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If you love dining outside in the backyard, or on the patio, or if you simply enjoy sitting in a lounge chair sipping on an iced tea, and enjoying your garden, you should protect yourself from the weather with a good garden umbrella. A garden umbrella will shield you from the sun, as well as keeping you dry in a sudden rain.

UV rays from the sun can cause skin cancer if you are exposed to the sun for too long. A garden umbrella will help to shield you from these damaging UV rays. The shade can also help to keep you from overheating on a hot day. If you live in an area like Seattle or Portland, you'll need a garden umbrella to keep the rain off of you as well.

A garden umbrella will also help to protect your garden furniture from the sun and rain, both of which can, over time, damage the furniture. Your garden umbrella can also help to accent and complement your garden furniture. Many styles are available to match your furniture, whether you have a traditional French Bistro style table and chairs, or something more modern.

Several styles of umbrella are available to suit your garden. Shapes include round, square, and oblong. You can get umbrellas with and without fringes, and in many different colors and patterns. There are traditional umbrellas, with the pole in the middle, or there are umbrellas that hang from a frame, freeing up the center of your table for more space. If wind is a problem in your area, you can find umbrellas with vents in the canopy, to let the wind flow through. Reinforced seams and corners will help the umbrella to last longer.

The traditional colors for a garden umbrella are green and cream, to blend with the colors of your garden. If you want, however, you can find umbrellas with canopies of many different patterns, and different colors. Make sure you get an umbrella with an easy to clean canopy. This way, you can keep the umbrella clean and looking new, and not have to worry about bringing it inside to keep it clean.

You want an umbrella with a durable pole. The pole should be strong, light, rot resistant, and it certainly would not hurt if it matched the furniture. Something like bamboo may look nice, but it won't last as long as other materials, like hardwood or aluminum. A properly constructed and treated umbrella poll will last for many years.

You will also want a reliable and easy to use mechanism to raise and lower the canopy. A wind up system takes the least effort to use, and the brass fittings look very nice on an umbrella. There are also mechanisms that use a pulley to raise and lower the canopy. Umbrellas are also availble that you simply push into place, much like a rain umbrella, although on something as large and heavy as a garden umbrella, this mechanism is not as easy to use.

Whatever style garden or patio you have, you can find an umbrella to match your needs. An umbrella will allow you to enjoy your garden or patio, while protecting you and your family from harsh sunlight or rain.