pool friendly plants best plants for pool area

36 Pool-Friendly Plants: The Best Plants For The Pool Area

Whether you’re doing some pool landscaping or just redecorating,  you may find yourself wondering which plants are best for the pool area. Ideally, you want pool friendly plants that are easy to maintain and won’t shed a lot of leaves. And if you’re looking for ideas, than you probably want to know whether to go with trees, shrubs, grasses, succulents, or perennials.

Well keep reading, because in this post we share over 36 pool friendly plants for you to choose from. No matter what kind of look you’re going for, you’re sure to discover plenty of great plants to add around your pool today.

36 Pool-Friendly Plants: The Best Plants For The Pool Area

 

 

TREES – Pool Friendly Plants

 

1.) Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)

southern live oak pool friendly plant
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil Type: Adaptable

USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 10

 

 

2.) Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)

queen palm best plants for pool area
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Acidic Soil

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 11

 

 

3.) Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea armata)

mexican blue palm pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure:Full Sun

Soil Type: Adaptable

USDA Growing Zones:9 – 11

 

 

4.) Kousa Dogwood

kousa dogwood pool friendly plants
Image via Gardenia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Adaptable

USDA Growing Zones: 5 – 8

 

 

5.) Paperbark Maples (Acer Griseum)

paperbark maple pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Adaptable

USDA Growing Zones: 4 – 8

 

 

6.) Chinese Redbuds (Cercis chinesis)

Chinese Redbud best plants for pool area
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Adaptable

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 9

 

 

7.) Flowering Banana (Musa ornata)

flowering banana pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type:  Organically rich – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 11

 

 

SHRUBS – Pool Friendly Plants

 

8.) Red Justicia (Justicia candicans)

red justicia best plants for pool area
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Light Shade, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Moist – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 10

 

 

9.) Weeping Dalea (Dalea versicolor)

weeping dalea pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 8

 

 

10.) Desert Lavender (Condea emoryi)

desert lavender pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Dry, Sandy, Rocky | Sharply drained

USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 10

 

 

11.)  Japanese euonymus (Euonymus japonicus)

japanese euonymus pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil Type: Medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 9

 

 

SUCCULENTS & ACCENTS – Pool Friendly Plants

 

12.) Octopus Agave (Agave vilmoriniana)

octopus agave pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Sandy, Gravelly – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 9 -11

 

 

13.) Bird of Paradise (Strelitizia reginae)

bird of paradise pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Organically rich – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 10 – 12

 

 

14.) Pale-leaf Yucca (Yucca pallida)

yuca pallida best plants for pool area
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Partial Sun

Soil Type: Rocky – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 7

 

 

15.) Echeveria

echeveria pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Sandy, Loam – Well drained 

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 11

 

 

PERRENIALS – Pool Friendly Plants

 

16.) Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)

blackfoot daisy best plants for pool area
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Dry, Gravelly, Sandy, Acidic – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 10

 

 

17.) African Lily (Agapanthus “Midnight Star”)

African lily pool friendly plants
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Fertile, Loam, Moist – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11

 

 

18.) Fortnight Lily (Dietes iridioides)

fortnight lily best plants for pool area
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Fertile, Moist, Sandy – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 8 – 11

 

 

19.) Echinacea “Amazing Dream” Coneflower

coneflower best plants for pool area
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type:  Dry, Medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 4 – 10

 

 

20.) Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

rudbeckia black eyed susan pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Average, Medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 10

 

 

21.) Helenium (Sneezeweed)

helenium best plants for pool area
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type:  Average -a Medium drained soil

USDA Growing Zones: 3 – 8

 

 

22.) Coreopsis “Berry Chiffon” (Tickseed)

coreopsis berry chiffon best plants for pool area
Image via @annabellapics

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Dry to medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 4 – 9

 

 

23.) Day Lily (Hemerocallis Fulva)

daylily hemerocallis fulva
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Average, Moist – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 3 – 9

 

 

24.) Begonias (Picotee Sunburst) 

yellow begonia pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Partial Sun

Soil Type: Fertile, Neutral to Slightly Acidic – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 11

 

 

25.) Hydrangea Macrophylla (Altona)

hydrangea macrophylla best plants for pool area
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Rich, medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 9

 

 

26.) Hawaiian Hibiscus

hawaiian hibiscus best plants for pool area
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil Type: Dry to Moist – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones:9 – 11

 

 

27.) Kangaroo Paw

kangaroo paw pool friendly plants
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type:  Dry to moist, neutral to acidic – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 9 – 12

 

 

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES – Pool Friendly Plants

 

28.) Pink Muhly Grass

pink muhly grass pool friendly plants
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Sandy or Rocky, Dry to Medium Moisture – Well drained 

USDA Growing Zones: 6 – 9

 

 

29.) Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigins)

deer grass pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type:  Average, dry to medium – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 7 – 10

 

 

30.) Bluestem grasses

bluestem grass pool friendly plants
Image via Pixnio

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Dry to medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 3 – 9

 

 

31.) Festuca ovina glauca

festuca grass best plants for pool area
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Poor, moderately fertile – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 4 – 10

 

 

32.) Purple Love Grass

purple love grass pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Medium to light, Moderately fertile, Dry to moist – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 5 – 9

 

 

33.) Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus Heterolepis)

prairie dropseed grass pool friendly plants
Image via Flickr

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Average, dry to medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 3 – 9

 

 

34.) Zebra Grass

zebra grass best plants for pool area
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Moderately fertile, moist – Well drained soil

USDA Growing Zones: 5 – 9

 

 

35.) Egyptian Papyrus

papyrus pool friendly plants
Image via Wikimedia

Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil Type: Wet soils

USDA Growing Zones: 10 – 11

 

GROUNDCOVERS – Pool Friendly Plants

 

36.) Lantana camara mutabilis

lantana camara pool friendly plants
Image via Pixabay

Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Type: Average, medium moisture – Well drained

USDA Growing Zones: 10 – 12

 

 

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