What are the best plants to put around a pool – Transform your poolside into an oasis of beauty, tranquility, and ecological harmony with the perfect selection of plants. From vibrant foliage to fragrant blooms, discover the best plants to complement your pool’s aesthetic, provide shade and privacy, attract beneficial wildlife, and create a tropical escape.
With a focus on low-maintenance options and plants that enhance the poolside experience, this guide empowers pool owners to create a backyard haven that seamlessly blends style and functionality.
Suitable Plants for Poolside Aesthetics
Enhancing the visual appeal of the pool area is crucial when selecting plants for the poolside. Strategically chosen plants can complement the poolside décor, creating a cohesive and inviting outdoor space.
Consider plants with unique foliage, vibrant colors, and attractive textures to add visual interest and depth to the area. These plants can serve as focal points, drawing the eye and creating a sense of harmony with the water feature.
Types of Plants for Poolside Aesthetics
- Ornamental Grasses:These grasses add movement and texture with their flowing blades and feathery plumes. Examples include Fountain Grass, Blue Fescue, and Japanese Forest Grass.
- Tropical Foliage Plants:These plants offer bold and lush greenery, adding a touch of the exotic. Examples include Bird of Paradise, Monstera, and Elephant Ear.
- Flowering Plants:Vibrant blooms in various colors can brighten up the poolside. Consider Salvia, Daylilies, and Hydrangeas for continuous color throughout the season.
- Evergreens:These plants provide year-round greenery and privacy. Examples include Boxwood, Holly, and Juniper.
- Succulents:These low-maintenance plants tolerate drought and heat, making them ideal for sunny poolside locations. Examples include Echeveria, Sedum, and Aloe.
Plants that Provide Shade and Privacy
When designing the landscape around your pool, it’s essential to consider plants that provide shade and privacy. Shade is crucial for creating a comfortable and inviting outdoor space, protecting swimmers from the sun’s harsh rays. Privacy is equally important, especially if your pool is visible from neighboring properties.
While selecting the best plants to put around a pool, it’s important to consider their ability to thrive in moist, humid conditions. However, if you’re looking for plants suitable for a small, enclosed environment like a terrarium, you may want to explore options like ferns, mosses, and air plants.
For more inspiration on terrarium plants, visit our guide to the best plants for a small terrarium . Returning to the topic of poolside plants, some popular choices include tropical varieties like palms, hibiscus, and bird of paradise, which add a touch of exotic flair to your outdoor oasis.
Numerous plants can effectively provide both shade and privacy around pools. Here’s a list of recommended options:
Trees
- Japanese Maple: Known for its vibrant foliage and graceful canopy, the Japanese maple provides excellent shade and creates a serene atmosphere.
- Crape Myrtle: A popular choice for poolside landscaping, crape myrtle offers beautiful blooms and tolerates heat and humidity well.
- Live Oak: A majestic evergreen tree, the live oak provides ample shade and privacy with its dense canopy and sturdy branches.
Shrubs
- Boxwood: A versatile shrub that can be shaped into various forms, boxwood creates a dense hedge for privacy and adds a touch of formality.
- Hydrangea: Known for its large, showy blooms, hydrangea also provides privacy and shade, especially when planted in groups.
- Viburnum: A hardy shrub that offers year-round interest with its foliage, flowers, and berries, viburnum is an excellent choice for creating a secluded poolside oasis.
Low-Maintenance Plants for Busy Pool Owners
Poolside areas demand plants that can withstand the challenges of chlorine, splashing water, and occasional neglect. For busy pool owners, low-maintenance plants are the ideal solution, offering beauty and functionality without excessive gardening responsibilities.
To complement the aesthetic appeal of a pool, consider incorporating lush greenery with the best plants for poolside areas. Their vibrant foliage and fragrant blooms will enhance the ambiance and create a serene retreat. Similarly, indoor spaces like bathrooms can benefit from the presence of plants.
Discover the best plants to keep in a bathroom to add a touch of nature and purify the air, while enjoying the calming effects of greenery around your pool.
Drought-tolerant and disease-resistant plants are essential for poolside aesthetics. They can withstand the harsh conditions and require minimal watering, reducing the burden on pool owners.
