Poolside planting has to solve problems no other garden bed does. Whatever you plant will drop something into the water, sit in reflected heat off the paving, cope with chlorinated splash, and be looked at from a sun lounge for hours at a time. Get the plant choice right and the pool surround looks like a resort with an hour of work a season. Get it wrong and you spend every weekend with a scoop net.
Quick facts
| Consideration | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Leaf litter | Large leaves you can pick up, not fine leaflets or needles |
| Fruit and berries | None. Fallen fruit stains paving and is slippery |
| Roots | Non-invasive. Keep large trees well clear of the shell and plumbing |
| Salt and chlorine | Splash tolerance matters, especially with salt-chlorinated pools |
| Heat | Paving radiates heat. Plants need to take reflected sun |
| Safety | Keep spiky plants away from walkways and pool edges |
| Evergreen | Essential. Deciduous trees drop leaves straight into the water |
The rule that matters most
Choose evergreen plants with large leaves, and avoid anything that fruits. Fine foliage such as she-oak, bottlebrush or conifers sheds constantly and slips through skimmer baskets, while deciduous trees dump their entire canopy in autumn. Fruiting plants are worse again - olives, figs, mulberries and lilly pillies all drop fruit that stains paving and turns slippery underfoot.
This is why a fruitless variety is worth seeking out. Swan Hill olive gives the silver Mediterranean look beside a pool with no fruit at all, which is exactly what makes it a standard choice for paved areas.
The best poolside plants for Australian gardens
| Plant | Height | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Giant bird of paradise | 4-6 m | Big leaves, easy to pick up, instant resort look |
| Golden cane palm | 4-6 m | Clumping screen, tolerates reflected heat, classic poolside palm |
| Foxtail palm | 6-8 m | Self-cleaning fronds, tidy, handles coastal exposure |
| Bismarck palm | 6-10 m | Silver-blue feature palm for a large pool surround |
| Lady palm | 2-3 m | Shaded corners and courtyards, slow and tidy |
| Swan Hill olive | 4-6 m | Fruitless, drought hardy, Mediterranean look |
| Compact ixora | 600-800 mm | Low colour hedge in warm climates, flowers for months |
| Variegated agave | 1-1.5 m | Sculptural, thrives in reflected heat. Keep back from paths |
| Blue chalksticks | 300-400 mm | Low groundcover for hot dry edges, no litter |
For screening a neighbour
Golden cane palm is the standard for good reason - it clumps into a dense screen, holds foliage to the ground and thrives in the warmth around a pool. In cooler southern gardens where it struggles, a clipped evergreen hedge set back from the paving does the same job.
For the resort look
Giant bird of paradise and foxtail palm together give you the layered tropical planting most people are picturing. Both drop large, easily collected leaves rather than fine litter.
For a hot, dry, low-water pool surround
Agaves, olives and blue chalksticks suit Perth, Adelaide and inland gardens where a tropical planting would need constant water. This palette handles reflected heat better than almost anything else.
What to avoid near a pool
- Deciduous trees - jacaranda, crepe myrtle, Japanese maple and ornamental pear are beautiful, but plant them elsewhere in the garden.
- Fruiting plants - fruiting olives, figs, mulberries and lilly pilly all stain paving.
- Fine-leaved plants - conifers, she-oaks and bottlebrush shed constantly and clog filters.
- Large trees close to the shell - keep anything substantial at least three to four metres back to protect the pool structure and plumbing.
- Spiky plants beside walkways - agaves and yuccas are excellent poolside plants but belong in a bed, not at the edge of a wet path where people walk barefoot.
- Anything that attracts bees to the water's edge - keep heavy flowering shrubs a little further back.
Climate notes across Australia
- Brisbane, the Gold Coast and northern NSW can grow the full tropical palette year-round - palms, strelitzia, ixora and cordylines all thrive.
- Sydney and coastal NSW suit most of the same plants in a warm sheltered pool area.
- Perth works well, though sandy soil needs compost and consistent summer water. The dry-garden palette performs particularly well here.
- Adelaide and coastal South Australia favour the Mediterranean approach - olives, agaves and chalksticks over tropical foliage.
- Melbourne is too cold for most tropical poolside plants in winter. Use evergreen hedging, lady palm in sheltered corners, and hardy structural plants instead.
- Darwin and tropical Queensland grow everything fast. Plan for regular pruning to keep it off the paving.
Planting and ongoing care
- Set beds back from the water. Two to three metres for shrubs and small palms, three to four for anything that will become a tree.
- Improve the soil. Ground beside a pool is often compacted builder's fill rather than garden soil.
- Check drainage. Paving sheds a lot of water into adjacent beds after rain.
- Mulch with pebble or gravel near the edge. Bark mulch floats into the pool.
- Water more than you expect in the first summer. Reflected heat off paving and glass dries beds out faster than the rest of the garden.
- Prune to keep growth off the paving so nothing overhangs the water more than it needs to.
Common problems and fixes
- Constant leaf litter in the pool usually means fine-leaved or deciduous plants too close. Replace them with large-leaved evergreens set further back.
- Scorched foliage on the pool side of the plant is reflected heat and light off paving and water. Move heat-sensitive plants back, or choose tougher species.
- Yellowing after pool maintenance can follow chlorinated splash or backwash discharged into a bed. Avoid draining backwash onto planting.
- Lifting paving means a tree planted too close. Prevention is the only real fix, so respect the setbacks at planting.
- Slippery paving under a plant almost always means it is fruiting. Replace it with a fruitless variety.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best low-maintenance plants for around a pool in Australia?
Large-leaved evergreens that do not fruit. Golden cane palm, foxtail palm, giant bird of paradise and fruitless Swan Hill olive all give strong structure with litter that is easy to pick up rather than fine debris that clogs the filter.
How far from the pool should I plant a tree?
At least three to four metres for anything that becomes a tree, to keep roots clear of the pool shell and plumbing. Shrubs and small palms can sit two to three metres back. Overhanging canopy directly above the water is best avoided regardless of species.
Which plants should I avoid beside a pool?
Deciduous trees, fruiting plants and anything fine-leaved. Jacarandas and crepe myrtles drop their whole canopy in autumn, fruiting olives and lilly pilly stain paving, and conifers and bottlebrush shed constantly. Keep spiky plants such as agave away from wet walkways.
Will chlorine or salt water damage poolside plants?
Occasional splash is tolerated by most robust plants, and coastal species handle it best. Persistent problems usually come from backwash being discharged into a garden bed rather than from ordinary splashing, so direct backwash to the sewer or a dedicated drain.
Can I use palms around a pool in Melbourne?
Some. Lady palm suits a sheltered courtyard and the hardier palms will grow slowly, but golden cane and foxtail palm are marginal in Melbourne winters. Evergreen hedging and structural plants generally give a better result there than a tropical palette.
What is the best plant for privacy beside a pool?
Golden cane palm in warm climates, because it clumps densely and holds foliage low. In cooler regions a clipped evergreen hedge set back from the paving gives the same screening without dropping litter into the water.
Ready to plant?
We grow the full poolside range, from clumping palms and bird of paradise through to fruitless olives and sculptural agaves. Browse the palms, ferns and tropical collection, or the succulents range for a hot dry pool surround.
Designing the wider garden? See designing a tropical garden that looks lush year-round, and pool area screening options that work for blocking a neighbour's view.
