Best Backyard Gazebos: Stylish Summer Shade

 Best Backyard Gazebos: Stylish Summer Shade

If you're feeling a little claustrophobic in the house these days, why not turn your backyard into an elegant retreat with some new outdoor living space? A backyard gazebo can elevate your outdoor oasis, providing shade, plus heat, UV and weather protection. Of course, they're great during the warmer months, but if you choose one of the more permanent options, they can also be a welcome winter retreat, especially if you add an elegant gas fire pit underneath.

While some are easy, breezy and portable, we've also looked at substantial wood and steel structures with hardtops that can handle a snow load. Whichever you happen to choose, you'll love these stylish shade providers.

Antiques: Go find sunny spots and shady nooks

Des O'Sullivan looks at the garden sculpture on offer in an upcoming sale

LIFE in lockdown afforded many readers an opportunity to deeply reconsider their homes and especially their gardens. A real opportunity to add antique ornament to a shady nook or a sunny spot arises at Sheppard's sale of architectural ornaments and garden sculpture in Durrow next Tuesday.

This enormous bronze fountain could be yours.This enormous bronze fountain could be yours.

Here you will find neo-classical urns, gothic arches, gazebos, outdoor mirrors, sculpture, seating, ornaments and even an enormous bronze fountain with seven basins. With an estimate of €15,000-€20,000 lot 114 does not come cheap. The good news is that there is a variety of other fountains and fountain heads at much more conservative estimates.

There are urns, planters, egg carriers, stone finials, staddle stones originally used as supporting bases to keep vermin in granaries at bay, now re-incarnated as garden conversation pieces, and a 19th-century cast-iron plough.

The sale features Coalbrookedale cast-iron garden seats in various patterns including fern leaf, a hardwood Lutyens garden bench and a pair of 19th century Dublin cast iron park bench ends.

An 18th-century Irish staddle stone at Sheppard's.An 18th-century Irish staddle stone at Sheppard's.

A selection of cast iron and stone figures, models of animals from bears and armorial lions to whippets and birds, moulded jardinieres and a Portland stone arch and an antique bellows all amount to a huge variety of choice in a sale that Sheppards normally hold each year in May. It has become a popular annual event where bidders compete for rare and unusual garden pieces.

There is viewing from today at Glantelwe Gardens, Mill Road, in Durrow and the catalogue is online at www.sheppards.ie

How to Care for a Gazebo

A gazebo creates an instant focal point in a yard, offering a place to get out of the sunlight and enjoy the beauty of a garden. If cared for properly, a gazebo can last decades. Keeping it free of dirt and other debris can help extend its life and maintain its beauty, but other maintenance depends on the gazebo's building material.

Remove leaves, twigs and other debris from the gazebo's roof every two months. Climb a ladder and use a broom to reach and clear the debris. Don't stand on the roof or use a blower to remove the debris.

Wash the entire iron gazebo with warm water, mild soap and a soft scrub brush. Scrub the railings, posts and floor, removing pollen and dirt that could stain or scratch the gazebo. Rinse the gazebo's roof with water from a garden hose at least once each year.

Inspect the gazebo's interior and exterior for insect nests and webs every month during spring and summer. Remove webs with a long-handled broom. Spray nests, such as wasp nests, with an insect-specific insecticide. Wait for the insecticide to work, following the time frame listed on the spray's instructions. Verify no more activity is in the sprayed nest, and knock it down with the broom.

Protect the gazebo's building material. Apply waterproof sealant to a natural-wood gazebo every two to four years. Paint the sealant on the gazebo's wood by using a paintbrush. Waterproof sealant keeps wood strong and defect-free.

Scrape old paint from a wooden, painted gazebo every few years or as needed. Repaint the wood immediately. Repainting protects the wood and keeps the wooden gazebo looking its best. A vinyl or wrought-iron gazebo shouldn't need painting.

Apply a polyurethane spray, if desired, annually to a wrought-iron gazebo.