Choosing plants for your poolside

Being a poolside plant would have to be up there as the hardest gig in the plant world! Poolside plants are splashed with chemicals, exposed to sun, sometimes inundated with water, and jumped on! So when you are choosing plants for your poolside, you should choose the toughest and hardiest – as only the strong will survive.

You also need to consider the plants physical characteristics. Are they spiky? If so, they probably aren’t great where kids will be playing. Do they attract bees? Perhaps you don’t want them foraging where people will be walking barefoot and splashing. Do they drop leaves and/or petals? This could be very annoying for the person responsible for cleaning the pool. Does it have strong root system? This could cause problems for the structural aspects of your pool.

No plants will love being constantly barraged with chemicals, but some cope better than others. Here’s a list of top pick plants that we think you should consider for your pool area.

Ground covers

• Trachelospermum asiaticum (Japanese Star Jasmine)

• Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’

Shrubs

• Geraniums/Pelargoniums

• Hebe sp

• Westringia fruticosa (Coastal Rosemary)

• Rhaphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorn)

• Nandina domestica (Nandina)

 Trees

• Magnolia ‘Little Gem’

• Banksias

• Olea europaea Olive

Grasses and strappy leaves

• Agapanthus orientalis (Agapanthus/African Lily)

• Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise)

• Anigozanthus flavida (Kangaroo Paw)

• Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Forester’

• Miscanthus sinensis

• Lomandra longifolia

• Carex sp

• Festuca Glauca (Blue Fescue)

• Penesetum rubrum (Purple Fountain Grass)

• Ophiopogon japonicus (Mondo Grass)

• Dietes iridioides (African iris)

• Cordyline australis

• Liriope muscari (Lilyturf)

Succulents

• Agave attenuata

• Succulents such as Aloe sp, Echeveria sp, Sedum serpens ‘Chalk Sticks’, Cassula ovata

Palms

• Dypsis lutescens (Golden Cane)

• Howea forsteriana (Kentia Palm)

• Rhapis excelsa (Rhapis Palm)

Climbers

• Trachelospermum jasminoides (Chinese Star Jasmine)

• Bougainvillea glabra

A word of caution - bamboo gives a lovely tropical feel around a pool, but think twice before planting and seek advice before choosing a variety. Bamboo can be invasive and will be very difficult to remove later. If you really want to plant bamboo, choose a non-invasive variety like Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ which is a fast growing, clumping variety, and consider container planting.
And remember to check your local regulations when it comes to poolside planting!