Plants for Poolside Landscapes
Landscaping
is the finishing touch to your backyard oasis. Plants provide beauty and
privacy around a swimming pool. They soften the harsh lines of swimming
pool equipment and help swimming pools to blend more naturally with the
surrounding environment. Your pool will be even more inviting when surrounded
by the right plants.
Create a landscape that frames your pool and makes it the focal point of your yard. Plants that are tall enough will form privacy screens around the pool area. At the same time, you will want to choose plants that will be low maintenance and use less water. This will give you more time to enjoy your pool.
Here are tips to help you choose plants wisely.
1. Your pool and deck reflect a tremendous amount of the already intense Arizona sun. Choose plants that can take it.
2. Pick plants with a minimum of litter or that drop all their leaves at one time so you only have to clean up once a year. Constant leaf drop will necessitate constant cleaning and, if you get behind, will dirty your pool and possibly clog its equipment.
3. Plan for year round color and interest. Avoid landscapes that bloom only seasonably - you have to live with it the whole year.
4. Choose low-water-use plants that will not require heavy irrigation around the pool. Too much water can damage your pool decking or equipment.
5. Choose plants with showy flowers. These are generally pollinated by an animal (as opposed to the wind) and are much cleaner and less likely to cause allergies.
6. Cacti and succulents are excellent choices. They thrive in the high light, require minimal irrigation, produce almost no litter, are attractive year round, and many have fabulous blooms.
7. Plant cacti far enough away from the path to prevent accidental injury to people or damage to beach balls.
8. Any plants that do have a small amount of seasonal litter (the bloom on the Texas Ebony Tree, for example) should be planted down wind from the pool.
9. To minimize the amount of litter from palm trees, keep the fronds pruned and remove the flowers before seeds are set.
10. Try to minimize lawns near swimming pools; this keeps the grass clippings out of the water.
11. Trees with invasive root systems can damage a swimming pool over the years. Some trees' roots are known to lift pool decking and are best avoided.
12. Use the resource, Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert as a guide for your plant selection. This handy full-color booklet includes plant size and growth rate, soil and sun requirements, irrigation needs, place of origin, allergens, wildlife interactions, and dozens of other useful factors.
What About Palm Trees?
Palms can be attractive and clean plants for poolside landscapes. There are a number of small, cold-hardy palms ideal for home landscapes. These include the windmill palm, pindo palm, Mexican blue palm and Mediterranean fan palm.
Although the Queen palm is a popular poolside palm, it often struggles here in our alkaline soils and extreme heat. Sago palms are great around pools, either planted in the ground or grown in pots as long as they receive afternoon shade or partial shade. Sagos are not really palms at all, but rather an ancient plant closely related to pine trees.
Date palms and Mexican fan palms pose challenges because of their size and production of large, messy flower spikes. Pruning the flower spikes off prior to blooming (usually in June) will reduce falling debris. Removal of the flower spikes before they bloom will not affect the trees health, regardless of the species.
Some Suggested Plants for Poolside Landscapes
| Trees | Vines |
| Acacia | Merremia aurea, Yellow morning glory vine |
| Acacia abyssinica, Abyssinian acacia | Podranea ricasoliana, Pink Trumpet Vine |
| Acacia aneura, Mulga | |
| Acacia pendula, Weeping acacia | Flowers |
| Acacia salicina, Willow acacia | Anisacanthus quadrifidus v. wrightii, Desert |
| Acacia stenophylla, Shoestring acacia | Honeysuckle |
| Brahea armata, Mexican blue palm | Aquilegia chrysantha, Golden columbine |
| Butia capitata, Pindo Palm | Cannaceae, Canna lilies |
| Caesalpinia cacalaco, Cascalote | Dietes bicolor, Evergreen Iris/Fortnight lily |
| Chamaerops humilis, Mediterranean fan palm | Dyssodia tenuiloba, Golden fleece |
| Chorisia speciosa, Silk floss tree | Erigeron spp., Fleabane |
| Ebenopsis ebano, Texas Ebony | Gazania spp., Gazania |
| Eucalyptus | Hymenoxys acaulis, Angelita daisy |
| Eucalyptus erythrocorys, Red-cap gum/Illyarrie | Iris germanica, Bearded iris |
| Eucalyptus formanii, Forman's Eucalyptus | Melampodium leucanthum, Black Foot daisy |
| Eucalyptus leucoxylon, 'Rosea', White Ironbark | Penstemon |
| Eucalyptus spathulata, Swamp mallee | Penstemon baccharifolius |
| Eucalyptus torquata, Coral Flowered Gum | Penstemon eatoni, Firecracker penstemon |
| Eucalyptus woodwardii, Lemom Flowered Gum | Penstemon palmeri, Palmer's penstemon |
| Geijera parviflora, Australian willow | Penstemon parryi, Parry's penstemon |
| Leucaena retusa, Golden leadball | Penstemon pseudospectabilis, Desert penstemon |
| Lysiloma watsonii, Desert Fern | Penstemon superbus, Superb penstemon |
