What Should I Plant Around My Saltwater Pool?

A swimming pool can provide not only leisure time, but adds a lovely and soothing touch to your landscaping as well. If you have a pool in your yard, you may wish to landscape around it to make it blend into the surroundings more naturally. However, if you use saltwater in your pool, it’s important to make careful choices about the plants you use around it.

Many homeowners choose to use saltwater in their pools in order to avoid using the chemicals and cleaning agents normally used in traditional pools. This is a great choice for many reasons, but some plants can be harmed by splashes of salty water. A process called exosmosis causes water to move out of the plant when it is exposed to salt. In many plants this can stress and weaken them, causing burning and loss of leaves. In particular, young leaves are the most affected, so the plant’s growth will be stunted along with the damage.

Luckily, there are some plants that are more salt-tolerant, and you can use these around your pool without fear of them being harmed by saltwater. Some examples of these salt-tolerant plants are date palm, queen palm, hibiscus, jade plant, star jasmine, and aloe vera. You can also use certain ornamental grasses and ivy geraniums. Gaillardia (blanket flower) and daylilies make a colorful additions to a pool landscape. As an added bonus, these plants will lend a beautiful, tropical feel to your pool area.

Along with choosing salt-tolerant plants, it’s a good idea to install a drainage channel between the pool and any plant beds. This will channel a lot of any saltwater splashes away from your plants, increasing your plant options a bit more. If you line the channel with attractive rock it will also serve as a decorative accent to your pool area.

Aside from choosing plants that will tolerate saltwater from your pool, you’ll naturally want to choose varieties that won’t be overly messy or attract too many insects. We carry a full line of salt-tolerant plants that will work well in your pool area. Call us or come by to see us, and we’ll be happy to help you choose the right plants for your landscaping project.