How can I *quickly* create some shade! ( Shade creating plants? )

Our Oregon summer seems to already be upon us and I'm ill prepared.We have a small south facing front lawn with big windows facing south. This is the area I am primarily concerned about, as all the heat just pours in and the front gets very dry from the heat of the pavement. I thought about sunflowers, but I'm really hoping for something fast fast fast. Could be plants, or something else. Any tips? I just hate it when there are no clouds, it makes me feel like I can't go outside.

I'm in the same boat, although in south Texas. We are buying as many trees as we can afford (and stand the back breaking work of digging holes to plant in this compacted clay). But the wait is killer. I got a shade cloth (plastic, unfortunately, but it was really inexpensive) to put over my garden for now. Even my tomatoes and cucumbers would be frying already in this heat without it. I'm going to try okra and luffa (trellised) since I've heard they love heat to create some shade. My entire back yard is south-west with ZERO shade and it's just miserable.

I live in Ohio in a brick house.
My beautiful three story high mimosas is no more,so my shade to the south is largly gone.
I have a pear tree strategically planted,but it years from giving shade.
I've come up with running a "clotheslines" and stringing
radiant barrier insulation along it.  Weight affixed to the bottom would keep the insulation vertically oriented for the most part.
Alternately pvc frames could hold the barrier more firmly,or instead of the relatively thick radiant barrier you could used 2 mil reflective Mylar as the "screen" in a replacement screen kit.

Hmmm, the first thing that comes to mind is salmonberry, simply because those dratted things are growing up like crazy everywhere. They were like a foot three days ago! But a new plant likely won't grow as fast as you're wanting, and they take a few years to get over 8 feet tall.

Another option would be to build a simple arbor/trellis in front of your patio. Plant perennial vining plants, like hardy kiwi vines &/or grapes &/or blackberries &/or passionfruit. Or plant some annual vining plants like beans &/or peas &/or squashes. While they are still growing, attach some tarps to the trellis/arbor. You can fold the tarps upward as the plants grow. Once the plants reach almost to the top, remove the tarp and use it to cover firewood or a tool shed, or use it to throw dirt on when you're digging trenches for hugels (put the logs in the trench and then easily put the dirt on the hugel without worrying about the dirt getting lost in the grass). Tarps always seem to come in handy, so it's not like they're going to go to waste after the plants take over the trellis. Plus, tarps are cheep!

Tarps are a great idea short term.  I would also suggest the camo netting like the military uses.  We use it for our vegetable garden.  We have friends in far West Texas that use it on their patio for a cool oasis.

Amy Escobar wrote:Our Oregon summer seems to already be upon us and I'm ill prepared.We have a small south facing front lawn with big windows facing south. This is the area I am primarily concerned about, as all the heat just pours in and the front gets very dry from the heat of the pavement. I thought about sunflowers, but I'm really hoping for something fast fast fast. Could be plants, or something else. Any tips? I just hate it when there are no clouds, it makes me feel like I can't go outside.

Others have given some great ideas and here are a few more. I will only give planting ideas since others have mentioned other methods.

If you like beans, dried or fresh, beans grow incredibly fast, and will fill a trellis in just a few weeks, they will last all summer long too.

Mulberry trees grow at an incredible rate, ours are two years old and are 12 feet tall and have lots of branches, these will continue to grow for over 100 years.

Apple trees; there are a few varieties that are quick growers, Arkansas Black, yellow crisp are two varieties I know will grow around 4 feet per year in good conditions. These are full sized trees not dwarfs obviously.

Non edibles include English ivy, and don't forget climbing roses they are used for house shading in Ireland the ivy more so in England.

Redhawk

Hops will grow really fast. Better to transplant them in the winter while sleeping, but might be able to still move some roots, just harder on them and wont' grow quite as well this year. As a fast growing vine they make quick shade and then die back in the winter. You will have to put a trellis or something up for them to climb up. They will tend to spread out but I have never had trouble controlling them as I just give them away to folks.

My first thought was Morning Glory, but it doesn't like that much sun. The whole length of our BROWN trailer faces west. We have an akebia on part of the porch and a volunteer clematis vine at the other end. I train the new growth of the clematis to grow horizontally to shade the sothwestern side. The rest of the side is shaded by Siberian Pea trees and raspberries. We are FINALLY getting some relief, but it took time.
Planting for shade takes time, but it's worth it.

English Ivy is a major invasive plant, very hard to get rid of after the fact. kills other plants, even trees
and creates a monoculture, like kudzu does when growing without being contained.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=english+ivy+invasive&pc=MOZI&form=MOZSBR

like the previous folks have offered,
over the years, i have utilized shade cloth, radiant barrier and even billboard tarp which is white on the
imprinted side.


here are some resources for those items:

if you read reviews you will see how other folks have used them for similar.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FP689DS/ref=twister_B015I08UVC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
i bought this size to drape  it along my south and west facing walls, which get '
way over 100 degrees F most of the spring summer and fall.
i will use some 1/2 inch Schedule 40(uv sun resistant) pvc to hang it. some folks sew a pocket
and run the pipe through for the top rod.

some folks use double even the high % shade cloths,just to make sure they get the shade they need.

