When the swimming pool is finally built in the garden, when the beach and other surroundings are finalized, all that remains is to give a soul to its bathing area by installing plants there. Some are particularly suited to this type of environment. They require little care while others are rather to be avoided. No question of planting anything there because you risk seeing the water in your swimming pool getting dirty very quickly. Here are some tips for greening the surroundings of your swimming pool and thus creating a magnified setting.
Vegetating the bathing area: the main principles
Indispensable for shade a relaxation area by the pool, the plant elements have no equal because they also allow you to create a most pleasant friendly place. So that the revegetation of the surroundings of a private pool only presents advantages, it is better to respect the following points.
- Plant the plants at a minimum distance of 150 cm from the pooleven 200 cm for large subjects,
- Select as few deciduous plants as possible so that when the leaves fall, you don’t spend all your time cleaning the pool,
- Cultivate preferences of undemanding plants in terms of care,
- Choose plants that can withstand frequent splashes ofchlorinated water,
- If possible, buy only subjects whose root system presents a low developmentwhich avoids exposing the pipes and foundations to unnecessary risks,
- Give preference to flowering plants, shrubs and trees that easily withstand difficult conditions such as extreme heat or drought,
- Avoid melliferous plants so as not to be too bothered by bees, bumblebees, wasps and other insects during tanning sessions.
Another principle is to draw a sketch of the pool area in order to plan the location of each plant to obtain a beautiful result. Via the Internet, it is even possible to make plans and 3Dwhich allows you to refine your project according to the plants chosen, to choose the location of each one, to create harmonies, etc.
Finally, you have to remember to select subjects that bloom at different times or whose foliage changes color over time to create a nature space that is not frozen in time.
Recommended plants around the pool
Generally, care is taken to install the swimming pool in the sunniest place in the garden. It is therefore quite logical to choose only plants and shrubs that withstand this type of exposure because these are difficult conditions, especially during the summer. Plants must be able to withstand high heat especially as the reverberation sunlight on water can be a problem for many plants.
And even if it means opting for tough ones of all kinds, as long as they are able to withstand the drought too, since it is likely to intensify in the years to come. However, we revegetate the surroundings of our swimming pool for the long term. Must therefore to anticipate so as not to have to redo everything from one year to the next.
Thousands of plants are able to thrive without difficulty around a swimming pool, but it is still necessary to choose them according to the climate. In many of our regions, for example, you can green the surroundings of your swimming pool with:
grasses which seem to play with the slightest breath of wind. Among these vaporous and very light ornamental grasses, we find: Angel hair (Very thin pack)Blue Fescue (glaucous fescue), China Reed (Miscanthus) or Eulalia, Pampas Grass (Cortaderia weep) whose scale is sometimes impressive… They are all splendid at any time of the summer, but when the frost covers them we witness a real magic.
Of the flowering plants long flowering (5 to 6 months) such as Geranium, Pelargonium, Marigold, Fuschia, Petunia, Dipladenia.
The Cyclamen which blooms from the onset of autumn until the end of winter.
The bulbeuses to bring color to spring, including Crocuses, Tulips, Daffodils, Narcissus…
The Kniphophia or Tritoma sometimes nicknamed Satan’s Ember, a decorative perennial that adorns itself with long orange spikes and blends wonderfully with ornamental grasses.
L’Hibiscus that can be directed on the stem, some varieties giving extraordinary flowers and a diameter that can exceed 15 cm! It comes in several hundred species. You might as well choose from the perennial Hibiscus so as not to have to renew them every year.
The roses of which there are hundreds of species and thousands of varieties: many of them flower from May to the first frosts so little that care is taken to remove faded flowers. The roses withstand the summer heat without batting an eyelid. These are shrubs to choose to enjoy their sweet fragrance in addition to their beauty.
The succulentsthem delicious and the cacti : all these plants are indestructible and deserve a small place not far from the swimming pool.
The Heathers which display many colors. Their foliage is always green and their flowers bloom in the fall.
The Palm trees which evoke holidays in certain distant lands are to be planted around the swimming pool to create an exotic atmosphere.
The bamboos go well with palm trees and very quickly create a screen of greenery that protects the privacy of bathers but is also a good windbreak. Preferably choose the non-tracer species easy to live with so as not to be invaded in a few years, such as the Thamnocalamusthe Borinda where the Fargesia.
L’Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica) is an ornamental shrub. It is sometimes called Fig-leaved palm, Fatsi or even False castor. It can reach an average of 4 meters in height. Its very large lobed leaves are of the most beautiful effect.
The Laurier-rose (Nerium oleander) comes in many colors (yellow, white, red, pink, etc.). It blooms splendidly from June to September and its deep green evergreen foliage is very shiny. We can appreciate its hardiness which allows it to withstand -5°C, even down to -8°C, although it is an emblematic flowering shrub of the southern regions.
The Bougainvillier is extremely tempting because its summer flowering is spectacular. It needs a support to climb. In the Mediterranean regions, it is grown in the ground but it is better to leave it in a large pot on the terrace if you live in a region where it freezes in winter because it will then be easier to place it under shelter. However, the Bougainvillea must be kept at a respectable distance from the pool because once wilted, its thousands of flowers risk ending up in the pool at the slightest gust of wind.
The Cypress of Provence (Cupressus sempervirens) or Common Cypress, a conifer which we appreciate its conical shape particularly well suited to a bathing area.
Finally, do not hesitate to associate these plants with decorative graphic foliage plants for an enhancement of the surroundings of the swimming pool, pushed to its climax as soon as night falls if lighting is installed judiciously. All of these plants can be grown in the ground or in a jar. If you choose this second solution, you can suddenly opt for specific pottery that will bring style to the garden and the pool area.