Browse Forums Pools & Spas 1 Feb 15, 2010 5:22 pm Hi There I am wanting to start thinking about a landscape design for our back yard. It won't be huge - 6.5m x 15m. We are installing a salt water pool 4m x 8.25m and we would like to put in a water feature on the fence line cascading into the pool and I would like to plant either side of this. I did see a post of a photo of a Bali villa which someone's boss owned. Just beautiful and tropical. I'd love something similar however need to be mindful that kids will splash water around and also being in the Perth foothills will probably be subjected to those nightly summer Easterly winds. Any ideas? Photos are also appreciated. Thanks jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 2Feb 15, 2010 9:25 pm Many Australian natives are salt tolerant. http://www.menofthetrees.com.au/fthspecies.html Wingan inlet offered some nice examples or lush native paperbark in low oxygen swamp brackish waters. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The ferns scramble and the grass trees are a little bit saw toothed. But very appealing in clumps I would imagine. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 3Feb 18, 2010 6:54 pm Thanks Redman I've also been doing some googling on this subject matter and have come up with the following list: Cordylines Murrayas Agaves Estringeas Acalyphas Dipladenias Philodendrum Mondo Grass Does anyone know if I'm on the right track? I tracked down that photo (thanks themax) and from what I understand some of the plants in my list are featured in this most gorgeous of pool areas. I just need to know if these plants will survive the odd splash of salt water. If so, and I can achieve something remotely like this, I'll be one happy girl: Cheers jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 4Feb 18, 2010 9:26 pm Try Cassa Blue (Dianella), or Nyalla. Both work realy well in Perth right near the ocean and have performed well in large landscapes. Also the right size for around salt water pools. Slat water tolerant in Perth and east coast. In Queensland make sure they are in raised gardens. Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 5Feb 18, 2010 11:36 pm grasstree Try Cassa Blue (Dianella), or Nyalla. Both work really well in Perth right near the ocean and have performed well in large landscapes. Also the right size for around salt water pools. Salt water tolerant in Perth and east coast. In Queensland make sure they are in raised gardens. Or try plain old non PBR'd varieties of Dianellas Like the Dianella varigata which gets some nice pink through them in Perth come the early spring cold weather. I much prefer Dianella Emerald arch for lushness and I have used them near pools and they have been fine. Nice and leafy too Supposed to love water but get by with less than expected Also make use of John Colwill's plant data base on the water corp website. A great bloke and a great horticultural brain Get along to one of our Great Gardens workshops here in WA too. You can choose plants till the cows come home but unless you set aside serious dollars for certified soil that picture is a mile off. You will need significant soil prep to at least 500mm and raised beds will make that easy as. $120 a cube or there abouts. It will return the love with plant resilience and growth like you have never seen. Give the Acalyphas a go. They are a very underrated plant for Perth. The turn to poo in late winter early spring but the rest of the time will be a plant that draws attention and adds tropical lush colour Only two choices, the Wilkesiana Red and yellow get them now because they won't be around for long till this time next year. grow them up in a 250mm pot and they will be wonderful later tropical but bullet proof [img]http://www.benaranurseries.com/showimage.asp?/images/products/1437/Foliage.jpg^18%2F02%2F2010+9%3A17%3A42+PM|800[/img] The Westringeas will be a messy plant for the pool area. Get Frangipanis now while they are available. heaps around. Give me a hoy if you need to find some. For thoise in perth have a squiz at these and being WA based they export to the rest of Australia and the stock is free of Frangipani rust as this is not found in WA Cop the Candy Stripe http://www.ekfrangipanis.com.au/ Cycas thouarsii will kick butt in a spot like that and just look stunning. So ridiculously easy to grow compared to other cycads. Hmm try to find one I might be able to find one but they aren't cheap yet worth every cent. I should get a pic of some I planted years ago. Check out here too http://www.premierpalms.com/index.htm Not shade grown either so they won't go to poo in you I can help with Agaves as I have stacks. One massive one! Philos will look good for the first few years and then you will hate them after that. Impossible to remove. Philo selloum or xanadu if you must but I wouldn't. Mondo grass, phhfftt, better things here than that. It's expensive for us as well. Murrayas but only if you have very deep rich soils so they can be a little more waterwise for you. Dips are hard work. Well they aren't for some but then they just drop dead and those who disagree with me realise I was right Ipomea varieties. Sweet spuds. Look amazing for colour. Go the lime and the black/purple [img]http://www.benaranurseries.com/showimage.asp?/images/products/54466/Main%20Image.jpg^18%2F02%2F2010+9%3A32%3A04+PM|800[/img] I have tried these in some very unforgiving places and been pretty happy with the results Cordy Australis which look like palms when they get taller will be fine but I classify them in the Mc Plants category. They do work sometimes though Avoid the use of the tropical ones that are normally indoors here in WA. Glossy mags show them in sun sometimes so just a heads up Leucophyta brownii and Olearia axillaris as well for good foliage contrast Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 6Feb 19, 2010 6:42 am Fu Manchu Cordy Australis which look like palms when they get taller will be fine but I classify them in the Mc Plants category. They do work sometimes though Avoid the use of the tropical ones that are normally indoors here in WA. Glossy mags show them in sun sometimes so just a heads up That drives me nuts - why do they DO that? Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 7Feb 22, 2010 4:34 pm Wow Fu! Don't know how I missed this, but I did. