Laura's Home and Gardening Blog

If you own a restaurant, bar or cafe, a big part of your business is providing an attractive and comfortable space where your customers can enjoy your products. Above all else, that's what really sets you apart from many of your competitors. But it's not just the interior that matters.

For business owners lucky enough to operate in areas with good weather, many customers are likely to prefer outdoor seating. After all, there's nothing quite like eating some good food or sipping a delicious drink while enjoying the sunshine. If you're interested in creating a new outdoor seating area or revamping an existing one, it's quite a different process to interior decoration.

A simple way to spruce up your establishment's exterior is to add a few trees, so consider these factors and choose the most suitable varieties.

Shade

One of the biggest benefits of having trees among your outdoor seating is that they provide a bit of shade when the sun is at its hottest. Of course, not all trees are the same, so it helps to choose wisely.

Various oaks and maples are excellent for shade, with their decent-sized, leafy canopies. However, they can be quite slow to grow, so unless you're getting mature specimens, you might have a bit of a wait on your hands. Conifers are a good option for shading sunlight coming from a more vertical direction, and they have the added benefit of reasonably fast growth.

Leaf drop

Having a lot of fallen leaves about can be unpleasant for your customers, and it also makes your cleaning work a lot more time-consuming. The best option if you want to avoid having to clear leaves entirely is to choose evergreen varieties, but these don't normally have a shade-giving canopy.

If your climate is suitable, tropical species like palms have some leaf drop, but it's not as extensive as many deciduous trees and is much easier to deal with thanks to the large leaves making clean-up quicker.

Planting

If you have space and your landscaping allows for it, planting in the ground is always best. It strengthens trees and gives them the ability to grow faster and to be more healthy. However, there are plenty of varieties that do well in pots, so don't be put off if you just have a paved-over patio area.

Acers, or Japanese maples as they're sometimes called, are one such tree, and they produce beautiful colours during the autumn. Another option is to get hold of some small fruit trees, such as cherry or olive. They not only suit pot-growing but also look very attractive, bringing a touch of colour to the arrangement.

For additional advice, contact a wholesale tree nursery in your area.