Are you looking for ways to enhance the landscape around your pool? Why not surround it with colorful flowers, evergreen trees and shrubs, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, or tropical plants?
The right plants will enhance the beauty of your pool area, provide shade, shield you from the neighbors and passersby, and improve air quality. Your pool area will momentarily go from drab to dazzling.
Considering this, which plants should you plant around the pool? Look for plants with non-invasive roots, low leaf-shedding, and chlorine resistance. This post explores the 18 best plants for around the pool.
19 Best Plants Around The Pool
1. Bird of Paradise
First on our list is a plant with a tropical flair. It has large, deep green, glossy banana-like leaves that can reach impressive lengths, often spanning several feet. While its leaves are beautiful, the flowers, with orange sepals and contrasting blue petals, are the parts that steal the show.
Bird of Paradise is great for your poolside because it doesn’t shed, is drought tolerant, and can tolerate splashing.
Hardiness zones: 10-12
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2. Majesty Palm
Transform your pool area into a tropical paradise with palm trees. The large elegant fronds and tall stature of the Majesty Palm create a striking focal point around the pool. These fronds also provide welcome shade and privacy for your poolside lounging areas.
Other palm trees you can grow around your pool include sago palm, queen palm, windmill palm, and foxtail palm.
Hardiness zones: 9-11
3. Banana Tree
If you want a plant with fast growth for your poolside, the banana tree is a splendid choice. This herbaceous perennial has big, broad leaves that can block unwanted views and shelter you from the sun. Consider banana trees for your pool area if you live in a frost-free climate.
You might even get some delicious banana fruits right from your backyard if you plant fruit-producing banana trees.
Hardiness zones: 9-10
4. Agave
This hardy succulent is perfect for your pool area as it is well-adapted to the swimming pool and ocean environments. Agave is happy in hot, sunny conditions with minimal water and doesn’t shed leaves. This plant will give your pool area some texture and desert-inspired elegance.
Moreover, its evergreen foliage provides visual interest year-round, even when not in bloom.
Hardiness zones: 8-11
5. Echeveria
Complement your pool’s blue-green landscape with Echeveria’s stunning blue, lavender, pink, or grey foliage to make the area charming and elegant. Echeverias are drought-resistant, tough, and thrive in sunny places like swimming pools.
Depending on your pool area’s layout and preference, you can grow this compact succulent in pots or directly in the ground. Choose a location with enough light to maintain Echeveria’s colors.
Hardiness zones: 9-12
6. Creeping Jenny
Plant creeping jenny around your pool to give the area a natural, lush, carpet-like appearance. Walking on it feels great, and the plant also helps control erosion. In addition, it will brighten the area with its bright green leaves that are often tinged with gold or bronze hues, particularly in full sun.
Read More: Is Creeping Jenny A Good Ground Cover?
Besides the ground, you can grow creeping jenny in containers to enjoy its cascading foliage.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
7. Mondo Grass
This is another plant suitable as ground cover for your poolside. That’s not all it offers; it can also be a great standalone plant. Mondo grass produces dense tufts of narrow, arching evergreen leaves that form a lush carpet along the ground, giving your poolside some color and texture.
Mondo grass thrives in sun and shade and thrives with extremely minimal maintenance. Grow them in full sun for light green leaves and a shady area for dark green ones.
Hardiness zones: 6-10
8. Fountain Grass
Is your pool area deprived of movement and texture? Plant fountain grass. Its arching foliage and swaying plumes rustling in the breeze or reflecting in the pool’s shimmering waters will effortlessly elevate your poolside ambiance.
Fountain Grass can tolerate drought, heat, and poor soil fertility. Moreover, it retains its attractiveness throughout the growing season, potentially remaining evergreen year-round in warmer climates. If you don’t prune it in spring, the dried flower plumes will add interest to your landscape in winter.
Hardiness zones: 3-10
9. Zebra Grass
This striking ornamental grass gets its name since its foliage’s horizontal stripes resemble a zebra’s stripes. These stripes give this plant an exotic look. When its graceful, arching foliage sway gently in the wind, it creates a dynamic and lively atmosphere around the pool.
Besides the attractive foliage, Zebra Grass produces silver-white or pinkish feathery plumes that rise above the foliage and add another layer of visual interest to your poolside’s late summer to early fall landscape. Also, leave it uncut until spring for winter appeal.
Once established, zebra grass is pest and disease-resistant, low-maintenance, and drought-tolerant.
