Pool landscaping ideas – the best materials, plants and lighting to use (2023)

FAQs

What type of plants do you put around a swimming pool? ›

Choose larger succulents, like Crassula or Yucca, that offer a rich green color to the space while also serving as a barrier. Smaller succulents, like Aeonium and Sedum, offer more intricate beauty and can be used to fill in bare areas around the pool. They also mix within other plants.

Pavers. A classic choice for their durability, ease of use, and varied looks, pavers, and tiles are one of the most common pools coping options. There are many different stone materials used to make pavers, such as sandstone, travertine, and marble, and porcelain is another popular paver material.

Paver stones are another popular way to surround an above-ground pool. Paver stones help keep weeds at bay and create a polished look around the pool. You can even use the pavers as a walkway and connect them around the pool for a pulled-together look.

As a result, planting a garden near your swimming pool can help drive insects away. Some bug repellant plants to consider adding to your garden include mint, garlic, basil, rosemary, lavender, and citronella grass.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us plants are not harmed by water treated with chlorine. Most of us have been watering our plants with chlorinated water for years and they survive.

Use rock rather than mulch in planting beds.

If possible, refrain from using mulch in planting beds in close proximity to the pool. Mulch can be displaced rather easily and, if used near the pool, will inevitably end up in the water. Save yourself the hassle by using decorative rock or gravel in its place.

Mulch and rocks are a low-maintenance grass alternative (as long as you weed periodically), and you can avoid the weed eater conundrum to boot. If you're going to do all of that work, you might as well add pretty shrubs, trees, or flowering perennials while you're at it.

Diving should always be done at the deep end of the pool, and never at the shallow end or anywhere in between. It is not unusual for children to suffer head injuries or broken necks because they tend to overestimate the depth of the water, then crash headfirst into the ground.

Invest in Some Luxurious Accessories

A pool without accessories is boring, not luxurious. Improve your pool's ambiance by investing in some professional lighting or a couple of colorful, outdoor rugs. Remove clutter by creating a nook for people to put away pool toys, pool floats, or towels.

The hardscape area around your swimming pool is called a surround, deck, or decking, even though it isn't always made of wood or composite, like traditional outdoor decks with which we most often associate the words. Traditionally, most in-ground swimming pool decks are made of concrete.

What not to put in a pool? ›

Limestone. The luxurious feel and look of limestone makes it a great choice for a pool deck. And there is a whole new class of limestones that have become more popular in northern climates, as they can withstand freezing and thawing conditions.

Certain types of pool deck materials become more slippery than others, so you want to avoid them as much as possible. These include smooth concrete, tiles, and polished natural stone. Instead, choose materials that offer natural grip properties, such as wood, brick, composite, textured concrete, or unpolished stone.

Textured surfaces with low-heat retention are the best materials for pool areas for their non-slip gripping capabilities and burn prevention while being under direct sunlight. Composite decking will prevent the growth of algae while the stones in stone or concrete pavers are entirely waterproof.

Choosing the Best Mulch for your Swimming Pool Landscaping

Simply put, rubber mulch stays in place. It won't blow into the pool with other leaves or debris. Rubber mulch helps keep your pool clean and pristine, as well as the landscaping around it.

Resin. Resin pools are one of the most popular options because they really are the toughest, longest-lasting above ground pools you can find.

Keep several citronella candles on hand.

Citronella is a natural mosquito repellent. Several candles placed around the swimming area in areas that are hard to reach for children and pets will add additional protection.

Epsom Salt Solution Insect Control– A mixture of 1 cup (240 ml.) Epsom salt and 5 gallons (19 L.) of water may act as a deterrent to beetles and other garden pests. Mix the solution in a large bucket or other container and then apply the well-dissolved mixture to foliage with a pump sprayer.

Spray essential oils—Water bugs, like most insects, hate the smell of essential oils. Mix a few drops of citronella essential oil with water and pour the solution into a spray bottle. You can also use peppermint oil as another safe and natural pesticide option.

Yes, chlorine is fairly unstable and will gradually evaporate from water. However, many water treatment plants have begun using chloramine instead of chlorine because it is a more stable disinfectant formed by combining ammonia and chlorine.

What plants can survive chlorine water? ›

Palm trees, wax myrtle, yaupon (tree holly), devilwood, live oak, willow oak, southern magnolia, eastern red cedar and Siberian elm are all great choices.

Extra-Sensitive Plants

This includes dracaenas (Dracaena), ti plants (Cordyline), spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum), prayer plants (Maranta), calatheas (Calathea) and carnivorous plants. If these plants are watered with heavily chlorinated water, it can cause the tips of the leaves to die and turn black.

River rock is a great choice for garden cover stone near a pool. It isn't sharp so it won't damage the lining if it makes it into the pool and it looks even better when it gets wet!

Use ornamental grasses and bushes to hide your pool equipment. If you choose the right ones, they'll grow wide enough and tall enough to completely conceal your equipment. Consider options like Boxwoods that grow thick, Japanese Holly that is super leafy, and ornamental grasses.

First being that the crushed stone acts as a barrier from letting hard rains to penetrate underneath the pool wall and deteriorate the base. Second is that having crushed stone against the wall instead of dirt will allow water to dissipate and dry quicker.

During this process, building a retaining wall around your pool will help keep the backfill in place, helping prevent soil erosion around your swimming pool. In addition, it will keep other elements, like rainwater and runoff, from corroding the metal elements of the pool and gaining access to the sand bed.

Maintain 0.5–1 ppm of available chlorine

Re-test the chlorine level in the water each day you use the pool, and when necessary add 1 teaspoon Clorox® Bleach per 100 gallons of water; retest to ensure the correct level of available chlorine is achieved. Empty small pools daily.

Grass is soft and cool on skin, creating a relaxing sensation. Even with safety rules for your pool and backyard in place, accidents can happen when excited children play around a pool. No matter the surface, kids may run and get hurt if they slip. Natural grass provides a bit of a cushion for anyone who falls.

As a rule, always keep a distance of at least one metre from the person in front of you when swimming. If you notice that the swimmer in front of you is too slow, leave their slipstream and overtake them. If you are overtaken, let the other swimmer pass quickly. Keep up your pace and do not rush.

Do not eat anything at least an hour prior to your entry into a pool. Mixing chlorinated water with food can result to an upset stomach. Apply a well-reviewed waterproof sunscreen/sunblock on all parts of the body (even those areas that are not directly affected).

What is a pool with no edge called? ›

An infinity pool, also called an infinity edge pool or a zero edge pool, is a reflecting pool or swimming pool where the water flows over one or more edges, producing a visual effect of water with no boundary.

Overall, vinyl liner pools are the cheapest inground swimming pools that money can buy. It's rare to find a pool builder who can build a concrete or fiberglass pool at a vinyl liner pool price.

Plants like bamboo, palm trees and hedges can create a natural fence to enclose the space and even create some shade. You also want to use a mix of plants to add texture to the landscape around the pool. Combining ornamental grasses, cactuses, flowering plants and other foliage will really help the design pop.

Choosing lighter pool colors can create the illusion of more space and make your pool more of a focal point within your backyard. Pearlescent white shades or lighter grays and blues can really make your pool pop and stand out more!

Consider the size of the pool and area – In our experience light coloured pools tend to look bigger in smaller areas as they blend in and create an illusion of space. Darker coloured pools tend to have a defined line around them. This is great if you want to create clean lines or a reflection pool look.

Concrete pools are the most expensive to build and to maintain. They take the longest to build. A concrete pool takes a few months to install. Concrete pools require the most hands-on maintenance of the three.

Running the Pump without Water

They will overheat and cause excess damage. Running a pump without water can also warp the lid, basket and the adjacent plumbing. If the pump continues to run without water, there is a high possibility of causing damage to the plate, seal and bearings.

What should a pool always have around it? ›

Chlorine, pH, Total Alkalinity are the main balances to keep in check, so with a well stocked test kit at home you can make sure the pools water chemistry is in balance on a regular basis. You don't need one of everything!

The pool's special need for clean surfaces makes stone mulches useful. Where space is tight and mulch is likely to be stepped on, stone tends to stay in place and not litter the area. It won't break down into tiny, dirty specks that are hard to clean and stick to the bottom of wet feet.

Rectangular pool shapes are universally the most common among all designs. While round pools are more communally social, rectangular pools are better for accommodating different groups of people. This is why most apartment buildings tend to adopt this shape for their pools, especially since landscaping is so limited.

A fiberglass pool is not prone to growing algae, which is one of the main reasons why this pool is easier to maintain. Anyone who is looking for a pool that doesn't require a lot of maintenance may want to consider going with a fiberglass pool.

One of the most common materials used in manufacturing a pool cover is polyethylene, which happens to be the most produced and most versatile type of plastic. It is also known for its combination of light weight, strength and durability, that's why it is the base material of almost all pool covers.

Stone is the longest-lasting mulch, followed by landscape fabric. Black plastic and rubber mulch last a long time, and help with both heat and water retention in the soil, though they're also more expensive than stone or landscape fabric.

Sand is the recommended base for an above ground pool, but not all sand is the same. Different types of sand are used for different applications. And it's important to use the right one for your above ground pool. Moulding Sand: Also called foundry sand, this sand binds together more closely when moisture is added.

Look for Plants with Large Leaves

Small palm trees, cordylines, flax plants, and large-leaved shrubs are ideal for the pool area.

Cover the ground from the pool edge outward 3 feet with smooth stones or river rocks. These will prevent grass and weeds from growing in the area, while allowing splashed water to drain through to the bushes and plants around the pool.

What plants can handle chlorine? ›

Palm trees, wax myrtle, yaupon (tree holly), devilwood, live oak, willow oak, southern magnolia, eastern red cedar and Siberian elm are all great choices.

We've included drought-tolerant plants like ice plants, sempervivum and creeping thyme, as well as beautiful blooms that thrive in shade like lily of the valley and dead nettle. Picks like the creeping phlox or creepy jenny are even sturdy enough to walk on.

Potting soil is essential, particularly for indoor plants, as it is soil that is lightweight and well balanced with organic material, peat, and perlite, and helps water drain out.

The two most common materials for the bottom of your pool are vermiculite and grout. Whichever material you choose, you'll apply it right on top of the soil with a round-edged pool trowel, and then the liner goes on top of it.

Zoysiagrasses in general are known for their salt tolerance; they're a great choice in areas where salt water is a concern. TifTuf Bermudagrass is also salt tolerant.

It won't blow into the pool with other leaves or debris. Rubber mulch helps keep your pool clean and pristine, as well as the landscaping around it.

Choose your bathing suit based on the look you are going for, and pair it with shorts, skirts, dresses, cover-ups. kaftans and kimonos or accessories like flip flops (I much prefer leather sandals for a more elegant look), wedges, and necklaces. Don't forget your hat, beach bag, and sunglasses.