The Best Poolside Plants for Arizona

Landscaping around your luxury custom pool can highlight its best features and increase your property value. Trees and plants can provide shade and create the ideal atmosphere for your backyard oasis. Choosing the right poolside plants is essential. You will want to avoid plants that drop leaves or debris frequently, or that have aggressive roots. The full sun in Tucson can be brutal in the summer, so you will also want to pick plants that can handle the extreme temperatures that our summers can bring.

Creating a Tropical Oasis

If you dream of relaxing on a tropical island and want to bring that oasis feel to your swimming pool, here are some plants that can bring your dream to life:

Palm Trees: Palm trees have a tropical feel, yet they do well in the Tucson summers and can provide you with much-needed shade. They also have a very small, dense root system. As a result, they are not likely to damage your pool deck. They also drop very little debris, which makes it easier for you to keep your pool clean. There are several different types you can consider. Piru Queen Palms are a durable, evergreen palm with large fronds to provide shade. Pygmy Date palms and Sago Palms are both much smaller and perfect for growing in containers, or under larger trees to fill in the landscape.
Tropical Plants: Adding a pop of color into your pool landscaping can make your pool stand out and give it a tropical feel. For this, you can use the Bird of Paradise plant, Ice Plant, Wedelia, Kangaroo Paw, or Dwarf Ruellia. Any of these flowering shrubs do well in our desert climate and will fit in with a tropical pool design.
Ornamental Grass: Ornamental grasses can provide great ground cover around your pool area. Purple Fountain Grass thrives in our weather and can add a pop of color to your pool patio. Other varieties include Regal Mist and Deer Grass, which both have flowers and bloom in the fall.

Consider Native Plants

If you want landscaping that seamlessly blends into the surroundings you should consider using native plants. Native plants also require less maintenance than non-native species. The Tucson area has some stunning foliage that is drought tolerant.

Consider using different varieties of agave and aloe plants to add color and texture to your pool landscape. Cacti like the Fence Post Cactus and Totem Pole Cactus are tall and can provide texture and height to your design. Small cacti like the Easter Lily Cactus, Pincushion Cactus, and the smaller Golden Barrel Cactus all flower in the spring. These varieties are also slower growing than some of the others. You will want to avoid any spreading cactus near your pool or living area.

Use Trees and Shrubs for Privacy and Shade

Using trees and shrubs can help keep your water temperature more constant and give you some relief from prying eyes. Trees like the Ficus provide ample amounts of shade and can create barriers that also block noise, wind, and outside viewers. Japanese Blueberry and Japanese Privet both thrive in full sun and can handle the cool desert nights. Carolina Cherry is another minimum maintenance evergreen that is tolerant to heat and wind and makes a fantastic barrier around your pool or yard.

Evergreen Ash, or Shamel Ash, is easy to maintain, drought resistant, and fast growing. These trees have large, green foliage, and can grow up to 80 feet tall. They require ample growing space and have larger roots so you will not want to plant these right at the edge of your pool deck.

If you are looking for a more Mediterranean look, the Fruitless Olive tree is also drought resistant and can provide plenty of shade.

Poolside Landscape Design

Our landscape designers can help find the best poolside plants for your custom pool design. Whether you are looking to build that lush tropical oasis, or blend in with your native landscape, our professionals will help you build the pool of your dreams.