How to Landscape a Ranch Pool

Use salt-tolerant plants with waxy leaves in your pool design. Rugosa roses, cherry laurel shrubs and evergreen blue tip juniper are salt-tolerant specimens that thrive in spite of splashing, chlorinated water. Plant these in containers or available space in the ground around the pool. Plants native to your region are often salt tolerant.

Plant in rolling containers. When the pool is located in a full-sun area, choose plants that thrive in full sun. Consider sunlight conditions when choosing plant material; six or more hours of sunshine is considered full sun, while four hours or less is part sun. If partial shade exists at times in the pool area, take advantage of this by choosing shade-tolerant plants. Rolling containers allow for changing sun angles.

Add privacy with a screen. Your ranch style home may have neighbors close by. Place a trellis to block the view of the pool, and train an evergreen or flowering vine to climb the trellis for even more privacy. A tall shrub or small tree border can also protect the view. Use a combination of coordinating specimens, repeating each throughout the border for a consistent feel. Indian Hawthorne and Yaupon holly tolerate salt and add height to block views.

Create raised beds. If poor soil conditions or concrete surround the pool, landscape in raised beds. Bring in nutrient-rich soil to fill the beds and plant palm trees, banana trees and ornamental grasses for a tropical look. Include flowering plants, such as butterfly weed, to attract butterflies and pollinators to your exotic display.

Place statuary or a water feature in the pool area. Surround a pondless waterfall with native stone. Plant rock garden-friendly succulents, such as moss, portulaca or creeping sedum to spill from the stones. Add furniture from natural fibers, in earth tones, to complete your pool paradise.