I will be using black UV rated Zip Ties. to attach it to pvc.
also already have much small rebar posts, so will use those to support vertical pvc's and connect
the top bar of pvc with pvc elbows.

since the pvc is kinda bendy, i will use two or three pieces strapped toogther for the uprights
and maybe even the horizontal pieces.


as my use is hanging it vertically this summer, i will hope to be able to slide it to the side. on the top rod in
the shady part of the day to allow more air flow into the house.

some folks build pergola kinds of forms to attach the cloth or radiant barrier.

~~~~~~
mylar

most mylar is for indoor or moisture protected areas. DOes anyone use mylar outside? please let us know if you do
and what type you use

horticultural mylar rolls
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mylar+roll&sprefix=mylar%2Clawngarden%2C906&crid=1GGBRWWOHWP6V

a few worthwhile options for you!

have fun
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billboard tarp
https://www.bing.com/search?q=billboard+tarp+white&pc=MOZI&form=MOZSBR

It would probably not be a concern in Oregon, but my family hasn't found PVC to be a stable material for outdoor structures. It gets too soft in the summer sun to support itself, much less additional weights. It costs a little more and may take a little more effort to work with, but we've had good results using galvanized electrical conduit in the same applications.

Good point, Cassie.

i just happen to have the schedule 40 pvc frm another project, so am using itfor now.

it will be covered with the shade cloth, so hopefully will not be too much exposed.

Otherwise i would have gone with the galvanized conduit.

even 1/2 inch galvanized conduit is great for a project like this.

Although it is much better to shade the windows from the outside (vines growing over a trellis horizontally above the window), fast growing plants indoors, in the windowsil, can give some shade too, like my beans:

I planted some year-old hops rhizomes under all my sun-facing windows in March and nailed trellises over the windows. I expect they'll be fully covered by June. Hops grow pretty fast -- if you get year-old or 2-yr-old rhizomes you might still have time for them to cover your windows before the hottest part of summer is over.

I highly suggest paulownia trees. They grow very fast (fastest growing hardwood tree) and have giant leaves. Great for shading. They are also a tree you can cut down and it will regrow.

You can see a full progress slide show of paulownia growth here http://www.dragontrees.com/paulownia-growth-gallery.html

Devin Lavign wrote:I highly suggest paulownia trees. They grow very fast (fastest growing hardwood tree) and have giant leaves. Great for shading. They are also a tree you can cut down and it will regrow.

You can see a full progress slide show of paulownia growth here http://www.dragontrees.com/paulownia-growth-gallery.html

Do beware. Pawlonia have issues with altitude... I wanted to grow some badly and found that I'm about 2000 feet too far up for them, they like to be below 2100 feet. If it wasn't for that I'd have them growing all over here. They are one I can endorse as worth planting.

I built a trellis box on south side of my place, 12' high, 24' wide, and 8' deep. I grow snake gourds (long gourds) and plant one every four feet along the frame, at each corner and one on each side. The side towards the house I leave open. These grow fast. The fruits will hang down inside the trellis box. I can also set a few chairs inside there after they've gotten some height, and enjoy shady leafy.

They can be notorious to get started but are well worth it. The trellis is free standing from the house, but helps provide shade.

Please be exta cautious in planting any soft wood tree like the the pawlonia.  Most of these are prone to breaking branches (sometimes large branches) during high winds.  Be sure as it grows that nothing would be damaged if that happens.  It even happens with hardwoods sometimes.  

Last year three large branches (small tree sized) fell off the pecan in my front yard.  Luckily there's nothing more important than lawn furniture where they landed.  This year I was out with a tree saw shortening any branches that I thought looked likely to follow. Next day we has a massive storm and it appears to have worked.

I understand this will be controversial to some depending on your views on “non-native” plants, whatever that means, but Mimosas are super fast growing,  beautiful, and fix nitrogen while providing an important nectar source and habitat.  

Casie Becker wrote:Please be exta cautious in planting any soft wood tree like the the pawlonia.  Most of these are prone to breaking branches (sometimes large branches) during high winds.  Be sure as it grows that nothing would be damaged if that happens.  It even happens with hardwoods sometimes.  

Last year three large branches (small tree sized) fell off the pecan in my front yard.  Luckily there's nothing more important than lawn furniture where they landed.  This year I was out with a tree saw shortening any branches that I thought looked likely to follow. Next day we has a massive storm and it appears to have worked.

Technically paulownia is classified as a hardwood, it also has one of the highest strength to weight ratios for tree woods (about double that of balsa). That said it is good to remind folks of trees shedding branches. When we grew paulownia in AZ, we trimmed the branches leaving just the canopy, as we were using paulownia as a shade covering for the gardens. So wanted open space under them to tend the crops but a nice canopy over head for shade. So I can't speak to how much they shed branches, as we preshed them.

I'm not sure how quick this would be, but it is quicker than growing trees for shade....This is what the Wheaton Labs has set up to give shade to their classroom this summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUcg__3k-IE