Choose the Perfect
Poolside Plants

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Many pool owners envision their pools as places to get away and relax without leaving their backyards. Plants can help create that tranquil atmosphere with their beauty and fragrance. Plants also soften the hard landscape of a pool by rounding out the lines, says Mary Voges, a horticulturist with Litzsinger Road Ecology Center in St. Louis. "They're used almost like sculptures," Voges says.

People's design choices vary when it comes to choosing plants for their pool landscapes, says Richard Poynter, President of Poynter Landscape & Construction in Ballwin, Mo. Tastes can run any course — from formal and elegant to casual and tropical. The type of plants you choose will depend on your landscaping goals.

Your goal: Plants that won't leave you cleaning debris out of the water.
Recommendations: Luckily, there are plenty of plants that are as low-maintenance as they are eye-catching. For plants closest to the pool, Larry Quick, executive director of Aldridge Botanical Gardens in Hoover, Ala., recommends evergreens, such as fragrant rosemary. "It's a real nice herb that's not messy," he says. For a more exotic look that's low-maintenance, he suggests the glossy green foliage of the "very tough" aspidistra or a variety of ferns.
Best bet: Two ferns with especially dramatic features are the Japanese painted fern with its unique maroon-splashed silver leaves, and the ostrich fern, which has lace-like fronds that resemble ostrich feathers.

Your goal: Make your pool feel like a tropical oasis.
Recommendations: Quick suggests bold plants with texture. The heart-shaped leaves of elephant's ear have velvety texture and a rainforest-like look. North Dakota State University horticulturist Ron Smith recommends canna lilies. "Their large leaves, various sizes and different colors in flower and foliage make them good in combination plantings," he says. The 4- to 5-inch blooms come in many colors including white, cream, yellow, pink, orange and red.
Best bet: Palm trees are well-known symbols of the tropics, and their incredible heights of 30-50 feet can give you extra privacy to make your pool feel like a true tropical haven. Smith recommends the graceful-looking queen palm or the Mexican blue palm.

Your goal: A landscape that is both exotic and elegant.
Recommendations: A favorite plant of Quick's for around the pool is bamboo, especially black bamboo. "It's elegant. It's exotic. It's tropical," he says. The nighttime outdoor lighting possibilities alone make bamboo an extraordinary addition to your pool area. "The silhouettes are just beautiful," he says.
Best bet: Smith suggests the fragrant Japanese pittosporum, a dense evergreen shrub. The creamy yellow flowers and ornamental gray-green leaves make it an attractive, elegant choice.

Your goal: Trees and plants that offer privacy.
Recommendations: When adding plants for privacy, tall trees might seem like the obvious choice, but Voges warns against using trees with invasive roots, such as cottonwood or sycamore, which might crack the pool's bottom or sides. Smith recommends a saucer magnolia tree. It's smooth gray bark and tulip-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple and white make for very pretty foliage in your yard. Saucer magnolia trees can also serve as extra shelters, with heights ranging from 20 to 30 feet and expansive widths.
Best bet: Shrubs are also excellent sources of privacy that don't usually have those pesky roots. For some dramatic color, consider the vibrant red osier dogwood, which grows six to 10 feet tall. Common lilac also provides great color in shades of purple, white, magenta and yellow in addition to its famous sweet fragrance. The tough shrub grows in large clusters that reach between eight to 15 feet in height and six to 12 feet in width.

Plant Geography

Before transforming your pool landscape, first conduct a site evaluation and consult local nurseries and landscapers for plant recommendations specific to your area, Quick advises. Finding plants that will thrive in your region is crucial to successful poolside landscaping. All of the plants mentioned in this story are listed below according to the geographic regions where they will flourish. Plants that will do well in more than one region are listed multiple times.

Southeast

• Rosemary
• Aspidistra
• Japanese painted fern
• Ostrich fern
• Elephant's ear
• Canna lilies
• Japanese pittosporum
• Black bamboo
• Saucer magnolia
• Red osier dogwood
• Common lilac

Southwest

• Rosemary
• Aspidistra
• Japanese painted fern
• Elephant's ear
• Canna lilies
• Queen palm
• Mexican blue palm
• Japanese pittosporum
• Black bamboo
• Saucer magnolia
• Red osier dogwood

Northeast

• Japanese painted fern
• Ostrich fern
• Saucer magnolia
• Red osier dogwood
• Common lilac

Northwest

• Japanese painted fern
• Saucer magnolia
• Red osier dogwood
• Common lilac