Screening a pool has three requirements that pull against each other: it has to give privacy, it cannot drop constant fine litter into the water, and it must not compromise the pool fence. That last point is the one most people discover after planting, and it is the one that can cost you a compliance certificate.
The pool fence rule that decides everything
Australian pool barrier standards require a non-climbable zone around the fence - typically a clear area extending outward and upward from the barrier, in which nothing can provide a foothold for a child. Plants with sturdy horizontal branches, thick trunks or dense rigid growth inside that zone can render an otherwise compliant fence non-compliant.
Requirements differ between states and are updated periodically, so check the current rules for your state and council before planting near a pool barrier. As a general approach:
- Plant outside the non-climbable zone, not against the fence.
- Favour soft, flexible growth - strappy foliage, fine bamboo culms, palms with clean trunks - over rigid branching shrubs that offer footholds.
- Keep growth trimmed back from the barrier permanently, not just at inspection time.
- Confirm with your certifier if you are unsure. It is far cheaper than replanting.
The litter problem
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Deciduous trees | Drop an entire canopy into the pool each autumn |
| Fine-leaved plants | Small litter passes skimmer baskets and clogs filters |
| Heavy fruiting plants | Fruit stains paving and fouls the water |
| Flowering trees over water | Petal drop is worse than leaf drop |
Large-leaved evergreens are the ideal - they shed slowly, and what they do drop is easy to lift out by hand rather than being sucked into the filtration.
Screening plants that work around pools
Clumping bamboo
Slender Weavers is the standard pool screen in Australia and for good reason - it is a clumping bamboo, so it does not run and take over, it screens to six or seven metres, and the fine culms give movement and sound without heavy litter. Timor Black gives the same habit with dramatic black culms.
Only plant clumping species. Running bamboos are genuinely invasive and will find their way under paving and into neighbouring properties.
Sweet viburnum
Emerald Lustre makes a dense glossy evergreen screen to four or five metres with large leaves that are easy to skim out. It is fast, clips well, and holds foliage low.
Lilly pilly
The compact psyllid-resistant cultivars work well. Resilience gives a dense two to four metre hedge; Straight and Narrow holds about a metre wide where space is tight. Keep them back from light-coloured paving, since the fruit stains.
Palms
Foxtail palm is excellent poolside - it is self-cleaning, has a clean trunk that offers no foothold, and gives height without a wide canopy. Plan for where the heavy fronds fall, which should not be over the water or paving.
Pandanus
Baptist's pandanus is the spineless species and the only pandanus to use near a pool. It gives strong architectural form at two to three metres and drops large leaves rather than fine litter.
Strappy foliage and understorey
Lomandra, liriope and philodendron xanadu all suit the base of a pool screen - soft flexible growth, minimal litter, and no foothold value near a barrier.
Salt and chlorine
Splash-out from a salt-chlorinated pool is genuinely salty, and repeated wetting damages sensitive plants. Backwash discharged into a garden bed does far more harm again.
- Direct backwash to the sewer, not into planting.
- Use salt-tolerant species in the immediate splash zone - pandanus, lomandra, foxtail palm and bamboo all cope.
- Rinse foliage occasionally in the splash zone with fresh water.
- Leach beds periodically with a deep watering to flush accumulated salts below the roots.
Roots and paving
Keep vigorous root systems away from the pool shell, paving and plumbing. Figs, poincianas and large eucalypts should never go near a pool. Allow at least two to three metres for the screening plants above, and use a root barrier where space is genuinely tight.
Where these work in Australia
- Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts, northern NSW - all of the above, with the tropical options at their best.
- Sydney - bamboo, viburnum, lilly pilly and lomandra all excellent; foxtail palm in a warm spot.
- Melbourne and Adelaide - viburnum, lilly pilly, lomandra and liriope handle frost. Palms and pandanus generally will not.
- Perth - bamboo, lilly pilly, foxtail palm and lomandra all suit, with irrigation in sandy soil.
- Darwin and tropical Queensland - palms, pandanus and bamboo are ideal.
Frequently asked questions
What can I plant near a pool fence?
Plants outside the non-climbable zone, favouring soft flexible growth such as strappy foliage, fine bamboo or clean-trunked palms over rigid branching shrubs that provide footholds. Requirements vary by state and council, so confirm the current rules before planting.
What is the best screening plant for a pool?
Clumping bamboo such as Slender Weavers is the most popular - fast, tall, fine-textured and low litter. Sweet viburnum and compact lilly pillies are the best options where a dense clipped hedge is wanted instead.
Which plants should I avoid around a pool?
Deciduous trees, fine-leaved plants and heavy fruiting species. Fine litter passes skimmer baskets and clogs filters, deciduous trees drop an entire canopy each autumn, and fruit stains paving. Large-leaved evergreens are much easier to manage.
Is bamboo safe to plant near a pool?
Clumping bamboo yes, running bamboo no. Clumping species such as Bambusa textilis stay in a defined clump; running species spread aggressively underground and will get under paving and into neighbouring properties.
Will pool water damage my plants?
Splash-out from a salt-chlorinated pool is genuinely salty and damages sensitive plants over time. Backwash discharged into a garden bed is much worse - direct it to the sewer, and use salt-tolerant species in the splash zone.
How far from the pool should I plant?
At least two to three metres for the screening plants above, to keep roots clear of the shell, paving and plumbing. Never plant figs, poincianas or large eucalypts near a pool at any distance a suburban block allows.
Ready to plant?
Browse our bamboo for screening, plants for poolside gardens, or hedging and screening.
Related reading: bamboo for screening and tropical poolside plants.
Screening is the job Australians hire plants for most. In What Australia Planted in 2025-26, hedging and screening led the purpose rankings in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Our pool safe plants page has the full list of plants that pass the three poolside tests, and the ones to keep well away.
