Tips for Selecting Awnings and Shades for Terrace Garden

Even after searching for an ideal shade for my terrace I have still not come up with anything that can replace the sky! with so many people living in suburbs and Mumbai struggling to see the sky and the sun isn't it a great boon to have a small piece of open sky just for you. people having Terrace are very lucky and it is very sad that many convert it to a room or store junk here instead of thanking God for this blessing!
Awnings are a solution to this as you can open and fold back the awning according to your needs. Beautiful awnings are available in the market that can be got in various materials and colours to suit your needs and choices. Covering the terrace has many options like having a fixed shade or a folding one. With fixed shade you can have acrylic or metal aluminum shade, but just take care that the splitter splatter of  the rains will be heard more in the metal and acrylic shade.
So if you are okay with the loud noise of rains then the metal shade are the sturdiest and long lasting among all types of shades for your terrace garden. With awnings you get the advantage of folding your shade to a minimum length and using the whole shade only when required. This will give you the opportunity to close your shade during evenings and night to enjoy the beautiful sky and open the shade in mid or late afternoon when the sun is at its peak.
It is a difficult task selecting material for awnings as there are a variety of materials available and the buyer is faced with lots of choices for awnings. One must see their environment and then select the material for awnings accordingly. If your terrace faces very harsh sunlight and strong winds and rains then take a tougher material for your awning. If your terrace has sunlight for only some part of the day and also not so strong winds then your can consider your choice and go in for any material for awning.
Remember that which even material you choose will have an impact of the look of your terrace garden as well as its maintenance.  The joints or fittings of the awnings may rust over the years and they need greasing and maintenance. Also if your terrace has direct sun exposure for long hours of the day any material used for awning as shade will wear out sooner and tear from joints or corners.
Another important, very important aspect which we overlook is the fact that since it is a open garden it will attract birds and bees, and also other pests. So try to select a material that is pest proof, though I do not feel any material for awning is so tough that they can bear rats!even birds like pigeons and crows may pierce the material and once there is a hole in the awning it will tear more from that area and damage the whole awning. One can stitch the torn part immediately if there are any holes to prevent further damage.
Colours chosen for awnings must compliment your garden and not over shadow it. If you have a bright red attractive awning then all your plants will be over shadowed by this dominant colour and all focus will go on the awning instead of your garden plants.
Select a shade material according to your personal likes and preferences and also take care to consider all the above mentioned points before selecting an awning as this is a major expense for your garden and awnings do not come cheap!.