Landscaping Ideas for Pool Areas | eHow – eHow | How to Videos …

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Heidi Cardenas specializes in human resources, business and personal finance, small-business advice, home and garden and home improvement. Her professional background includes human resources and business administration, technical writing and corporate communications. She has studied horticulture and business administration, and enjoys guest blogging for publications including Herb Companion Magazine, Natural Home Living Magazine, and Mother Earth Living.

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Pools are a big investment and require special consideration during design and installation. Landscaping around them creates an atmosphere and sets a scene. Plants, shrubs, trees and landscape materials should complement the pool and minimize yard and garden maintenance. Whether simple or elaborate, plan pool area landscaping along with pool design for the best results.

The landscaping around a pool is the setting for a large feature of your property. Plan the landscaping at the same time you plan the size, type and location of the pool. Make a list of how you want the pool and plants around it to look, what plants you want to use and where you want to buy them, what your budget is for landscaping and your timeline for completion. Sketch the pool shape and dimensions on graph paper, and make several copies of it. Try out different plants and color combinations on the swimming pool sketch. Consider growth habits, mature size and maintenance of the landscaping plants you are considering.

Use natural stone and rock in poolside landscaping to create texture and minimize plant and shrub maintenance. Consider a natural stone border and patio around the pool, with plants and shrubs planted 20 to 25 feet from the pool's edge to avoid plant litter in the pool or pool chemical damage to the plants. Granite and slate slabs, landscape boulders, river rock, blue stone, purple quartz, red rock and rainbow rock are just some of the decorative stones and rocks you can use in landscaping around pools.

Use flowering perennials as much as possible to cut down on maintenance and add color and interest from spring to fall. Perennial ornamental grasses and rocks or boulders create a savanna-like look. Flowering shrubs like butterfly bush attract butterflies and birds. Fragrant flowering shrubs like lilacs and camellias add another dimension, perfumed fragrance, to the landscaping around your pool. Flowering ground covers create a maintenance-free carpet around pools for a simple look.

Use lights in landscaping around pools to add nighttime drama and illumination. Use solar lighting, lanterns along pathways, underwater pool lights and spotlights on the patio and deck. Also consider ornamental plants or decorative items like sculptures to extend the area's usefulness into the evening without the cost of electricity.

If you have a pool, it likely serves as a focal point of your outdoor landscape. Pools provide a space for entertaining...

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