Tropical Plants for a Pool Area

White Bird-of-Paradise

• White bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), also called giant bird-of-paradise, can grow up to a height of 30 feet under ideal conditions. The large, tropical plant spreads to form clumps as wide as 18 feet if growth is not kept under control with pruning. The plant is hardy in US Department of Agriculture zones 6 through 11. It tolerates light frost according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. The green-gray leaves grow as long as eight feet. The 12-inch-long dark purple and white flowers resemble a bird in flight, very much like the blue and orange flowers of smaller bird-of-paradise plants. Plant white bird-of-paradise in well-drained soil in a sunny location close to the pool. They tolerate partial shade. Provide protection from high winds that can shred the large leaves.

Big Leaf Magnolia (Ashe Magnolia)

• Big leaf magnolia, also known as Ashe magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla subsp. Ashei), serves as a small tree or a large shrub that typically remains under 20 feet tall. The deciduous leaves grow to lengths ranging from 12 to 24 inches and widths ranging from 6 to 12 inches. The creamy-white flowers are stained purple at the base and bloom before the leaves reach full size. The 10-to-12-inch wide flowers, shaped like saucers, are sweetly scented. The flowers bloom for several weeks before giving way to pinkish-purple, cone-shaped fruits. When Ashe magnolias grow in sunny pool-side locations, they are tall and straight. When grown in shade, they tend to remain short, sprawl and have crooked branches. They thrive in moist, well-draining soils rich with organic matter.

Giant Taro (Elephant Ear)

• Giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza), also known by the generic term of elephant ear, has a trunk that can grow to a height of 6 feet with leaf stalks grow to lengths ranging from 2 to 4 feet. This massive plant produces leaves that can grow to lengths ranging from 3 to 6 feet and widths ranging from 2 to 4 feet. The glossy green leaves stand upright rather than droop over like other varieties of elephant ears. This perennial, humidity-loving pool-side plant prefers partial shade but tolerates full shade. It thrives in humus rich, well-drained soils. Giant taro tolerates minor flooding caused by heavy downpours. Hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11, freezing temperatures kill giant taro's leaves but they grow back as long as the trunk is not damaged. The trunk can sustain damage when temperatures that fall below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.