How to Cover a Patio Umbrella with Palm Tree Leaves

Gather palm fronds to decorate your patio.

You can create an island effect in your own backyard by covering a patio umbrella with palm tree leaves. You can use fresh green leaves that will dry out and turn brown or dried leaves to give you that typical tiki bar look.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder (optional)
• Work gloves
• Pruning shears
• Palm fronds
• Twine

Instructions

1. Climb the ladder and cut several palm fronds from a tree, or purchase a large bunch of dried fronds from a store.

2. Sort the fronds into two piles: a short pile and a long pile. The fronds in the short pile should be approximately the same length as each other. The fronds in the long pile should be about the same length as each other. Cut the stems to make them the same lengths.

3. Wrap a piece of twine around the circumference of the umbrella, approximately midway up on the umbrella. Add another 12 inches or so of twine to the measurement, and cut the piece of twine off.

4. Lay the twine on the ground in a straight line. Lay the long fronds on top of the twine so the stem end (where they were cut from the tree) is just covering the twine and the fronds are slightly overlapping each other.

5. Cut several 6-inch pieces of twine, and use these to tie the fronds onto the long piece of twine.

6. Wrap the twine with fronds hanging from it around the middle circumference of the umbrella top. Tie the ends together tightly enough that the bottom edges of the fronds hang down slightly over the edge of the umbrella top.

7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for the short pile of fronds, and wrap the twine around the apex of the umbrella top.

Tips & Warnings

• Add more pieces to the middle and top layer of fronds if you can see the umbrella underneath or if it looks too sparse.

• Dried fronds can be a fire hazard, so don't put tiki torches or open flames near them.

References

• The Find