Do it Yourself Pool Landscape Design

Landscaping around your pool is important for several reasons. Landscaping offers you more privacy and makes the pool area more attractive. However, because there are so many landscaping options, deciding exactly what to plant around your pool and how exactly to design your pool landscape can seem a little daunting. Come up with two or three ideas for landscaping and see what you like best and what will work best around your particular pool area. Visit your local garden shop and hardware store so you can see what is available for purchase.

Instructions

1. Start from the ground up by thinking about what type of surface you want around your pool. Choose from concrete, bricks or even slate. Keep in mind that concrete or bricks are rough surfaces that will not be as slippery as slate is when wet.

2. Decide on what type of fencing you would like. Choose from tall, wood pickets, cedar, chain link or composite fencing. Make sure you check with your state as most states have very specific laws about the types of fence you may install around your pool and the minimum height requirements.

3. Plan on a variety of plants for your pool area landscape. Choose plants that grow on different levels, such as an evergreen ground cover to smaller trees that can provide a bit of shade during the hottest hours of the day.

4. Add some lattice for climbing plants, such as vines and roses. Choose roses that do not have large thorns, as there will be a lot of bare feet around the pool. Choose other plants that are suitable for the climate you live in and that can take a lot of heat from the sun and possibly a lot of chlorinated water from splashing children.

5. Plant any plants far enough back from the edge of the pool so they do not shed into the pool. Keep in mind that shedding leaves and flower petals are not great for pool filters.

6. Cover up any remaining and exposed dirt with small rocks to keep weeds from growing. Choose from a variety of colors, such as gray, white, black or even red.

7. Build some seating and storage into your pool landscape. Make plenty of comfortable bench seating, but build the benches so that, when they are not being used to sit on, you can store pool toys and supplies in them.

Tips & Warnings

• Get ideas from other people’s pools or look through books and magazines for landscaping ideas. Borrow the books from the library and it will not cost you anything.

• Enlist the help of a professional if you need help for ideas. A professional can come out to your home, possibly for a small fee, and give you some ideas for landscaping that you may not have thought of. He can also provide some helpful do’s and don’t’s.

References

• Landscaping Ideas Online: Swimming Pool Landscaping
• Backyard landscape Ideas: Swimming Pool Landscaping

Resources

• The Landscape Design Site: Swimming Pool Landscape Design