How to plant around the pool without overloading the filter
The right plants give coolness and privacy without filling the water with leaves. Look at four things: how many leaves or flowers they drop, how invasive their roots are, whether they have thorns and whether they attract bees.
What to check before you plant
- Leaves, flowers and fruit. Whatever falls into the water ends up in the skimmer and the filter, uses up chlorine and can leave stains on the liner.
- Roots. Trees with invasive root systems go looking for water and can press on pipework, paving and the base of the pool.
- Thorns and toxicity. Around the pool you walk barefoot, and children and pets play there.
- Bees and wasps. Flowering herbs and fruit trees bring them close to the sun loungers.
- Tolerance of pool water. Plants next to the edge get splashed with chlorinated or salty water.
What works
Near the water, evergreen plants with tough leaves work well: they do not shed constantly and they cope with heat and wind:
- For hedging and privacy: euonymus, pittosporum, elaeagnus. They are easy to trim and do not drop many leaves. Pittosporum flowers in spring and attracts bees then, so it is best kept a little further from the sun loungers.
- For low planting next to the paving: phormium and other plants with strap-like leaves, or thornless succulents in pots.
- For climbers on a fence or pergola: evergreen varieties, at a distance from the water, so whatever falls stays on the paving and can be swept up.
For specific species, an agronomist or a local nursery knows what will cope with the soil, the wind and the salt air where you are.
What to avoid near the water
| Plant | Why |
|---|---|
| Pines | Needles and resin in the water, the filter and on the liner |
| Bougainvillea | Constantly drops coloured bracts and has thorns |
| Poplars, willows, eucalyptus, ficus | Invasive roots and lots of leaves |
| Running bamboo with spreading rhizomes | Spreads under paving and close to pipework |
| Fig, mulberry | Fruit that makes a mess and attracts wasps |
| Lavender, rosemary, thyme next to the sun loungers | Bees while they are in flower; plant them further away |
| Agaves, cacti | Sharp leaves and spines at children's height |
| Oleander | Toxic, unsuitable where children and pets play |
How to organize the planting
- Leave paving between the water and the soil. A strip of stone or decking keeps soil and grass away from the pool. See paving around the pool.
- Tall plants on the windward side and the neighbours' side. They cut the wind and give privacy, but they should not shade the water all day.
- Shade trees at a distance. At least as far as their canopy will spread when fully grown, and even further for species with invasive roots.
- Drip irrigation. Sprinklers splash the pool with water that carries fertilizer, and the phosphates in fertilizers encourage algae.
- Flower beds lower than the paving or with an edging, so mud does not run into the water when it rains.
How all this fits with the zones of the garden is explained in garden design with a pool. If you are still choosing where the pool will go, existing trees are among the first things taken into account when deciding the position of the pool in the garden.
Questions
How far from the pool should I plant a tree?
As a general rule, at least as far as its canopy will spread when mature, so it does not drop leaves into the water. For species with invasive roots the distance must be much greater; ask an agronomist about the specific tree.
Can the lawn run right up to the edge of the pool?
Better not. Grass clippings, soil and fertilizers end up in the water, and watering splashes the pool. A strip of paving between the lawn and the pool edge solves the problem.
See also
Garden design
Garden design with a pool: how to set out zones for swimming, loungers, shade and dining, where the paths run…
Pool privacy
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Pool shade
Shade for your pool with a pergola, umbrellas or shade sails: how to give people shade while leaving the…