The right landscaping highlights your pool’s best features, adds shade, and can even increase your property value. The key is choosing plants that suit the Tucson climate and stay clean near the water, avoiding species that drop lots of debris or send out aggressive roots, and picking ones that can handle the brutal full sun of an Arizona summer. Here are the best poolside plants, organized by the look you want.

Palm trees for a tropical feel

Palms bring a tropical feel, thrive in Tucson summers, and provide much-needed shade, and they have small, dense root systems that are unlikely to damage your pool deck. They also drop very little debris, which keeps the water cleaner. Piru Queen palms are durable, evergreen, and large-fronded for shade, while Pygmy Date palms and Sago palms are much smaller, perfect for containers or for filling in under larger trees.

Tropical plants for color

To add a pop of color and a tropical feel, use flowering shrubs that do well in our desert climate: Bird of Paradise, Ice Plant, Wedelia, Kangaroo Paw, or Dwarf Ruellia. Any of these fit beautifully with a tropical pool design.

Ornamental grasses for ground cover

Ornamental grasses make excellent ground cover around a pool. Purple Fountain Grass thrives in our weather and adds color to the patio, while Regal Mist and Deer Grass both flower and bloom in the fall.

Native plants for a low-maintenance look

If you want landscaping that blends into the surroundings, native plants require less maintenance and are drought tolerant. Different varieties of agave and aloe add color and texture, and cacti like the Fence Post and Totem Pole cactus bring height. Smaller, slower-growing cacti such as the Easter Lily, Pincushion, and Golden Barrel flower in spring. Avoid any spreading cactus near the pool or living areas.

Trees and shrubs for privacy and shade

Trees and shrubs help hold your water temperature steadier and give you relief from prying eyes. Ficus provides ample shade and blocks noise, wind, and views, while Japanese Blueberry, Japanese Privet, and Carolina Cherry are heat- and wind-tolerant evergreens that make fantastic barriers. Evergreen Ash, also called Shamel Ash, is fast growing and drought resistant but can reach 80 feet with larger roots, so keep it away from the pool deck. For a Mediterranean look, the drought-resistant Fruitless Olive offers plenty of shade.

Design the planting with the pool

The most successful poolside landscaping is planned alongside the pool itself. Our landscape designers help find the best plants for your design across Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, and Southern Arizona, whether you want a lush tropical oasis or a native desert look that blends into the landscape.