What on earth is a banana parasol? I had no idea until I began researching ways to bring shade into my garden. You see, I’m very fair and tend to burn at the merest hint of a sunny forecast. So, if I’m going to spend any amount of time in my garden – and now that I have a lawn, I want to – I need to find some shade to keep myself protected from the suns rays. That’s when my shade research began, and it ended with a banana parasol.
I investigated plenty of DIY options, including making sails and installing poles to hold them up but, after adding up the cost of all the materials, it didn’t seem like the thrifty option anymore. The other good thing about choosing a parasol over sails is that I can put it away in the shed when we’re not using it to keep it clean and dry. And, to be honest, it was much cheaper to buy a parasol – but which one?
I wanted a parasol that would be big enough to cast an impressive shadow over my lawn. This would allow us to spread out a picnic blanket, and meant that our friends’ children could play safely on on the grass without fear of sunburn. About a 3 metre shade should do it…
So, that’s when I discovered the banana parasol. All the other standard parasols were much smaller and would only shade part of the grass, whereas a banana parasol could be angled to block the sun or brought down low to create what is essentially a ‘ceiling’ over the lawn. Perfect!
When VonHaus offered to send me one of their banana parasols to review, I jumped at the chance. It’s available in 3 contemporary colours but I chose a go-with-everything ivory colour that still feels really sunny when you’re sitting underneath it.
The banana parasol is 3m wide and can be easily raised and lowered using the wind-up crank mechanism. The word ‘crank’ makes it sounds much more difficult than it actually is to open the parasol using the handle – it’s a breeze! The polyester canopy provides UV30+ protection and has an integrated air vent so that wind doesn’t get trapped beneath the parasol.
I highly recommend getting the parasol weights that are made especially for the banana parasol. They are SO heavy and keep the base in place – you wouldn’t believe how heavy the boxes were when they were delivered. They come in a pack of two, and it’s recommended that you use 4 weights to safely and evenly balance the banana parasol.
The parasol can be used high up and at an angle to cast a shadow over the lawn or can be lowered into a wide-open ‘ceiling’ canopy wherever we’re sitting. I’m so excited to be able to use it this bank holiday weekend and have our first picnic outside on our new lawn!
What do you think of the banana parasol? Would you have something similar in your garden to shade your patio or decking? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