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your detailed reply to my query - yet again. I posted on the weekend in the Outdoor Living section that we had finally settled on our pool through Leisure Pools. They are doing the water feature for us - we will have it clad in stone cladding after it's installed. So I now have a clear idea what space if have to work with around the pool and can start thinking of a design. Closer to the time I might be interested in some of your Agaves. I'd like to landscape on the back fence the length of the pool and either side of the water feature on the left had side (Alfresco side). I'll probably continue a similar theme for the front garden - to get some flow through effect. What are your thoughts on the raised colourbond planters that are now readily available? My hubby is a manager for a bluescope company that can supply these (x 2) and a rainwater tank (although it will have to be a smaller slimline one) - so after these there won't be much left of my 4.5 x 6.5m space leftover after the pool is installed. Enough to grow some herbs, salad greens and tomatoes to keep me happy. So lots to think about in the next 8 or so months. Thanks again. jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 8Feb 22, 2010 6:36 pm Why not throw in some tropical plants as well. The Dracaena marginata would look great. Some chillis too. They'd still keep things that tropical look and they will love the care the veggies get Can you post a link to the thread you mentioned? Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 9Feb 22, 2010 8:15 pm Hi Fu I thought I would draw a quick sketch for you to see the area I have to work with. http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad92/jab_7433/BackyardPlan.jpg We need to landscape either side of the Water Feature and maybe either a small garden bed or some big pots along the back of the fence line with some tropical plants would be nice. If I can get some raised planter boxes somewhere in the space left over for my vegies, that would be good and perhaps the rain water tank if we can spare the space. We are not sure whether we should grass a small area for the dog or pave the lot and grass the right side of the house for the dog (he's only a small Papillon so not huge) - he just needs somewhere to go and do his business. The link to my post re the pool is: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=28932 Thanks again. jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 10Feb 23, 2010 5:21 pm Hi Fu I saw in another post you mentioned about the Merbau screens - that might be the go for us to give some extra privacy. My DH is not the handy type - do you know whether there is anyone that makes these for a resonable cost in Perth? Thanks jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 11Feb 23, 2010 5:45 pm [quote=" I thought I would draw a quick sketch for you to see the area I have to work with. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hi, We are about to knock down and build a new single storey in Melbourne. We have a very similar amount of back yard as you do and I am currently trying to get some ideas for putting in a pool, as we will be filling in our old one! So thanks for including your sketch it was really helpful. I feel better now that we will be able to cope with a much smaller backyard but still be able to fit in a pool for the kids. Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 12Feb 23, 2010 5:58 pm Hi BB Can't say that my sketching ability is fantastic - but it is good to see it down on paper. We have had a few dramas trying to make sure we could fit the pool in. We included 7 course drop footings at the back of the house and actually shortened the length of our house by 60cm. Á word of warning - be sure to check with your shire as to what their requirements are for minimum distance from your pool to fences and house are. We wanted a decent size poo, and we've just made it and hopefully won't have any problems having it approved. Good luck. jbarry My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25713 13th Oct - Offer on block 4th Dec - Settlement of block scheduled (delayed due to titles) 22nd Feb - Titles Issued 17th Mar - Land Settlement 17th Mar - Pre-start meeting Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 13Feb 23, 2010 6:53 pm jbarry We wanted a decent size poo, and we've just made it and hopefully won't have any problems having it approved. I am so glad to here that You need council approval for everything these days Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 14Sep 24, 2010 2:50 pm Hey i wanted to upgrade my garden with new plants, flowers and tress, I am thinking of tropical plants. I don't know about thef flowers and trees. So please suggest me some good info. http://www.nationaltropicals.com.au/ Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 15Sep 24, 2010 8:53 pm I'm on the east coast and are about to do our salt water pool area (as in tomorrow. ) I'm putting in a couple of foxtails and alexandra palms, ponytails, as well as a few shade loving licuala's eg. lady palms and similar - beautiful - my favourites), crotons, cordy's (the thick leaved not the thin) and I chop mine so they dont get too tall and spindly, that way they keep reshooting too, some beautiful NSW native tree ferns (they can grow to 15m and happy in full sun!!!), gingers, agaves, rhoeo. I'll see how I'm going for space after that. My area isnt huge either and we have a water feature for ours also, its a rock feature. I've had suggestions of Broms - but I already have a brom/tree ferns/stags/elks and elephant ears garden bed which is so beautiful, so I dont want to take the beauty away from that area and have it spread out. How about Agapanthus over your way? They look beautiful enmass either when they flower or not. How about frangipanis underplanted with aggys? (sorry for spelling ) When the palms have grown a fair bit, I'm going to add elks and stags to their trunks - that is my dream On another note, I'm so surprised that mondo is expensive over the west It is sooooo cheap over here and it should be the way it reproduces. Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 16Sep 26, 2010 11:02 am We used to have a salt water pool but have now changed to a bioniser system which has been awesome. I found the salt splashes were burning our plants and can't be avoided when you have kids jumping into the pool (try telling a kid not to do that and it takes away all their fun ) With the new system, the garden is very happy.
We have three Kentia palms (they were already there), birds nest ferns, cordylines, NZ flaxes, Magnolia Little Gems, ginger plants and will be adding Mother in law tongues in mass plantings shortly plus some others I can't remember the names off. These photos were taken 2 years ago Re: Best Plants to Plant around Salt Water Pool 17Sep 27, 2010 11:25 pm For areas around the pool use this stuff on a regular basis http://bioasis.com.au/ Murraya could be a great option for you. It creates a great tall screening hedge but doesn't drop fruit like lily pilly. The flowers smell divine. 2 10266 Thanks again Simeon for being so elaborate. Appreciate it. Its gives us a very idea. Kind Regards 4 3692 Grab a hose, insert it at the top of the inlet/down pipe and turn the water on and see where the water is escaping from. Then you'll know. 3 8489 |