Maintenance Friendly Poolside Landscaping
As much as a pool is just a hole full of water, it will never carry the full effect of an entertaining and recreational space without some well designed landscaping surrounding it. While there is any number of plant options available in the southwest where sun-loving plants thrive, it is important to keep the maintenance and upkeep of your pool in mind when selecting your cast of poolside plants.
Nothing Spiky
Arizona is well known for its abundance of spiny and spiky cacti and while these plants are beautiful reflections of the natural environment of the southwest, they are not always the best plants to accompany your backyard swimming pool. Choose low growing cacti without the spines for the areas nearest the edge of your pool. Thorn-less prickly pear can be beautiful in bloom as long as you keep them pruned, and the globe-like euphorbia obesa looks great in any xeri-scaped setting. There is nothing worst than having friends and family out by the pool if you have an abundance of prickly plants growing along the edges, as this is a recipe for disaster.
Leave the Lawn in the Front Yard
Grass next to pools, while nice to spread your towel on for sunbathing, can actually wreak havoc on your pool’s chemical balance requiring constant and ongoing maintenance from you or your pool care technician. Especially lawns that require the use of consistent fertilizers and pesticides. This is because whenever it rains, fertilizers runoff into the water and promotes the growth of algae on the pool bottom and sides, which can turn into a mess to get rid of.
Think Low Litter with Tree Choices
Trees are a great addition to a backyard pool as they can provide shade in certain areas for when the sun gets too hot. It is important to select trees that do not produce a ton of litter in the form of fallen leaves or pollen though as these are the types of things that make maintenance and upkeep more difficult than it needs to be. Willow Acacia are a great option that does wonderfully in the region. They are evergreens so drop very little litter and being a desert plant, requires less irrigation than other trees.
Understanding the impact of your pool landscaping decisions will pay dividends in the long run. Whether it is less time spent on cleanup or less money spent on a service company, you will be glad that you graded how pool-friendly each of your plant choices were before putting them in the ground.