ᐅ Natural shading provided by plants

Hello everyone,

I am currently thinking about the shading for my 5x5m (16x16 ft) wooden deck, which will be used as an outdoor dining area. Normally, I would have installed a louvered roof without hesitation. Until I saw this:

Is such natural shading practical? The distance between the crab apple trees is exactly 5m (16 ft), which matches our dimensions perfectly. Which plants are suitable for this? Preferably not ones that attract a lot of insects...

I would consider the dirt caused by leaves, blossoms, and bird droppings, as well as all the wood grooves where this debris can get trapped.

Best regards,
Sabine

That’s why I’m asking which plants would be suitable for that.

How about grapevines? Large dense leaves, beautiful autumn colors, grows quickly.

This topic has come up before, but I much prefer this natural look without any structures for plants to climb on.

I like the idea. But doesn’t a tree basically keep growing its whole life? That could pose a risk of damaging the decking boards. Trees that are already large enough and don’t grow much anymore will not be very mobile.
Any natural tree will attract insects to some extent. Fruit trees might attract a bit more than others.
I recently saw several trees at the nursery that were supported by a kind of frame and pruned in a way that their canopy grew like an actual roof. Imagine several of these next to each other—this could create a sort of walkway covered with foliage. Alternatively, arranged in a circle, it could form a kind of pavilion. However, I would place these outside the terrace area.