Written by: Bryan Anderson
10 min read
Creating a backyard that immerses you in the natural allure of the outdoors while facilitating your lifestyle is key to making a house feel like a home. In the Capital Region of New York, adorning your property with an inground pool is often considered a crowning achievement, but what is a crown without jewels?
Pool plants take the centerpiece of your backyard oasis and elevate it to stunning levels of aesthetic appeal and timeless beauty. The only question is: what are the best poolside plants to help your at-home paradise reach its full potential?
There are several considerations to account for when choosing what to plant around a pool. Some hinge on your personal preferences, some depend on the climate of Upstate New York, and others focus on low-maintenance pool landscape design. In other words, poolscaping is not as simple as heading to the local nursery and loading up on pretty plants.
With decades of experience poolscaping in the Capital Region and cities such as Saratoga Springs, Albany, and Clifton Park, we want to help you maximize the potential of your pool and enjoy it for years to come. Read on for your guide to the best poolside plants.
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Choosing the Right Pool Plants for Your Backyard Paradise
Seasonal Factors and Pool Plants
Pool Landscaping Ideas
Pool Landscape Design for Upstate NY
Choosing the Right Pool Plants for Your Backyard Paradise
Before we dive into the deep end of the specific low-maintenance pool landscaping plants you should consider for your Capital Region home, it’s important to emphasize exactly why pool plants matter and the role they fulfill.
Just as the flower beds, walkways, and landscape lighting that you select for the front of your home play a vital role in curb appeal, the plants that surround your pool can create an environment of luxury, relaxation, and serenity. If you want to transform your backyard into a personal retreat, poolscaping will play an integral part.
When I was talking the other day to Richard Disharoon, one of my fellow designers at Gallivan, he mentioned looking at plants that don't have a broad spread.
"I always try and plant in a way that nothing is encroaching onto the living/walking spaces," he said. "Though sometimes some blurring of the edge is a desired effect. In general, typically there is adequate space from the splash zone and planting area that salt chlorine spray isn’t an issue."
In addition to selecting plants that fit your aesthetic preferences and fulfill the vision you have for your pool, what you plant around a pool should complement the other elements of your property, including such things as your architecture, any preexisting plants, your outdoor living spaces, and the pool itself.
There is an art to pool landscape design for Upstate NY, and working with a professional who has the expertise to guide you through the process can help ensure that the end result is your backyard dream brought to life.
What to Plant Around a Pool
While there are a handful of exceptional plants that we often recommend to homeowners in the Capital Region, it is best to start with the basics of what makes certain pool plants desirable. Not only does having foundational knowledge of what to look for in the best poolside plants help narrow your search, but it also prevents you from making potentially costly mistakes.
Choosing low-maintenance pool landscaping plants that thrive in Upstate New York’s climate and aren’t bothered by the chemicals or salt associated with pools is essential. You should also look for plants that do not create messes in the form of debris or falling leaves.
Finally, an often-overlooked trait of a good poolside plant is that it does not attract bees. This is especially important to keep in mind when placing flowers around the pool.
Best Poolside Plants
With the basics of what to plant around a pool in mind, it’s time to dip your toes into the specific plants that should be on your list of potential additions to your landscaping. In most cases, you will want to mix in different types of plants, such as shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses.
Keep in mind that these are not the only plants worth considering, and a local landscaping expert can help you choose varieties that are perfect for your unique backyard, but the following options are worth consideration.
Daylilies
Daylilies are among the most dependable perennials you can plant around a pool in Upstate New York. They tolerate heat, occasional dryness, and reflected light while continuing to bloom throughout the summer season.
Their arching foliage softens hardscape edges like coping and patios, making them ideal for transitional planting areas. With countless color varieties available, daylilies can be used to subtly complement your pool design or create a bold seasonal statement.
Yarrow
If you’re looking for a resilient perennial that thrives in sunny pool environments, yarrow is a strong choice. It tolerates dry soil conditions and performs well in areas exposed to heat from surrounding hardscapes.
Its flat clusters of flowers add texture and a naturalistic feel to pool landscaping, making it especially fitting for relaxed or meadow-inspired designs. Yarrow requires very little maintenance and returns reliably year after year.
Coneflower
Coneflower offers hardy performance in full sun conditions and is particularly well suited for open pool areas. Its upright growth adds vertical interest without blocking views across the yard.
Beyond aesthetics, coneflowers are dependable perennials that tolerate varying soil conditions and return consistently each year. They blend easily with ornamental grasses and shrubs for a balanced landscape design.
Hydrangeas
With several hardy varieties that can handle the region’s colder seasons, hydrangeas make for excellent flowers around the pool. They require minimal pruning and tend to be low maintenance, allowing them to shine without placing a burden on your maintenance budget.
As ornamental plants with large blooms, hydrangeas can be used for privacy or simply for some summer vibrance. Keep in mind that the flowers can attract bees. They also make excellent cuttings for centerpieces.
Boxwood
If you’re looking for evergreen shrubs that can be shaped to complement your backyard paradise, boxwood varieties should be on your list. They tend to be tough, cold-resistant, and excellent for edging and hedging.
