The Importance Of Landscaping Around Your Pool

Installing a beautiful pool is a big part of transforming a backyard, but the pool itself is only one piece of the picture. The landscaping surrounding your pool can completely change how the finished space looks, feels and functions. From the materials to planting, lawn areas, pathways and entertaining spaces... good landscaping helps connect your new pool with your home and the rest of your property.

At GV Unique Pools & Landscaping, we believe landscaping should be considered from the beginning of the pool planning process, not simply added as an afterthought once the pool is in the ground.

Your Pool Should Feel Like Part of Your Home

A pool can look fantastic on its own, but without thought given to its surroundings, it can sometimes feel like exactly that - a pool placed in the middle of a backyard.

Landscaping is what helps bring everything together!

The materials, colours and textures surrounding the pool can be selected to complement your home's exterior and existing outdoor areas. Whether your property is modern, traditional, rural or somewhere in between, the goal is to create a pool area that feels like it belongs there. This is particularly important when the pool is visible from inside the home. Your backyard effectively becomes part of the view, so considering the entire space can make a huge difference to the overall result.

It's About More Than Plants

When we talk about pool landscaping, we're not simply talking about adding a few plants around the finished pool. Landscaping can include concrete, paving, pool coping, retaining walls, pathways, lawn, garden beds, screening, feature areas and the transition between the pool and other parts of the backyard. These elements determine how you'll actually move through and use the space.

Where will your outdoor furniture go? Is there enough room for sun lounges? How will you get from the house to the pool? Where will people naturally gather? Do you want areas of lawn left for the kids or pets? These decisions are much easier to make when they're considered as part of the overall pool design.

Choosing the Right Pool Surrounds

What you put immediately around your pool has a major impact on the finished look.

Exposed aggregate concrete can create a completely different aesthetic to stone tiles or plain concrete. Pool coping can blend seamlessly with the surrounds or become a feature of its own, but appearance isn't the only consideration.

Pool surrounds are exposed to water, direct sunlight and changing weather conditions, so the suitability of the material, drainage, maintenance and how the surface will perform around a wet area all need to be considered. The right choice will depend on your property, your preferred style, your budget and how you plan to use the space.

Landscaping Can Create Privacy

Privacy can become much more noticeable once you're actually using your pool.

Neighbouring homes, fences and surrounding properties should all be considered when planning the area. Depending on the property, landscaping and screening can help create a greater sense of separation and make the pool area feel more private.

Strategically positioned planting can also soften fencing and hard surfaces, helping turn an exposed pool area into a space that feels much more established and inviting.

The Right Plants Make a Difference

Plants can completely transform the atmosphere around a swimming pool, but what you plant and where you plant it matters. It's worth thinking about how large plants will eventually grow, their root systems and how much debris they may drop into the pool.

A tree might look fantastic beside the pool, but if it's constantly dropping leaves, flowers or seeds into the water, you may quickly regret its position! There’s also pool safety and compliance to consider... Plants, garden beds and other landscaping around a pool barrier can affect the required non-climbable zones and may be assessed as part of your pool inspection. Depending on their position, certain plants and their eventual height or growth may create a climbable object near the barrier, so there are areas where planting needs to be carefully planned.

Your Surroundings Matter Too

The wider environment around your property should influence your landscaping decisions. A suburban backyard surrounded by established gardens has different needs to a rural property surrounded by paddocks, gravel, exposed soil or open farmland.

On rural properties in particular, wind and dust can become a consideration. Landscaping, lawn and ground coverings around the pool can help reduce areas of exposed dirt immediately surrounding the water, while thoughtful planting can help define and protect the pool area. The aim is to design for the property you actually live on, not simply recreate a backyard you've seen somewhere else.

Plan for How You'll Actually Use the Space

It's easy to focus entirely on how a new pool area will look, but some of the best landscaping decisions are practical ones. Think about a normal summer afternoon.

Where will you sit while the kids are swimming? Is there somewhere to put towels and belongings? Is there enough room to walk comfortably around the pool? How does the pool connect to your alfresco or entertaining area? Is there somewhere shaded to sit?

A beautiful backyard is great, but a beautiful backyard that actually works for the way your family lives is even better.

Pool First, Landscaping Later? Plan It Now Anyway

You don't necessarily have to complete every element of your backyard at the same time as your pool. If landscaping needs to happen in stages, that's completely understandable... but having an overall plan from the beginning can still be incredibly valuable. Knowing where future garden beds, lawn, retaining or entertaining areas will eventually go can influence decisions made during the pool installation. It means that when you're ready to complete the next stage, you're working towards an existing plan rather than trying to make everything fit around decisions that have already been made.

One Team, One Complete Outdoor Space

One of the advantages of working with GV Unique Pools & Landscaping is that our expertise doesn't stop at the edge of the pool. Our specialised team can take care of the complete landscaping surrounding your new pool, helping bring the entire outdoor space together. From concreting, paving, retaining walls, gardens, lawn, pool houses and entertainment areas... Our team can work with you to create a space that complements your pool, your home and your lifestyle.