With the economy causing many people to choose "staycations", you want your backyard to be a place where you can play and relax in comfort.

Outdoor activities are always more enjoyable when you can find a shady place to relax for a while and get out of the blazing sun.

If you need to provide extra shade in your yard you might want to consider offset or freestanding patio umbrellas instead of the traditional umbrella. You know the kind, the ones with a center pole that usually goes through a hole in the center of a patio table.

All garden umbrellas provide useful shade but, offset patio umbrellas are the ideal way to provide the maximum amount of shade for your friends and family to relax in.

Offset or cantilevered patio umbrellas are a wise choice for homeowners for many different reasons.

First of all the support pole sits off to the side so you don't have that pole in your face as you sit and visit with your friends around the table.

For that matter you don't even have to have a table, offset patio umbrellas can be used wherever you need a shade. You can shade a table, a seating area or even shade your hot tub with offset patio umbrellas.

Many stands for the freestanding patio umbrellas have rollers so you can easily move the umbrella to the area you want.

More and more patio tables do not have a hole in them to use a traditional umbrella with. This is especially true with the retangular tables.

Most offset patio umbrellas have poles that can be adjusted for height. Many also can be rotated a full 360 degrees so you have shade exactly where you want it all day long.

Unlike tradtional patio umbrellas, side mount umbrellas can be used in a stand or mounted on the side of a wall or deck, giving you lots of options for placement.

Because of the way they are mounted, offset umbrellas can be made in larger sizes than the more common center pole umbrellas so you have a greater area of shade.

They also come in different shapes, there are the traditional round umbrellas, but they also are available in square and rectangle shapes.

Of course you want an offset patio umbrella that looks nice and coordinates with your other outdoor furnishings, but there are a couple of other things to consider when shoppng.

What is the area you are trying to shade? If you have a small patio you will need a small umbrella. Measure the area that you want to shade and choose an appropriate sized umbrella for the space. A good rule of thumb is the umbrella shoud be four to five feet larger than the area you want to shade.

Select durable material. You will find umbrella frames constructed of aluminum, wood and fiberglass. All patio umbrellas are covered with some type of fabric, some are more durable than others. Acrylic cotton fabrics like the Sunbrella fabrics are the most durable as they are fade proof and stain proof.

Once you make your decision, kick back and enjoy your backyard in the shade of your new offset patio umbrella.