United Kingdom 
Can any fellow gardener advise how to aquire shade or dappled shade on a SW facing Patio, I know we have little sunshine this summer, but with the years progressing and much gustier and windy conditions even in summer the sun umbrellas I have are blown over even with a weighted base! (I blame all these off shore windfarms!) We put up a canvas gazebo but the shade was on the border and hedge and not on the patio. If we had a Pergola constructed it would take a couple of years for climbers to give any dappled shade. A conundrum methinks. Any advice and (economical) replies would be much anticipated.
11 Jun, 2012
Answers
Great idea TeeGee! I provided shade on the cheap by using expanding willow screen and honeysuckle/climbing roses but lesson learned is that you are better to put up good quality trellis because the expanding willow def doesn't cope well with the weight of three roses and the thuggish honeysuckle! Fortunately the willow trellis has three VERY solid uprights to which we could attach some substantial supports. But I like Teegee's idea :-)
11 Jun, 2012
Well you seem to have considered a pergola covered with climbing plants.
How about this; erect a pergola and fit a bamboo roller blind which can be opened or closed as required, something you can't do with plants.
Such an arrangement would work until such time time as climbers mature!
11 Jun, 2012