Recommended Low-Maintenance Plants
- Lantana: Known for its vibrant flower clusters and adaptability to various soil conditions, lantana is a low-maintenance choice that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Mexican heather: A drought-tolerant groundcover with needle-like foliage, Mexican heather adds texture and color to poolside areas with minimal care.
- Yarrow: Featuring feathery foliage and clusters of daisy-like flowers, yarrow is a low-growing perennial that thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.
- Salvia: With its aromatic foliage and showy flower spikes, salvia is a drought-tolerant option that attracts pollinators and adds a touch of elegance to poolside spaces.
- Gazania: Known for its daisy-like flowers that come in a range of colors, gazania is a low-growing annual that prefers full sun and requires minimal watering.
Plants that Attract Beneficial Wildlife
Enhancing your poolside oasis with plants that attract beneficial wildlife not only beautifies the area but also promotes a healthy ecosystem. These creatures, such as birds and butterflies, play vital roles in pollination, pest control, and seed dispersal, creating a vibrant and eco-friendly environment.
Pollinator-Friendly Plants
Pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, are essential for plant reproduction. Attracting them to your poolside can increase fruit and vegetable yields and support biodiversity. Consider planting:
- Lavender
- Coneflower
- Purple coneflower
- Butterfly weed
- Salvia
Butterfly-Attracting Plants, What are the best plants to put around a pool
Butterflies add a touch of color and grace to any outdoor space. To entice these delicate creatures, plant:
- Milkweed
- Lantana
- Zinnia
- Cosmos
- Butterfly bush
Plants that Create a Tropical Oasis: What Are The Best Plants To Put Around A Pool
Creating a tropical oasis around the pool transports homeowners to a lush and exotic paradise. The soothing sounds of trickling water, lush foliage, and vibrant blooms evoke a sense of tranquility and escape. These plants thrive in the warm, humid conditions near pools, adding a touch of the tropics to any backyard.
When choosing the best plants to put around a pool, it’s important to consider not only their aesthetic appeal but also their feng shui properties. According to ancient Chinese philosophy, certain plants can promote positive energy and balance in a space.
For example, bamboo is believed to bring good luck and prosperity, while lotus flowers symbolize purity and enlightenment. You can find more insights into the best plants for feng shui at best plants feng shui . By incorporating these principles into your poolside landscaping, you can create a harmonious and inviting outdoor oasis.
Palms are the quintessential tropical plant, with their graceful fronds and stately silhouettes. Varieties like the Areca palm, Kentia palm, and Lady palm are well-suited for poolside planting, adding height and drama to the landscape. Ferns, with their delicate fronds and lush textures, create a sense of tranquility and bring a touch of the rainforest to the pool area.
Maidenhair ferns, Bird’s nest ferns, and Boston ferns are popular choices for their adaptability and ease of care.
Flowering shrubs add vibrant pops of color and attract pollinators to the poolside. Hibiscus, with its large, showy blooms, is a classic tropical choice. Plumeria, with its fragrant flowers and glossy leaves, adds a touch of exotic beauty. Bougainvillea, with its colorful bracts, provides a dramatic backdrop for the pool area.
Palms
- Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens)
- Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana)
- Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa)
Ferns
- Maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris)
- Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus)
- Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
Flowering Shrubs
- Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
- Plumeria (Plumeria rubra)
- Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis)
Final Wrap-Up
Embracing the power of nature, the right plants around your pool can elevate your outdoor space into a sanctuary of beauty, relaxation, and connection with the natural world. Whether you seek vibrant colors, lush foliage, fragrant blooms, or a tropical paradise, this guide has curated the perfect plant recommendations to transform your poolside into an oasis that will delight your senses and create lasting memories.
Q&A
What are some low-maintenance plants suitable for poolside areas?
Consider drought-tolerant succulents, ornamental grasses, and native wildflowers that require minimal watering and care.
How can I create a tropical oasis around my pool?
Incorporate lush palms, ferns, and flowering shrubs like hibiscus and bougainvillea to evoke a tropical ambiance.
What plants attract beneficial wildlife to the poolside?
Choose plants that provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, such as lavender, butterfly bush, and sunflowers.
