8 Great Plants to Put Around a Pool

Summer is synonymous with swimming pools, but the sun's rays can be a nuisance. Find out what plants to place around a pool to provide shade and beauty here.

Summer is the perfect time of year to enjoy the pool, but the sun’s rays can be oppressive. What can you do about it? Simple. Put some plants around your home pool! Plants are ideal to alleviate the situation while still enjoying the warmth of the season.

However, not all plants are for summer climates. Beware of this. A bad choice will cause them to perish without delay. For this reason, your choice should revolve around plants that can withstand high temperatures. We’ll list some of them for you to decorate your pool area in today’s article.

Three hardy plant species to put around a pool

The pool becomes the favorite place of a house or vacation escape during the summer, so it’s normal that you seek to decorate it to make it more attractive for the family. Do it with plants! We’ll give you a selection of the best options for you to choose your favorites.

1. Trees with non-invasive roots

First of all, make sure never to plant trees right next to the pool. It’s recommended to do it nearby instead. These specimens, whose roots are non-invasive and whose leaves and fruits are easy to pick, are some of the best options:

Here are some of them:

• Laurus nobilis: This is also known as laurel.
• Ligustrum lucidum: This is a specimen that reaches up to 15 meters in height. The leaves are dark green and reach up to 15 centimeters long. The ligustrum, another name by which it’s known, resists frosts of up to -18 degrees Celsius.
• Magnolia grandiflora: This evergreen tree can reach 35 meters in height and it begins to branch out at a short height. Its leaves are very showy, as well as its white flowers. The leaves can reach up to 20 centimeters in diameter. It can withstand temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius.

2. Showy climbers

This is an ideal type of plant to create privacy in an area. With them, you can make a kind of screen of various types of leaves and cheerful flowers. You just have to choose the one you like the most.

We’ll give you some options:

• Jasminum officinale: This is a climbing species that keeps its foliage throughout the year and can withstand frosts of up to -4 degrees Celsius. The common jasmine, another name by which it’s known, can reach up to 6 meters in height. Its leaves are composed of 5 to 9 green follicles.
• Passiflora caerulea: Passion flower is an evergreen plant that withstands frosts of up to -5 degrees Celsius. It reaches up to 20 meters high and has green palmate leaves and beautiful flowers up to 8 centimeters long.
• Trachelospermum jasminoides or star jasmine: This is a plant that flowers all year round and can reach a height of about 7 meters. With very fragrant white flowers and oval, dark, simple leaves, it can withstand temperatures as low as -12 degrees Celsius.

3. Coniferous plants for a pool

You could say that coniferous plants are sisters of trees, thanks to their appearance. However, they also produce beautiful flowers all year round. Their leaves are thin and leathery.

We’ll list some of the best options for beside a pool:

• Abies alba, or evergreen fir: This is an evergreen fir tree species that reaches between 20 and 50 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter. It has a columnar trunk and a pyramid-shaped crown. This specimen can survive at up to -18 degrees Celsius.
• Common cypress: With a height of 25 to 30 meters and in some cases up to 42 meters, this species of cypress does not produce showy flowers. On the other hand, it does have cone-shaped fruits. It withstands frosts down to -18 degrees Celsius.
• Black yew or common yew: With a height of up to 28 meters, this evergreen species has dark green lanceolate leaves. It produces red fruits that look very similar to berries. It can withstand temperatures as low as -18 degrees Celsius.

5 plants to decorate a pool

After you’ve protected the privacy of your pool with some of the larger plant selections that we’ve suggested, you should get down to work decorating the place. Discover some very showy plants that can help, such as the following:

1. Shrubs, such as boxwood: These are ideal for bordering a pool. Boxwood gives a modern air to the garden and, thanks to its simplicity, it’s not a problem to look after.
2. Camellia: These are very beautiful perennial plants. Their flowers do not secrete scents, so they won’t attract insects.
3. Papyrus: This is an aquatic plant that requires constant watering, but since it blooms in summer, it will give a very exotic look to the place.
4. Aralia: This is a species that copes very well with the heat and has very shiny and attractive leaves. In addition, it doesn’t make a mess when it blooms during the summer.
5. Yucca desmetiana: This is a plant that sprouts all year round, as it can withstand temperatures as low as -4 degrees Celsius. It grows up to 1 meter high and is provided with leathery leaves that are a beautiful blue-gray color.

Create an oasis around your pool with this selection of plants

Keep in mind that for the project to give the desired results, you must not forget that plants are living beings. Therefore, chlorinated water can end up ruining them.

So, you should plant them where they are safe from possible splashes. Likewise, if the pool is built underground, invasive or aggressive roots will put the structure of the pool at risk. Opt for evergreens in this case, as their splendor is a given during the summer and all year round!