It’s lovely to have hot, sunny days, but in order to make the most of your garden during the hot weather, a parasol is essential for providing some shade. Whether you’re sitting out relaxing, or dining alfresco, then here’s our pick of five of the best garden parasols.

 1. Hardwood parasols are a long-term favourite and this Princess parasol, designed by Paul Reef Parasols, features a classic green woven polyester top with a hardwood pole.

The parasol top is coated with 3M Scotchguard and it has vents in the top too, to help prevent it taking off. In order to put the parasol up and down easily, there is a four-pulley corded system. The hardwood pole is nice and sturdy and is finished off with brass fittings.

Lakeland hardwood Princess parasol

The Princess parasol is available from Lakeland for £99.91 and it comes complete with a heavy duty zipped storage bag.

2. This is a very nifty freestanding garden parasol from John Lewis. The clever design means that you can easily position your chair or sun lounger underneath the parasol, rather than to the side of it, and you don’t have to have it positioned in the centre of a table either.

John Lewis freestanding garden parasol

The only slight downside is that you do need to have four 45cm x 45cm paving slabs for the base. That aside, the John Lewis freestanding garden parasol is available for £152.

3. For a bright and cheerful look, how about this multi coloured parasol from Heal’s? Exclusive to Heal’s, the parasol claims to be both weather resistant and resistant to colour fading. It measures 200cm in diameter, with a 3.5cm diameter pole.

Heal's multi parasol

The multi parasol from Heal’s was originally £125, but is now down to £99 in the sale.

4. This Indian garden parasol, from The Urban Garden, is in a pretty shade of pink. Its small size (when opened, its diameter is 117cm) makes it perfect for use with one or two people and its stylish design adds colour and charm.

Pink Indian garden parasol

Made in India, the parasol has a separate painted wooden pole, with an aluminium decorative trim and stainless steel finial. The two part parasol comes presented in a handy cotton storage bag, with a detachable finial.

If you’d like to adorn your garden with this pretty pink Indian garden parasol, you can buy it from The Urban Garden for £134.

5. For a parasol that certainly won’t break the bank and looks good, how about this stylish green rectangular parasol from Tesco?

The parasol canopy is made from a dark green polyester fabric and the pole is made from FSC hardwood. A pulley system makes for easy opening and closing.

Tesco green rectangular parasol

The rectangular parasol was originally priced at £59, but it’s now down to £29.50 at Tesco. Bargain!