The landscaping around your swimming pool is more than just digging a hole and dropping in a tree or a plant or two. Landscaping around the pool is a way to create an environment that enhances the time you spend around the family swimming pool.
Why do you want to landscape?
Are you inspired? What has inspired you? It could be that you’ve seen a photo of a landscape you love or you could simply be tired of looking at the same ho-hum landscaping you always have.
Get inspiration from friends, family, television, magazines and even from your pool contractor’s look book. Talk with a professional landscaper to gain an understanding of how to landscape around the pool in a way that won’t damage the pool or cause drainage issues.
Swimming Pool Landscaping Elevates The Outdoor Space
Now that you’re inspired and have talked with a professional, it’s time to bring your dream to life.
- Plan before you plant. It’s hard to visualize what your plants and trees will look like unless you have planned it out before. Draw it out, use a computer program and lay it out. It’s not good for a tree or plant to be put into the ground, only to be dug up and moved a few days latter.
- Know your own eco system. If you live in a desert area you may not have the ecosystem in your backyard space to grow much other than cactus. Work within the limitations of what will grow and thrive in your area of the country.
- Commit to caring for your newly landscaped space. Once you have planted and toiled in the outdoor space you will need to water it, fertilize it and care for and nurture it until it’s thriving.
Look for aesthetics and functionality. A landscape pro can help you achieve that no matter how much yard space you’re landscaping.
Here are a few things to consider with aesthetics and function.
- Trees and shrubs can frame the house and the pool
- Make sure you have walkways in your yard. You don’t want people treading on your flowers nor do you want people to have to walk through dirt to get to the pool.
- Don’t block natural scenery
- How will your new landscaping look in proportion to your home?
- Where will you sit? Do you want benches or natural seating in your newly landscaped space?
Avoid these mistakes when landscaping around a swimming pool:
- Find plants that can survive having chlorine water splashed on them.
- Take drainage into consideration – your landscaper will know how to do that.
- Make sure you’re not building up part of the yard and that now the water and dirt is running downhill and getting into he pool.
- If you do landscape ending, look at how close it will be to the swimming pool and make certain none of your landscaping stones or plants and dirt will make their way into the pool water.
- Not looking at the traffic flow. Your yard may have a natural slope or curve that you want to plant in and make use of – if this will interrupt the traffic flow you may need to reconsider – unless you want to make that space a walkway.
- Various flowers and heights of flowers and plants add to the aesthetic appeal. Don’t be too rigid in your planting.
- Make sure you don’t plant trees with creeping roots! These roots, over time will make their way toward your pool – a water source – and damage the pool and the plumbing.
- Keep plants and trees that will drop leaves or attract birds who will drop… other stuff.. away from the pool deck and water.
- Don’t forget grass. A lovely, lush lawn is a great backdrop for the rest of your landscaping – don’t neglect it.
Thumb through gardening magazines and decide how you want to landscape around your swimming pool. You may also want to plant items that are functional as well as beautiful — herbs, or even fruits and veggies? Why not grow something you can benefit from by using in a meal or as a meal!