I come from a line of redheads, and so, you can imagine how I’m feeling about the current heatwave. As a result, we’ve been sun-proofing the garden to make it safe for me, my fair-skinned father, and dogs to go outside.
We’re fortunate to have a corner plot, but it also means there’s quite a large area to try and throw shade over, and as much as I love our Dunelm bistro set - the parasol doesn’t quite offer enough protection for a whole family and visiting guests.
But over the weekend we found the Gardenline pop-up gazebo in Aldi for £79.99 and it has transformed our garden into a cool, shady retreat that the whole family can enjoy.
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I enjoy anything ‘pop up’ in summer - pop up beach tents, pop up ice lollies, and so, I knew Aldi would have us quite literally covered with this pop up gazebo.
We had been shopping around for the past week or so, but anything that looked sem-suitable was well over the £100 mark, or didn’t have amazing reviews. However, Aldi’s products haven’t let us down yet, so we were pretty confident after seeing other happy shoppers leave glowing reviews for the garden product.
Joy S wrote: “Bought 2 weeks ago easy to assemble excellent quality - all we need now is the sunshine to enjoy it.” - well Joy, you asked and the British weather delivered, so I do hope you’re making use of it.
Angi-irv added: “Bought this pop up gazebo to replace the old style with poles. It’s superb, sturdy, private, great quality and was delivered earlier than stated. I would highly recommend this gazebo.”
In the box, there almost seems to be nothing to it. There’s the gazebo frame and cover, carry bag, tent pegs, ground spikes, guy lines and the two sides. While it’s recommended for two people to assemble, three or four definitely helps get it up quicker, but it can be up in under five minutes even on the first go.
Aldi said: “With its easy-to-assemble foldable design, this Gardenline Anthracite Pop Up Gazebo is just what your garden needs this summer. Perfect for those gorgeous afternoons, this gazebo comes with a roof frame and aluminium legs, as well as an air vent.”
The three metre cubed structure throws a significant amount of shade even without the sides on, but you can add them on the sides where the sun is shining for extra protection. While there is an arched style window on one side, it still offers a good amount of privacy, and makes your garden feel more secure - particularly nice if you have young children or inherently nosey neighbours.
The gazebo is water-repellent, as I discovered when my American bulldog Frank dived in his paddling pool, which was in the shade of the outside perimeter, and it just bounced off the fabric. Not only that, but the fabric has a UV protection of ‘80+’, ‘so you're ready for whatever the British weather throws at you’, says Aldi.
There are three different heights you can make the gazebo, and it’s fairly easy to move around the garden with a few people, so you can move it into the best spot throughout the day.
Perfect for garden parties or sheltering BBQ guests, it’s also ideal for placing in a paddling pool for kids, or for setting up a picnic. We filled our gazebo with blankets and cushions to make a cool but cosy lounge space, adding cooling mats for the dogs. We also like to pull it over our patio over the rocking chairs and unlit firepit, but this area of the garden goes shady early anyway, so we always end up moving it further down towards the middle.
The design is simple but effective, easy to pop up and put down, and makes sitting in the garden much more enjoyable and manageable if you’re trying to beat the heat this week.
You can pick up the grey gazebo for £79.99, or there’s a cream version that also has £10 off.
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