Hardiness zones: 4-9
10. Hinoki Cypress
This evergreen conifer can reach 75 feet high, so you can use it to make your pool area more secluded. Aside from its height, its fine-textured foliage and graceful branching pattern contribute to creating a privacy barrier.
This majestic tree retains its vibrant green foliage year-round, giving your pool area a lush and attractive backdrop. Moreover, its fine foliage will contrast nicely with your pool’s harder surfaces.
Hardiness zones: 4-8
11. Privet
This plant is also ideal for blocking neighbors views since it grows rapidly and can reach 15 feet. Its dark green, glossy, dense foliage offers privacy and reduces noise. Privet produces fragrant white flowers in spring and small berries in summer or fall.
You can prune and shape this evergreen to keep it at your desired height and shape and grow it in partial shade or full sun. Water it regularly, especially during dry periods.
Hardiness zones: 3-8
12. Arborvitae
Many varieties of arborvitae have a tall and narrow growth habit. This means you can grow this evergreen plant around your pool to create privacy without taking up too much horizontal space. Its green, dense, evergreen foliage will add color to your pool area.
Despite tolerating some shade, grow your arborvitae in bright light for denser growth. Consider pruning arborvitae throughout the growing season to remove dead or diseased branches.
Hardiness zones: 2-7
13. Lemongrass
Insects and pests biting and hovering around you can make your time at the pool unpleasant. I have a fix for you—plant lemongrass around your pool. It contains citronella oil, which is known to block or hide the smell that makes humans appealing to mosquitoes.
Lemongrass also emits a pleasant, citrusy fragrance that will give your pool area a refreshing aroma. Moreover, its graceful arching foliage is beautiful and emits a soothing, rustling sound.
Hardiness zones: 10-11
14. Lantana
Lantana will make your pool area smell sweet and fruity with floral notes and citrus hints. There’s more. Its vibrant, colorful flowers will add color to the area and attract pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies, giving life to your poolside.
This shrub is ideal for the pool area with reflected sunlight and high temperatures because it is highly tolerant of heat and sunlight. It is also low maintenance and has a long blooming season.
Hardiness zones: 8-11
15. Japanese Maple
This deciduous perennial is among the most stunning trees, so why not use it to elevate your pool area’s aesthetics? Japanese maples make excellent focal point plants as their graceful form and delicate leaves in purple, green, orange, or red hues give them a striking appearance.
Choose large varieties for height and ample shade and dwarf varieties if you have limited space. While solid, its roots are non-invasive.
Hardiness zones: 5-8
16. Canna Lily
Plant canna lilies around your pool for a touch of exotic beauty. This prolific bloomer produces bright flowers throughout the growing season, ensuring your pool area remains colorful and stunning for most of the year.
Also, it has large, tropical-looking leaves. Choose a canna lily cultivar whose color complements your pool area’s color scheme or creates a striking contrast against the surrounding landscape.
Hardiness zones: 7-10
17. Frangipani
Cherished for its scented flowers, often described as exotic, tropical, and slightly spicy, frangipani is a splendid addition to any pool area. It blooms in summer and spring. This plant requires a lot of warmth to flourish, so plant it in full sunlight.
Also, be mindful of moisture because frangipani doesn’t like wet environments. Therefore, ensure good drainage if you grow frangipani in pots. Water them only in summer and spring.
Hardiness zones: 10-11
18. Fountain Bamboo
Consider this plant for the parts of your pool area that you want to keep a neat appearance. Fountain bamboo will form tight, dense foliage that can reach 10 feet, creating visual and privacy screening. Also, it doesn’t spread aggressively, so it won’t take over your poolside landscape.
Fountain bamboo’s rustling sound can help mask unwanted noise. You don’t need to prune and shape like other plants to keep it looking good.
Final Remarks
As we’ve discovered, several types of plants can fit into a poolside environment, turning the area into an inviting, serene place to relax and even hang out with your loved ones. However, not every plant is suitable for planting around your pool. These include plants with thorns, aggressive growth, invasive roots, sticky sap, and high pollen.
Hey there, I’m Derek Schew, a writer for Lawnholic.com, where we cover everything and anything related to lawns. As someone who’s spent countless hours tending to my own lawn, I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping others achieve the perfect yard. From lawn care tips to product reviews, I’m committed to providing our readers with the most accurate and up-to-date information available. So whether you’re a seasoned lawn enthusiast or just getting started, I invite you to join our community and discover the joys of a lush, green lawn.