Plants for Poolside Perfection

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Can you think of anything that says ‘backyard escape’ more than a pool? But it’s not the pool alone that makes the ultimate outdoor escape; landscaping plays an important role in transforming the space into the retreat you’ve always dreamed of.  

Poolside plants add lush textures, lovely splashes of color, and needed privacy, creating the ambiance of your own private island getaway. When choosing plants for landscaping your pool, your main considerations should be:

  • Ease of maintenance
  • Safety
  • Privacy
  • Proportion
  • Color
  • Texture
  • Scent

If you’re ready to create a beautiful new space you and your family this summer, here are some inspirational ideas.

Rock Gardens

Rock gardens allow for both beauty and minimal plantings. A garden bed, filled with a few bags of river rocks with a few dramatic plantings can make a strong statement, yet are quiet and an inviting contrast the rest of the yard. 

Ornamental Grasses

To balance out the river rock, ornamental grasses are a perfect choice. They can grow quite large, making an eye-catching and dramatic display. They sway gracefully in the breeze. Some, like lemon grass, even repel insects. They work well both singularly and as a row to form a wall. 

Vines

Many pools have structures such as pergolas, trellises, and fences that beg for vines that climb and weave their way around. Many add beautifully colorful flowers and are fast growing, which can help them form a privacy screen. Vines like clematis, honeysuckle, and trumpet vines are perfect in this respect.

Container Gardens

Container gardens can be beautifully arranged and even moved around as you need to. It also provides the perfect opportunity to get creative by mixing and matching plants that grow tall as well as spill over the sides. 

Shrubs

Unlike container gardens, shrubs provide a more permanent solution. Ideal for creating areas of privacy and for delineating the space as a room, shrubs come in many varieties that let you decide on color, texture, height, and shape. Once established, shrubs are easy to maintain, as well. Choose evergreen shrubs that won’t shed their leaves. 

Knowing which plants to use in your pool landscaping isn’t easy without a lot of background knowledge of trees and shrubs. You can always depend on Augustine’s hardscaping staff to share their knowledge to help you create the pool landscape of your dreams. From pointing out which shrubs and plantings are most conducive to designing and installing them in your yard, we are at your service. 

Plan for Summer in Winter

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When the days get short and the temperatures turn cold, there’s one great thing you can do for your yard – plan out your one big project for the spring.

Just like the inside of your home, your yard needs continual updates as well. As we begin to take stock of the yard from the windows of our warm home, dreams of summer draws the mind to what would make our yards the perfect entertainment place or more secluded hideaway. Laying plans now for larger outdoor projects allow for both figuring out priorities and budgets.

Here are some popular yard projects Augustine has experience with:

  • Plant a large mature tree or two: Planting a mature tree instead of a sapling provides multiple benefits to your yard. It adds instant curb appeal, can decrease the amount of heat and air conditioning you use by providing shelter from the sun in summer and cutting down the wind in winter. Trees can also aid drainage problems by soaking up storm water. A properly sited tree can increase the value of your property by up to 20%.
  • Build or update a patio: More and more people consider their backyard an outdoor living space. And as such, want to create an environment with amenities like outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and beautiful lounge areas.
  • Add some stonework: Stone paths, a wall, or a few large stones set for effect adds elegance and is a durable, long lasting and low maintenance element all year round. Stone paths create the ideal way to connect different areas of your landscape.
  • Illuminate your yard: Landscape lighting is a burglar deterrent, adds safety for those walking up your drive, and highlights your home’s architectural features.
  • Increase privacy: Evergreen trees with dense foliage will add both privacy and a noise buffer to your property. 

Investing in your landscape puts your home in its best light and gives you and your family an outdoor space in which to have summer fun. Don’t let spring creep up on you and leave you unprepared. Plan that landscape project now and give yourself something to look forward to when the cold winter comes to an end.

Make Your Outdoor Space Ready for Company!

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With Graduation, Fourth of July, and plain old – Yay it’s Summertime! parties on the horizon, the best place to start planning is with the space. Outdoors on the patio makes the most sense for fun and sun. Is your patio up to the event? Now’s the time to spruce that patio up with landscaping to make your outdoor space lush and inviting. Refresh your memory with our Patio Planning article and then head on over to Augustine so we can help you find the right mix of plantings.

See what you can find for your patio at Augustine Nursery

Pathways to Landscape Perfection

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Every property has pathways, whether planned and created or cut by the continual foot traffic to get from point A to B.

Pathways have both practical and aesthetic purposes. They keep your feet dry and provide safe and easy access to your home, garage, playset, and sidewalk. They define the different areas of your landscape and unify them. They help make a good first impression of your property. They provide a romantic or tranquil walkway to your garden, pool area or outdoor fire pit. In other words, they not only connect your home physically to other areas of your property, but provide a visual and emotional journey along the way.

Pathways can be made of many materials, each with their own benefits and aesthetics. From formal or classic to natural or meandering, the choices depend upon function and style.

A path that is used often, such as the one from your driveway to the front door needs to be made of materials that will hold up over time while a secondary path – perhaps to a garden area can be made of less heavy-duty materials. Concrete, bricks, and pavers provide durability, while mulch, gravel, pavers, and bluestone or fieldstone can mark the way to a secluded bench. A well-designed pathway keeps in mind not only use, but the material and design that will blend with the style of your home.

Also of consideration is lighting. If your pathway will be used at night, you’ll want to add lighting so you and your guests can see the path in front of them.

Now that the gardening season is winding down, September might be the perfect time to think about your pathways and the plantings that will help guide you. Visit Augustine Nursery’s stoneyard to take a look at the materials we stock and talk to us about whether you want to carve your own pathway or have us help.

Patio Planning – Your Outdoor Living Space

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Spanish style patio

Patio de Cordoba *

Building a patio will help you take full advantage of the warm weather and beautiful landscape of your yard. Going back centuries in early architecture, a space to enjoy the outdoors was a regular home feature. Called patios in Spanish architecture or atriums in Roman architecture, these important out door spaces allow both privacy and a place to enjoy the company of others.

Still an inviting home feature today, there are many advantages patios offer homeowners that contribute to both the quality of your home and the quality of your life there. Long gone are the days of simply sitting on the patio. Outdoor kitchens, bars, fire pits, hot tubs, and cozy furniture are the extras that can work to make your outdoor living space into a fully functional room for lounging, entertaining, cooking, and more.

A Place to Unwind

Patios add comfort to your home. It’s peaceful to step out the back door to relax on the patio. Comfortable furniture or a hammock is all you might need to enjoy a good book with a glass of wine.

A Space for Entertaining

Whether having a simple family BBQ or an outdoor summer bash, your patio has great entertaining potential. The entertainment factor is one of the most defining reasons why most people build patios. With a bit of lighting, your patio is set to go in daytime and after the sun goes down.

Adding Value to Your Home

This is one of the fringe benefits to adding a patio. Whether your home is your primary residence or a weekend getaway, the allure of an outdoor living space is strong when people come to look at a home for purchase.

There are advantages to building a patio instead of a porch or deck. Whether you choose stone, concrete, pavers, or brick, there’s minimal maintenance required to keep up your patio’s beauty. And the durability of these materials mean your patio will stand up to changing weather, lots of use, and time.

Channel your inner creativity into planning a patio with versatility and character with Augustine. Come take a walk through our stoneyard. Whether you want to build it yourself or have us build it for you, we stand ready to help.

Poolside landscape

Poolside patio, stonework and landscaping by Augustine Nursery.

Photo credits: Patio de Cordoba by Dolores María Macías Naranjo, Poolside Patio by John Halperin