Pool-scape: Beautiful Plants for Your Outdoor Oasis

June 29, 2015 | By webadmin

Here in Texas, pools are a pretty important part of our outdoor living space. Our hot summers can be made tolerable, and even enjoyable, by a dip in the backyard pool. Landscaping around a pool, however, offers up distinct challenges. While the plants you choose to complement your pool should be beautiful, they also need to to be “clean”, meaning they won’t make a mess of your pool; and they need to tolerate reflected heat and the splashes of pool water.

All of the plants in this pool-scape were specifically chosen for their hardiness in a pool environment.

When we landscape around a pool, we ask ourselves a few questions with each plant selection.

• How much leaf litter will be left each season?
• Which plant selections will stand up to the reflected heat and humidity?
• Will the plants stand up to potential pool splashing?
• Are the plants chosen the client’s style and do they flow with the entire landscape?

Plants placed directly around a pool need to be low-maintenance and not deposit a lot of leaf or bloom litter into your pool. Pools require enough cleaning and maintenance as it is.

Dwarf Mexican Petunia are excellent for creating a low-growing low-maintenance border along your pool decking. They’ll take the reflected heat and are evergreen. Plus, they produce blooms off and on all season and are self-cleaning.

If you need a tall yet narrow privacy screen around your pool, ‘Skyrocket’ Junipers are a great choice. Plants grow 15- to 20-feet tall, but stay only 2- to 3-feet wide. With hardly any leaf litter and evergreen foliage, plus heat and drought tolerance, you’ll find them to be low-maintenance poolside plants. They look beautiful around pools and fit in with any style of landscaping, including Mediterranean. Plant in straight rows of at least three for a majestic affect.

In the same photo above, you’ll notice an exotic white lily blooming: It’s a spider lily, or Hymenocallis sp. As you can see, the plants form nice clean clumps of soft strap-like foliage. They love the heat and humidity found around pools and add a tropical flare.

There aren’t many summer bloomers as tough and low-maintenance as is lantana. Lantana tolerates the hot sun and reflected heat around your pool while blooming continuously spring through fall. Lantana can be grown in the beds or containers around your pool. While a few tiny flowers may drift into the pool, plants are overall pretty clean.

In the photo above, you’ll also see some yucca plants next to the container of lantana. Soft yucca make the perfect statement plant around your pool without making a mess. They tolerate the hot sun and are very drought tolerant.

Grass getting muddy around the pool? Go faux. Trying to grow a lawn that directly surrounds your pool can be tricky. The splash of pool water and the constant foot traffic can result in a muddy mess. Lawns around pools can be especially problematic for homeowners with dogs that like to use the pool. If your pool-side lawn just isn’t holding up, then artificial turf might be a good solution. EasyTurf is a good choice to use around a pool: It stand up to traffic, pets, pool water and doesn’t require any maintenance. Check out this pool-scape here.

Click here for more poolside plant suggestions.

Need more suggestions of what to plant around the pool or looking to refresh your pool-side landscape? Give us a call!