Thanks to their evergreen nature, they can add privacy and make a pool environment feel beautiful and welcoming year-round. You just need to take some small steps to ensure they thrive in harsh winters.
Ginkgo Trees
Ginkgo trees are exceptionally tolerant of urban and residential conditions, including reflected heat and environmental stress. Their unique fan-shaped leaves bring architectural character to poolside landscapes.
Because they are slow-growing and relatively clean, ginkgo trees work well as long-term focal points without overwhelming the surrounding space. Their bright fall color adds strong seasonal interest to the backyard.
Honey Locust
Honey locust is a popular poolside shade tree thanks to its light-filtering canopy. Instead of creating dense shade, it allows comfortable sunlight to pass through while reducing heat buildup on nearby surfaces.
Its small leaflets break down quickly in autumn, making cleanup easier than with many large shade trees. This makes honey locust particularly practical near pools and patios.
Zebra Grass
Ornamental grasses are incredibly versatile, and the cold-hardy zebra grass is no exception. Use it to create visual texture, layer it with your other pool plants, and bask in its lovely, gentle swaying when the wind blows.
In addition to being suitable for the cold climate of Upstate New York, zebra grass is resistant to both deer and rabbits. It is low-maintenance, tough, and brings a unique yellow-striped appearance to your backyard.
Lavender
When you select the right cold-hardy lavender for your poolscaping, you can enjoy fragrant purple flowers that add character and depth to your backyard. Even when not in bloom, the foliage of lavender is an eye-catching silver-green color–the ideal shade for creating a relaxing environment.
As a versatile plant, you can use lavender along walkways, as complementary additions to other plant installations, and even in portable containers.
Sedum
With tall blooming and groundcover options at your fingertips, you can use sedum to spruce up your landscaping in a number of ways. These drought-tolerant plants bring year-round appeal to your property, with bright flowers, alluring foliage, and tremendous versatility in any Capital Region landscape.
Lilies
Iconic for their unmistakable blooms, lilies are hardy perennials that are sure to bring an explosion of color to your poolside landscape. With some native varieties available in Upstate New York, you can rest assured that they will endure the cold and display resilience.
Lilies offer a wide spectrum of bloom colors, so you can mix-and-match or simply choose the flowers that best suit your landscape and personal tastes.
Elephant Ears
Quintessentially tropical, elephant ears bring distinctive foliage to your pool environment. While only one variety is cold-hardy (Pink China), you can plant other varieties as container plants or annuals.
The massive leaves are impossible to miss, especially when paired with a pool as the centerpiece. They do require more attention and maintenance than many other pool plants, but the vibe they create is often worth it for homeowners.
Seasonal Factors and Pool Plants
For homeowners who love the shifting of seasons and the undeniable beauty that accompanies each, the Capital Region is a dream. However, the same seasons that keep life fresh and interesting can make backyard pool landscaping ideas more challenging.
From the heat of summer to the freezing temperatures of winter, each season presents both difficulty and opportunity. The key is to plan for all seasons and choose your pool plants accordingly. When done right, your poolscaping will not only look phenomenal year-round, but also adapt to and complement each season to perfection.
In addition to being low maintenance, the best poolside plants serve a seasonal purpose. Flowers around the pool bring joyful vibrance to the sunny season, welcoming you to your relaxing backyard paradise with warmth. During the colder seasons, evergreen foliage piques winter interest by providing steadfast privacy, textural intrigue, and organic beauty against a more muted or snowy backdrop.
By mixing a variety of plants in an intentional, thoughtful manner, you can create a luxurious backyard escape to enjoy all year long.
Pool Landscaping Ideas
The plants you choose to complement your pool are a key piece of your poolscaping puzzle, but even the most gorgeous plants can fall short if they are not properly incorporated into a worthy pool landscape design for Upstate NY. A comprehensive plan will pay equal attention to details such as plant placement, spacing, and how various landscaping elements interact with each other.
Certain considerations, such as safety and privacy, should be at the center of your design. However, more nuanced aspects of poolscaping include things like creating defined spaces, leaning into a particular aesthetic, and facilitating your lifestyle.
For example, if your primary goal is to create a tropical retreat that feels like stepping into a natural oasis, you would want to use plants that make the area feel private and separate from the rest of the world. You would likely also incorporate elements like natural stone, free-form flower beds, and comfortable areas to lounge. You may even want to include easy access to your outdoor kitchen or bar.
On the other hand, a pool with a focus on family fun might prioritize openness, ease of movement between different outdoor spaces, and lighting that makes poolside fun safer as the sunlight fades.
Tailoring your poolscaping to your needs will influence everything from layering your shrubs and perennials to where you place your evergreens.
Pool Landscape Design for Upstate NY
Discussing your backyard pool landscaping ideas with an expert is the best way to see your vision come to life. With over 30 years of experience in the Capital Region of New York and a dedicated in-house design team, Gallivan has the expertise to turn your dreams into reality.
Endless tomorrows of poolside fun and relaxation are waiting for you. Fill out our consultation form today to discuss your pool project, put together a plan, and start the process of crafting the idyllic backyard oasis.
Image Sources: daylily, yarrow, coneflower, hydrangea, ginkgo, honey locust, zebra grass, lilies, elephant ears
