Poolside Styling: How to Decorate Your Pool Area with Summer-Perfect Plants

Giant alocasia, bromeliads, palms and the cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea), combine for a lush, tropical planting style, creating an inviting poolside retreat.

Thoughtful landscaping transforms a pool from a stand alone feature into an immersive outdoor escape. Whether it’s screening for privacy, soft foliage to contrast hard surfaces or greenery that thrives poolside, planting plays a vital role in creating a space that feels more like a garden designed holiday space – every single day.

Let your pool decide

From compact plunge pools to custom lap lanes and sweeping family-sized favourites, there’s a shape and size for every style and budget. Curvy, free-form pools suit lush tropical planting, while sleek rectangles shine in modern minimalist gardens, and natural-style pools suit soft, native planting. Raised or above-ground options can be softened with clever planting, and spa-style or court yard pools shine with structured foliage or tropical flair. With so many options, it’s never been easier to find a pool that fits your space – and how you design your garden around it to double its appeal.

Splish, splash, let’s plant!

There are a few essentials to considerbefore visiting the nursery. Drainageis key. Even for water-tolerant plants,always give roots the option of free-draining soil. Around pools, think low-litter, non-toxic, non-spiky, water-tough,and in many cases – depending on localrules – non-climbable species, too.Once you’ve ticked off thepracticalities, you’ve got plenty of roomto play with plant choice and style.

Frangipani, cordylines and strappy-leaved grasses, like lomandra, dianella or carex, create a lush, tropical-inspired planting scheme with bold colour and splendid texture. 

For you to know

Avoid planting climbable species near pool fences. Even small shrubs or low branches can give children aboost over barriers, creating a safety risk. Use low, compact plants and dense hedges to keep the pool secure while still looking lush and welcoming.

NO-GO ZONE

When adding plant life to your pool it’s best to steer clear of plants that end up in your pool, rather than around it.

Bamboo:

might look stunning in Bali, but in your backyard, it’s a leaf-dropping nightmare. Even the slightest breeze will send old leaves flying – straight into your pool. It’s also notoriously hard to remove, so best to steer clear.

Jacarandas and crepe myrtles:

are Aussie classics but their flowers and leaves love clogging pool filters. If you can’t resist them, keep branches pruned well away from the water.

Yucca?:

Yuck. Once a poolside staple,Yucca elephantipes grows fast, sends up towering shoots and develops a root system that cracks pots and lifts pavers. It’s tough to remove and painfully spiky.

Giant bird of paradise (Strelitzianicolai):

starts off looking lush but eventually forms a huge base that can crack paving and damage pipes.

 

Good planting adds depth, texture and flow, creating a welcoming poolside

A mix of giant alocasia, bluechalk sticks, sansevieria, olives trees and Juniperus keteleeri bring structure, contrast and texture to this contemporary poolside planting. Landscape design by Impressions Landscapes.

EVERYTHING FORYOU TO GROW

Tropical vibes

Create that tropical holiday at-home feel with lush, leafy plants. Look for non-climbable options like cardamom ginger ( Alpinia nutans );

Crinum species; Philodendron ‘Xanadu’; monstera; heliconia; ligularia; and the ever-popular Alocasia varieties, like the giant alocasia (Alocasia macrorrhiza). For added texture, try a groundcover like acalypha or a bold bromeliad such as the giant bromeliad (Alcantarea).

Relaxed and naturalistic

For a wilder, more carefree look, go for small clumps of Ajuga australis; Stokesia laevis; erigeron; and flowering salvias, interplanted with soft grasses like Carex appressa or Carex buchananii. Taller clumps of calamagrostis or iris add height and movement, just keep an eye on those seed heads!

Textured minimalism

Love clean lines and simple contrast? Try mass plantings of Zoysia tenuifolia, Poa ‘Eskdale’ or sansevieria with a gravel mulch. Add in sculptural succulents like crassula or kalanchoe, and round it out with clipped Buxus japonica or the soft bloom of the tough and hardy Rhaphiolepis ‘Oriental Pearl’.

Coastal and native cool

Pair the soft shapes of coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa); cushion bush (Leucophyta brownii); and creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) with

the cascading forms of Casuarina ‘Cousin It’ or Casuarina ‘Green Wave’. Then mix in Carex appressa or Ficinia nodosa to add a little sway and movement – it will look great in your pool area.

 

In this native scheme, callistemon and westringia are neatly trimmed to follow the pool’s curves, softened by tufts of lomandra, with callistemon also screening the pool fence.

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