| Olneya tesota, Iron Wood | Psilostrophe cooperi, Paper flower |
| Phoenix canariensis, Canary Island Date Palm | Zephyranthes spp. Rain lily |
| Phoenix dactylifera, Date Palm | |
| Pistacia lentiscus, Mastic | |
| Quercus virginiana, Southern Live Oak | Accent Plants |
| Trachycarpus fortunei, Windmill palm | Agave |
| Agave americana, Century plant | |
| Shrubs | Agave bovicornuta, Cowshorn agave |
| Asclepias linaria, Pine leaf milkweed | Agave colorata, Mescal ceniza |
| Buddleia marrubifolia, Wooly butterfly bush | Agave desmettiana |
| Caesalpinia gilliesii, Desert or Yellow bird of paradise | Agave parryi, Parry's Agave |
| Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican bird of paradise | Agave victoriae-reginae, Queen victoria agave |
| Calliandra californica, Red fairy duster | Agave vilmoriniana, Octopus agave |
| Calliandra eriophylla, Fairy duster | Aloe |
| Carissa grandiflora, Natal Plum | Aloe vera, medicinal aloe |
| Convolvulus cneorum, Bush morning glory | Aloe ferox, Tree aloe |
| Cordia parvifolia, Littleleaf cordia | Aloe saponaria, Tiger aloe |
| Dalea frutescens, Black dalea | Asclepias subulata, Desert Milk Weed |
| Dalea greggii, Trailing indigo bush | Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers', |
| Dalea pulchra, Bush dalea | Foxtail/Asparagus Fern |
| Dodonaea viscosa, Hop bush | Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri', Sprenger |
| Dodonaea viscosa 'purpurea', Purple hop bush | asparagus |
| Feijoa sellowiana, Pineapple guava | Cereus hildmannianus, Hildmann's Cereus |
| Fouquieria splendens, Ocotillo | Cycas revoluta, Sago palm |
| Justicia californica, Chuparosa | Dasylirion wheeleri, Desert spoon |
| Justicia candicans, Red Justicia | Dasylirion longissimum, Mexican Grass Tree |
| Justicia spicigera, Mexican honeysuckle | Echinocactus grusonii, Golden barrel cactus |
| Lantana camara, Bush lantana | Echinocereus engelmannii, Hedgehog cactus |
| Larrea tridentata, Creosote bush | Echinopsis multiplex, Easter lily cactus |
| Leucophyllum candidum, Silver cloud, sage | Ferocactus acanthodes, Compass barrel cactus |
| Leucophyllum frutescens, Texas ranger/Texas sage | Ferocactus wislizeni, Fishhook barrel cactus |
| Leucophyllum laevigatum, Chihuahuan sage | Hesperaloe parviflora, Red or Yellow Yucca |
| Nandina spp., Heavenly bamboo | Lophocereus schottii forma monstrosus, Totem Pole |
| Rhus ovata, Sugar Bush | Muhlenbergia rigens, Deer Grass |
| Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosemary | Nolina spp., Grass Tree |
| Ruellia peninsularis, Desert ruellia | Opuntia |
| Salvia | Opuntia acanthocarpa, Buckhorn cholla |
| Salvia chaemedryoides, Blue sage | Opuntia basilaris, Beavertail Prickly Pear |
| Salvia clevelandii, Chaparral sage | Opuntia ficus-indica, Indian fig |
| Salvia coccinea, Cherry Red sage | Opuntia engelmanii, Prickly pear cactus |
| Salvia farinacea, Mealycup sage | Opuntia Santa-rita, Purple prickly pear |
| Salvia greggii, Autumn sage | Stenocereus marginatus, Mexican Organ Pipe |
| Salvia leucantha, Mexican Bush sage | Trichocereus candicans, |
| Santolina spp. Lavender cotton | Trichocereus huasha hyb., |
| Simmondsia chinensis, Jojoba | Yucca |
| Sophora secundiflora, Texas Mountain Laurel | Yucca aloifolia, Spanish Bayonet |
| Sphaeralcea ambigua, Globe Mallow | Yucca baccata, Banana yucca |
| Tagetes lemmonii, Mountain marigold | Yucca brevifolia, Joshua tree |
| Tecoma stans v. angustata, Arizona Yellow Bells | Yucca elata, Soaptree yucca |
| Tecomaria capensis, Cape honeysuckle | Yucca recurvifolia, Pendulous yucca |
| Vauquelinia californica, Arizona rosewood | Yucca rigida, Blue yucca |
| Zauschneria californica, California fuchsia | |
| Some Plants to Keep Far Away from Your Pool | |
| Groundcovers | Acacia farnesiana, Sweet acacia |
| Baileya multiradiata, Desert marigold | Bauhinia spp., Orchid tree |
| Dalea greggii, Trailing indigo bush | Bougainvillea brasiliensis, Bougainvillea |
| Drosanthemum speciosum, Iceplant | Brachychiton populneus, Bottle tree |
| Dyssodia pentachaeta, Golden Fleece | Callistemon spp., Bottlebrush |
| Gazania rigens, Gazania | Ceratonia siliqua, Carob tree |
| Lantana montevidensis, Trailing Lantana | Fraxinus, spp., Ash |
| Melampodium leucanthum, Blackfoot Daisy | Jacaranda mimosifolia, Jacaranda |
| Myoporum parvifolium, Prostrate myoporum | Prosopis spp., Mesquites |
| Oenothera berlandieri, Mexican primrose | Ulmus parviflora, Evergreen/Chinese Elm |
| Oenothera caespitosa, Prostrate evening primrose | Vitex agnus-castus, Chaste tree/Monk's Pepper |
| Oenothera stubbei, Satillo evening primrose | |
| Rosmarinus prostatus, Prostrate rosemary | |
| Ruellia brittoniana 'kati', Kati ruellia | |
| Stachys coccinea, Texas betony | |
| Verbena | |
| Verbena gooddingii, Gooding verbena | |
| Verbena peruviana, Peruvian verbena | |
| Verbena pulchella, Moss verbena | |
| Verbena rigida, Sandpaper Verbena | |
| Phlomis fruticosa, Jerusalem sage | |
| Zinnia grandiflora, Prairie Zinna |
Information compiled from AZ1058 Plants for Poolside Landscapes issued by the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension.