Swimming pool areas are the perfect place to plant beautiful flowers and foliage. Plants provide a natural look that many people appreciate.
However, these plants must be carefully selected because they are going to have to withstand a variety of conditions that will affect their growth and development. If you are a homeowner with a swimming pool or operate a commercial pool, you know how important it is to take care of your facilities.
Therefore it’s important to choose plants that are both aesthetically pleasing and also serve an important purpose. Let’s look at the benefits of using plants for around pool.
Table of Contents
5 Benefits Of Using Plants For Pools
1. Plants Are The Money Shot
Plants appear in the best hotel marketing photos for their pool facilities. A quick browse of top destination hotels will confirm this. By the same token, they can make or break a home swimming pool’s image too. If you want to increase the foot traffic to your hotel, plant some trees and flowers around the pool.
2. Happy Vibes For Yourself Or For Your Guests
Hotel guests love seeing lush greenery, flowering plants, and trees throughout the property. It makes them feel more relaxed when they browse through your grounds.
Pool areas especially are less stressful, and more relaxing when decorated with the right foliage. Choosing tropical plants will help define the holiday mood and palm trees provide a tropical feel, which you really want from a backyard pool.
3. Pool Privacy Afforded By Plants
Not everyone wants their neighbors spying on them as they swim or take a relaxing dip. Plants are useful for adding privacy. They are attractive, beneficial and provide the privacy you need. Your neighbors won’t be able to see into your pool when it is planted with the right plants.
4. Increased perceived value
Plants make everything around them more beautiful. Getting the right plants for your pool area increases its value, which can help you sell your home a lot faster if that is something you are looking to do.
5. Plants Keep Pools Clean On Their Own
Water-loving plants for poolside gardens actually keep it clean on their own too. They catch leaves, insects and other forms of debris that might otherwise end up in the water by providing a windbreak and barrier. Plus there are some plants that actually repel insects, most importantly, mosquitoes.
What are Good Plants for Around a Pool?
Variety Keeps Your Pool Design Fresh
The best way to plant around your pool is to combine several different plant varieties. Selecting plants that are drought tolerant for summer as well as perennials that don’t die after producing flowers will keep your garden looking fresh.
If you have a good selection of plants that bloom in different seasons, your pool area will never look unkempt and will constantly provide something to see.
Choose Plants That Can Tolerate Full Sun
If you live in a region that has hot summers, full sun exposure is essential for good garden growth. If shade is available for part of the day, that’s okay; once your pool deck grows enough vegetation and the patio area around it becomes shady during the afternoon, you can start planting some shade-loving plants. Remember, if your garden is getting lots of sun exposure, it will need regular watering too.
These varieties love full sun exposure:
- Angel’s trumpet plant
- Sweetbox
- Many succulents like the century plant
- Gardenia
Choose Plant Varieties That Withstand Colder Climates
Depending on where you live, your pool can be subjected to cooler temperatures from early fall to early summer. This is especially true for pools in mountainous areas. If you live in a region that sees snow and freezing temperatures during the winter months, make sure the plants you’re considering thrive at lower temperatures.
The following plants are among those known for their cold tolerance:
- Golden Iris (Iris pseudocorus)
- Broadleaf Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
5 Best Plants For Pool Landscaping
1. Ornamental grasses for poolside landscaping
Ornamental grass can add color and texture to your outdoor spaces. Several species are available with large, flowing plumes; others have finely divided leaves and delicate fern-like foliage. Some grasses are small and clump-forming while others may reach over 4 feet in height or spread out 6 feet wide. Feather reed grass and zebra grass, for example, are so tall and feathery that it makes for a rather elegant privacy screen for your pool.
Ornamental grasses are an important part of arranging your landscape and they require little care once established.
2. What shrubs are good around a pool?
Number one rule for choosing a shrub for pools is to choose a shrub that doesn’t drop leaves. This will save ALOT of time on sweeping the floor and cleaning the pool. These low maintenance shrubs are also known as evergreen shrubs.
Dwarf and compact shrubs such as Evergreen Viburnum are well-suited to pool deck landscaping. They create a pleasing edging along the pool perimeter, prevent soil erosion from splashing water and enhance the overall landscape design around your swimming area of the backyard.
3. Ferns for skirting
Ferns, their soft fronds and interesting textures can add graceful refinement to your pool landscaping design and provide a delicate contrast to broadleaf evergreen plants like rhododendrons, hollies and pines. Ferns are relatively easy to grow and provide year-round interest for your pool deck.
Spreading types like the Southern Sword Fern can be used as ground covers while varieties such as the Bird’s Nest Fern will add pops of color to your garden – perfect to hang from the trunk of a tree for a magical botanical feel.
4. Plants For Mosquitoes
A lot of people don’t want to use chemicals or spend money on mosquito repellent, but they still need protection from mosquitoes.
Planting flowers and greenery near the pool is not only aesthetically pleasing but will also cut down on mosquitoes that are attracted to standing water in pools.
Citronella is a well known favorite. Basil is another plant that grows in wet areas and has been used for centuries to repel mosquitoes and other insects.
4. Best Plants For Poolside Privacy
Hedges such as boxwood, arborvitae and privet (which can grow up to 15 feet tall) create privacy around a pool in a non-invasive way making a natural fence of foliage.
They are very good at blocking unwanted views, especially if you want to keep your swimmers safe and protected from the prying eyes of onlookers. They can also create shade from the sun, reducing sun exposure in warmer climates.
5. Hide Unwanted Areas
Ivy is an effective plant for hiding a poolside fence and will continue to grow through the winter months which makes it hardy and long-lasting. However, you may need to trim ivy near the pool if it begins to overshadow the water.
Ivy also gives a stately or tropical look that can instantly create the vibe that many homeowners adore.
Container plants for around pool
The benefits of using containers or hanging baskets to decorate your pool area are that they do not require any permanent excavation work. They can be placed on the edge of the pool deck, or hung from a fence. They can be moved around to suit your decor and design. Plus plant containers can even be brought inside to protect a plant from, sun exposure, strong winds, or too much cold.
Plant types that grow well in pots include
- ferns
- hibiscus
- violets.
Planters come in many different sizes, so choose one that will not overpower the area you intend to decorate. As a manufacturer of high-quality outdoor planters, we know what poolside plants need and what designs suit the needs of our clients. to get your hands on our products please see our distributors, or if you want to start your own range of planters, let us know.
Or if you’re looking for more advice on how to create a commercial garden, take a look at our effective and cost-cutting tips for watering commercial planters.