You can choose to create a tropical oasis or keep your landscape design elements in line with your local environment.  At Patio Covers Place, we support the use of landscape materials, plants and design that take advantage of local environmental considerations to not only give your plants the best chance of thriving but also to preserve local resources.  If you live in the desert southwest, then your landscape plans should take arid conditions to heart.  That lush full green lawn you are used to ‘back east’ is not supposed to grow in the middle of the desert.  However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a beautiful green yard and patio space.

Pool Landscaping Ideas

Don't try this pool landscape in the desert southwest.

There are several things to consider when you are formulating plantings ideas.  This is especially true of swimming pool landscaping.  The main reason is that both debris and run-off will affect your experience with your pool or patio space.  Without knowing it, your plants might look great in the spring or summer, only to drop all their leaves or have a big bloom of flowers that drop right into your pool.  If your pool landscaping plans don’t take these matters into consideration, you might find yourself forever frustrated by the space you spent so much time and money to enjoy.

To make sure that this doesn’t happen, look at various pool landscape magazines and online sites to research the look you want.  Then, see if those plants or those like them can be supported in your local climate.  Both water and sunlight conditions will need to be accounted for with your design.  Also, orientation of the area you wish to landscape needs to be looked at to maximize the factors that will support the long-term survival of your plants.

What About Pool Hardscape Features

While water is a must-have component to any landscape design, so is outdoor lighting.  In order to fully appreciate and enjoy your landscape features, having the right type of accent lighting is critical.  Just like having the right patio lights can highlight specific points of interest on you patio, the right landscape lighting can do the same for your pool landscape.  These things, combined with other non-living objects and materials are referred to as the pool hardscape elements.

The typical landscaping materials – plants, flowers, shrubs and trees – are all ‘soft’ in substance.  These are definitely important, as we’ve discussed here.  However, it is these hardscape features that add the punch and background off of which these other elements can pop.  Take the pool deck itself.  This area can be made of many types of materials that enhance the look of the pool area itself and provide a non-slippery surface.  Check out some pool decking ideas here.  Things like stamped concrete, concrete patio pavers and other cement finishing ideas can give your pool landscape a very unique appeal.

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This seems like an elementary point, but you might not know how a plant, shrub or other tree behaves when it is out of season from when you purchase it.  You may fall in love with the colors of the flowers or like the shade that the leaves provide only to be disappointed when you find them plugging up your pool skimmer every other day.

This type of swimming pool landscaping is not available in all climate zones.

The point of having a pool is to be able to enjoy it.  The last thing you want to be hassled with is having to clean all your great landscaping ideas out of your pool time and again.  Sure, you could hire someone to do this or get one of those swimming pool covers, but it will still affect the performance and function of your pool equipment.  Your best bet would be to plan your pool landscaping ideas with respect to your climate and local conditions.

You can see a lovely tropical setting happening in your backyard patio, with your outdoor fireplace, sitting on your chaise lounge listening to some great tunes, melting the night away.  The only problem is, if you live in a desert or more frost-prone climate, your tropical paradise oasis will quickly turn into a deserted island in the Sahara.  If you don’t match your landscaping to your climate, it will never survive and grow to be what you’d like.

With this in mind, keep native species in mind.  Native plants will do much better because, as their name implies, they have adapted over thousands of years to tolerate the weather conditions in your area.  Aside from this, they will likely bloom and go dormant at the times that would best suit your swimming season as well.  A term that is used for this type of use of native plants and thinking of natural water conservation is called xeriscape.  Xeriscaping can allow you to grow many different species of plants with minimal water use.  We are big fans of not only sustainable products and materials here at Patio Covers Place, but sustainable landscaping as well.  This is a wonderful option for swimming pool landscaping.

Let’s take the desert southwest, for example.  There, you can find structures that could shade your backyard, patio and landscape as well.  And, you can also have access to all the water you want – even though using it on landscaping can be considered a slightly irresponsible use of natural resources.  However, you could grow any number of plants and non-native species.  They would require excessive work and also force you to spend more time on them than enjoying your patio or pool.  Desert plants can have a wide variety of color and flowers that can bloom nearly year-round, depending upon species.

There are also ‘hardscape’ features to consider.  In our example here, the plants and trees would be considered the landscaping, while the hardscape could include things like the rock, flagstone or patio pavers you intend to lay, creating some sort of path or walkway.  Your outdoor lighting is also something to consider.  Since we were talking about sustainability earlier, let’s continue that theme with a solar discussion for your lighting.  Things like solar garden lights are a great way to conserve energy and place points of interest in and around your swimming pool landscaping.

How far you want to go with your landscape designs is really up to you.  The ideas and material choices are essentially endless.  You can go for a more rustic look and add a nice looking patio cover to go poolside or go with something much more finished in its appearance.  Your patio furniture and other outdoor accessories are all part of your overall design as well.  Matching your outdoor fabric choices to blend in with your landscaping is a nice touch.

Let’s not forget to mention the pool itself.  In many areas of the country, a pool fence is mandatory now in newer construction.  There are styles that are less obstructive to your visual line of sight, so they make great choices here.  The last thing you want is for your pool fence or other equipment to take away from your swimming pool landscaping design you worked so hard to create.

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