With this in mind, leading sun protection brand Uvistat has been working with garden designers Ringrose England to develop a sun safe garden.

Creating a shady garden isn't as straightforward as it may first appear. Putting in a few trees or plants is not going to offer the protection you need, but with a little thought, you can create a space any shade-loving person and plant will adore.

The first thing you need to do is work out where the sun rises in your garden and where the sun will be throughout the day. Your garden will have different pockets of shade so think carefully about where you place seating.

There are some very clever solutions to creating shade in the garden, and not just with planting. Parasols and awnings are the obvious, but how about using a boat sail? A sail can protect you all day – you can seek shade underneath or follow the shadow of the sail around. Clever planting can create shade all over your garden, and with a combination of tropical and traditional plants, you can create something a little different.

Bamboo – this offers excellent screening and at the same time, a restful rustling on those breezy days.

Butia – a beautiful palm which can tolerate temperatures down to –10C. Feathery palms create considerable shade.

Trachycarpus – fan palms with the leaves producing a rounded fan. The plant can be successfully grown in cool and damp climates as well as those that are relatively mild.

Acers and silver birch – small trees like these offer a light shade.

Whitebeam – this offers much heavier shade and has the added benefit of having both spring flowers and autumn berries, giving added interest to the outside space.

Anthony Hubbard, technical director at Uvistat, says: "The importance of applying sun protection throughout the year cannot be stressed highly enough. "Simple things like remembering to apply sun protection and creating a shady area in the garden are just two things that could make all the difference."