Pool landscaping in Boise, Idaho

Pool landscaping in Boise is about everything around the water: the deck you walk on barefoot, the plants that frame the pool, the shade, the privacy, and where water goes when it splashes out. The pool itself might be great. The problem is usually the space around it. People tell me the concrete is too hot to stand on in July, leaves and petals keep ending up in the skimmer, and there's nowhere to sit that isn't in full sun.

I design and build the landscape around the pool. That means the deck and paths, the planting, the screens, the drainage and the lighting. I'm on site for the whole project, so the plan we talk through at the consultation is the plan that gets built.

Plan the splash zone first

I think about the area around a pool in three rings, and each one gets treated differently.

• The splash zone is the first few feet from the water. It gets wet, people walk it barefoot, and anything loose there ends up in the pool. That means no bark mulch, no loose rock, no bare soil and no plants that drop leaves.
• The lounge zone is where chairs, tables and maybe a shade structure go. It needs a flat, comfortable surface and some shade in the afternoon.
• The outer zone holds the bigger plants, trees and screens. This is where you get privacy and color without the mess landing in the water.

Deck surfaces that stay comfortable

The surface around a pool is wet, in full sun all summer and frozen and thawed all winter. It can't get too hot, it can't get slick, and it has to hold up to winters here.

Light colors stay cooler than dark ones. A textured finish grips better than a smooth one. Pavers are a good fit for a lot of pool decks because each piece can move a little with the ground instead of cracking, and a damaged section can be lifted and reset. You can read more about surface choices on my hardscaping page.

Plants that won't fill your skimmer

When I pick plants for pool landscaping, I avoid anything that drops a lot of leaves, petals, seed pods or berries close to the water. I also keep thorny plants away from walkways and keep heavy bee plants back from where people sit.

Good choices near a pool tend to be tidy: ornamental grasses, evergreen shrubs and perennials that hold their leaves. Chlorine or salt water will splash onto anything close to the edge, so I set plants back from the deck far enough to stay healthy.

Trees need extra thought. Shade is welcome, but a large tree right next to the pool drops leaves into it and can push its roots under the deck. I place trees where their shade reaches the lounge area in the afternoon without their branches hanging over the water. My tree landscaping page goes into how I pick and place trees.

Privacy, shade and wind

Boise gets a lot of afternoon wind, and wind blows dust and debris straight into an open pool. A row of evergreen shrubs, a fence with plantings in front of it, or a mix of both can block wind and give you privacy from the neighbors at the same time. Pool fences and gates often have their own rules, so I plan the landscape around whatever fence and gate your pool needs.

Shade can come from trees in the outer zone or a pergola over the lounge area. Most pools do best with sun on the water and shade where people sit.

Drainage around a pool deck

Water around a pool comes from three places: splashing, rain and snowmelt. All of it has to go somewhere other than back into the pool or against your house. I slope the deck away from the pool edge and away from the foundation, and I send that water to a drain or a planting bed that can take it. On our clay soil, a deck base that holds water will heave in a freeze-thaw winter, so the base under the surface matters as much as the surface itself.

Paths, the equipment pad and lighting

A good pool area has a clear, comfortable path from the back door to the water. It also hides the pool pump and filter, which are usually loud and not much to look at. I screen the equipment with shrubs or a short fence while leaving room to get in for service. For paths, see my walkway landscaping page.

Landscape lighting makes the area safer and more usable after dark. Low path lights and a few lights on plants are usually enough. If you want to see what this kind of work looks like, take a look at my poolside backyard renovation.

What sets the price

The cost of pool landscaping depends on:

• How much deck or patio surface the project needs, and the material
• Whether old concrete or landscaping has to be torn out
• How many plants and trees go in, and how big they are at planting
• Screens, fencing or shade structures
• Drainage and irrigation work
• Lighting
• How hard it is to get materials into the backyard

I price each project after a consultation, once I've seen the pool and the yard around it.

Pool landscaping around the Treasure Valley

I do pool landscaping in Boise and in Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Kuna, Garden City, Hidden Springs, Sun Valley and Ketchum. It's one part of my landscaping work across the valley.

If the space around your pool isn't working the way you want, let's fix it before next summer. Schedule a consultation for pool landscaping in Boise, or call me directly at (541) 961-7269.