With warm weather and lots of sunshine, you’ll probably be spending a lot of time in your pool during summer. You may also notice that your pool garden could use a makeover. Plants around pools need to be tough, and knowing which plants work best in your climate will allow you to create a lower-maintenance, more vibrant pool garden.
So which are the best plants for around pools in Australia? Here are our recommendations for pool-friendly plants to create your private slice of poolside paradise.
Before we begin, let’s talk about what NOT to plant around your pool.
Plants not to have near your pool
Pool maintenance is a lot of work, so we recommend avoiding trees and shrubs that shed leaves and twigs all year-round near your pool area where possible. Jacaranda, silky oak and poinciana trees are some of the worst offenders when it comes to dropping debris into pools.
Also avoid trees with spines or cones, and large trees that develop sprawling root systems. These include umbrella trees, ficus (fig) trees, rubber trees, willows and bamboo.
The best plants for around pools – Australia
Smart pool landscaping means planting tough, low-maintenance, low-mess plants that can tolerate full sun positions and the occasional salty, chlorinated splash.
If you’re stuck for pool garden ideas, start by considering what your goals are. Do you need plants to enhance privacy, provide shade, or add a vibrant decorative feature? Then, choose a mix of the following pool-friendly plants that fulfils those needs.
Succulents for around pools
Succulents are perfect plants for around the pool: they’re low maintenance, drought-tolerant, sun-loving and beautiful. Look for Crassula varieties, like Jade plants, for larger features, and Sedum and Aeonium varieties for intricate, colourful highlights.
Aloes are some of the toughest and low-maintenance landscape plants you could find for around the pool.
Aloes and agaves
Few plants are as tough as aloes. Aloes and agaves are low maintenance, can grow to up to 1.5m tall, heat and sun-tolerant, and – best of all – they don’t shed leaves.
Shrubs for pool gardens
Privacy is a huge perk for pool owners, so many use shrubbery to create functional and beautiful privacy screens. Look for hydrangeas or tropical hibiscus varieties – they love sunshine, offer luscious blooms and have large enough leaves to make cleaning up easy.
Trees for around the pool
Trees are essential for creating shade in super-sunny pool gardens, and can become standout features of any backyard garden. We love frangipanis as ideal poolside trees. They flower through summer and autumn, and a beautiful fragrance and work well in a pot or in the ground.
Palm trees also work well, with minimal leaf shedding and thin root systems. Create shade or privacy and boost growth by planting them in clusters around the pool. Just keep in mind that they’ll need a partially shaded position, as full sun can fry their leaves.
Is your pool full of leaves, sticks and sunscreen after the first half of summer? Let us get you swimming in a sparkling-clean pool again. Let us know what we can do for you – from monthly cleans to a full service – and we’ll handle the rest!
Summer is here, and many of us are taking the covers off our pools in the hopes of cooling down on these hot, sunny days. But with the long, warm days and wild, stormy weather that Australian summer brings, many pools will look far from swimmable, and their owners will be asking: “Why is my pool green?”
If you’re one of these pool owners, don’t worry – with our five-step guide to fixing a green pool, you’ll have it back to sparkling-clean and ready for swimming in no time.
So… what causes ‘green pool’?
‘Green pool’ is quite common in Australia, especially in warmer regions. Pools turn green and sometimes cloudy due to algae in the water, which is often caused by long periods of intense sun exposure, lots of rain and the spikes in temperature typical of hot Australian summers.
These factors cause bacteria to enter the pool, and combined with the changes in temperature, throw the water’s chemical balance off. In these changed conditions, algae can grow, creating the appearance of cloudy and/or green pool water.
Fixing a green pool
So, how to clean a green pool? Here are our five simple steps.
1. Test the pool water
The first step for fixing a green pool is to get a clear reading of the water’s chemical balance. Some experienced pool owners do their own testing with chemical test strips, which have a series of panels for each chemical being tested. The panels change colour when dipped into the water, and you can compare the colour of each panel to the colour it should be when the chemical is at the exact right level for swimming.
Otherwise, take a sample of your pool water from about arm-deep under the surface and give us a call. We’ll send a pool technician to your place with a mobile testing unit and get a chemical balance reading straight away, and fix things up onsite or give you a full run-down of what needs to be done to rebalance.
2. Check and clear your pool equipment
Before adding any chemicals to rebalance the water, you need to clear the pool of any leaves or debris and check that all your pool equipment is functioning properly. Test the pump and check the filter and skimmer box for blockages.
If you’re not sure if something is working properly, just give us a call and we’ll help you figure it out!
3. Correct the chemical balance
Once you know what needs correcting and have the chemicals to do it, add the recommended amounts and give the pool a couple of days to rebalance. It’s not recommended to swim in the pool while the chemicals are rebalancing – too much chlorine can cause eye irritation and itchy skin.
4. Clean the pool surfaces with a brush
To bring back that new pool sparkle, brush down the walls of your pool and vacuum it to remove any algae or other debris that has fallen to the floor.
5. Maintain a clean and healthy pool with regular cleaning
Keep your pool clear, clean and ready for swimming with regular maintenance and cleaning, and you won’t need to ask “Why is my pool green?” again!
Fixing a green pool isn’t rocket science – but we’re always here to help if you’d prefer to leave your pool in the hands of the experts at Ballina Pools!
If you don’t know exactly what your pool needs, just give us a call and one of our friendly and experienced pool technicians will help you figure it out! We reccommend weekly cleans for people who use their pools a lot, but we also offer a range of ad-hoc and regular cleaning and maintenance services.
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