something very fast growing so we'd have a little area next season. I'm not as familiar with landscape architecture side of things, has anyone done something similar? I also considered a pergola with vines but we have a lot of deferred projects in the woodworking side of things and kind of want to avoid that for now.

Would love to know what worked for others. Field is south facing so the day sun is very very long lasting.

Red maple trees make some nice pretty quick growing shade trees.

I like your courtyard area idea.  And a pergola would be perfect for that area.

My neighbor back in Dallas a long time ago, built something over his patio where he planted some sort of grapevines.  These vines made a nice shady area because the vines had big leaves.

High quality shade sails that are made from the same quality sailcloth as boat sails would be perfect for your area.  

I wanted to put them where out tree was damage from the legendary ice storm though dear hubby couldn't figure that out.

I am looking forward to what other folks will suggest.

Anne -- I wonder if I could affix the sails to fence/T-posts? As opposed to the house, where with the wind I'd be worried they could rip the siding. It's an interesting idea -- thanks.

Here are some fast growing shady plant suggestions:
-Butterbur or Fuki. The European kind is used for wrapping butter; the Japanese, as a perennial vegetable. Both of them grow where I live but I have not tried either. They are amazing—growing leaves like umbrellas on 5’ stalks in good conditions, children could easily have fun under their canopies.

-Elderberry: good for medicine and food, and also quick growing, as a shrub or spreading tree.

-Willow, poplar, and cottonwood, also quick growing. Poplars are probably the most tolerant of non-ideal soil conditions, and all grow quickly; willow and poplar can be used for poles, or withes.

-Grapes, as suggested earlier…who could regret planting a grapevine? (Unless you have beetle problems, as my neighbor does. In which case it may make sense to plant some other plant—maybe a Missouri River willow—to distract them.)

-Hops also makes a yearly leafy canopy that can be trellised—also edible shoots, medicinal and flavorful flowers

-Runner beans, with their large leaves and long vines, could provide some shade grown up a trellis.

-Peach trees are fast growing, relatively easy to establish, and of course delicious. Their spreading form might make them particularly helpful.

-Black locust fixes nitrogen, is easy/fast to grow, and provides wood that is durable and good for firewood. The flowers are also amazing to  see, to smell and to eat. The old farmhouses in my region are guarded by ancient black locusts. They can spread and pop up wherever you put a shovel into the ground though…

-Grains/roots: Sunflower, sunroot, corn, sorghum could provide some shade.

-Tall flowers: hollyhock, cup-plant

I would mention Japanese knotweed and Norway maple, but don’t plant them because they will take over the world.

Most of these do prefer moisture, fertility, and a little wind protection. So perhaps a wattle fence or trellis might provide a little shade early on, protect plantings somewhat from wind, and double as stake cuttings.

When my kids were young, I would plant tall sunflower seeds in a small square each year to make them a little special shady spot.  They loved it!  
You could always plant pole beans to grow up the sunflowers also.

Howdy,

The Fig Trees I planted up near the house, edge of garden, have gotten so big,shade makers,  I have put in a wood charcoal BBQ/fire ring area, and the figs are full on producers(160 lbs. last year/2023), figs I sun dried later in the fall.  Desert King variety, clay silt soil.

Jessica Martin wrote:Anne -- I wonder if I could affix the sails to fence/T-posts? As opposed to the house, where with the wind I'd be worried they could rip the siding. It's an interesting idea -- thanks.

When I was trying to find a solution, attaching the shade sails to a house never occurred to me.  I see most YouTube are that way.

Here is a different idea: