Having a pool in your back yard is one of life’s luxuries. It’s great to be able to come home after a hard day and to enjoy your own little piece of heaven. Pool landscaping Perth is something that you need to think about carefully. Although adding some plants around your pool looks great, provides shade and privacy, you need to choose the right ones.
Not all plants are suitable for our harsh micro-climate. Many will not thrive in a saltwater or chlorine environment. However, before you start worrying about what to plant around your pool, don’t panic. We’ve created this handy guide to help you decide!
Be mindful of plant roots
Rubber trees, umbrella trees, bamboo and so on might look amazing beside a pool, however, their roots can cause a lot of damage to your pool, paving and underground pipes.
Avoid choosing plants that shed
You don’t want to be collecting leaves and twigs all year round when you should be relaxing and enjoying your pool. So, you should avoid things like jacarandas, silky oaks and Illawarra flame trees as these shed flowers and leaves in the summertime. Save yourself lots of hard work by instead planting palm trees, flax and cordylines.
Think about pollen
It’s important to maintain your pool regularly to stop pollen from damaging your cleaning equipment and filtration. Yes, it’s impossible to have a pool that’s pollen-free but regular maintenance will help significantly. So, it’s a great idea to get into the habit of having a cleaning routine. Cover the pool when you’re not at home, replace or clean your baskets often and attach some fine material to your skimmer so you catch as much pollen as possible when you use it.
Give more attention to new plants
It’s crucial to pay extra attention and care to new plants when they’re in the process of becoming established. Take care not to let them dry out. Also, it’s important to protect them from the effects of the sun by putting plenty of mulch around them. (Remember to keep mulch away from the trunks of plants so they don’t rot!) New plants that are sitting in direct sun for the majority of the day could benefit from a light fabric shade.
Chlorinated pools
There are no plants that are completely suited to being splashed by chlorinated water. That being said, ones with leathery, larger leaves are pretty robust under these conditions. Think about planting star jasmine, golden cane palms, cordylines and so on.
Saltwater pools
If you have a saltwater pool, plants that have silvery, waxy or furry leaves will work best. Choose ones such as yuccas, aloe, cycads, agaves and so on. Palms also thrive near saltwater pools as they’re often found by the sea.
You ideally want a pool area that looks healthy and that is low-maintenance and safe. If you’d like more information on pool landscaping services Perth, contact Landscape By Design – the poolside landscaping experts in Perth!
