POOL PLANTINGS
Without planters, pools are still attractive by defaut. Yet such pools may appear uninviting, because in our climate, the water looks cold and the decking blistering hot, which it often is. Planting spaces around pools create the oppostite effect; the water appears warm and the decking approaches the ambience of a cooling oasis. These shards of flora provide a slight moderation of a pool's microclimate. Not nearly enough shade to cool the water, yet a minimal mass to provide warmth and dimension to an otherwise stark pool. The more planting, the more mysterious or intimate. Hence, more interesting and inviting.
Chlorine is toxic to all forms of life, but nature has provided a plethora of adaptable plant material, some are ideal for planting close to pools, which we specify for you. A good rule of thumb is that if a plant can tolerates salt, it can tolerate chlorine. We also select plants that need no fertilizer and the plant sizes specified gives a finished, full look, to be enjoyed immediately; no growth required. As a side note, we discourage any use of fertilizer, whether poolside or in the landscape in general. Fast, lush growth is soft, weak growth, which makes plants more suspectible to insect, drought and wind damage. You won't hear this from your Garden Center.
Even architectual modernistic and minimalist pools gain aesthetically from proper plant selections. Severe horizontal and vertical growing habits of certain plants serve to accent, not clutter this ambience. Plants with geometrical forms also suited ideally to these styles. Remember that a pool can always retain a clean look without appearing cold, foreboding or oppressive.
Palms are ideal plants adjacent to pools, nothing can match their ambience. Due to their diaphinous stucture, even large specimens won't ever obscure or fully shade a pool. By the way, there has never been an instance of palm roots damaging a conrete pool or any other structure. Palm roots never become large or woody, they retain the same diameter and are always succulent. Well selected and placed tropical palm trees can provide much invited thin shade, protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun and reduce blinding glare. We have visited and retrofitted too many poolscapes which frustrate homeowners by consistantly littering their pool with seeds and spent flowers; proper species selection is just as important as placement.
Licensed Landscape Architect / Florida License No. 0001760