When it comes to pools and landscaping there are some essential dos and don'ts that you need to consider. Deborah Hele has these tips for you to make sure you make the right choices for your pool and garden...

  • Consider using container plants which are easy to maintain, replace and rearrange. Also if you have to move them in the winter to avoid frost you can and then bring them back in the warmer weather.

  • How about a pool surrounded by containers filled with beautiful flowering plants?

  • Plant trees and shrubs that won't hang over the pool because nearly every variety will drop something into the pool — from leaves, seeds, flower petals to pollen.

  • Don't plant trees with destructive roots like the Ficus and the Mulberry.

  • Move the messier plants so that the tips of their branches are at least four metres from the swimming pool.

  • Remember that shorter plants leaves and flower petals are less likely to caught by the wind and be blown into the swimming pool. Consider using ornamental grasses such as Ophiopogon and Liriope and smaller shrubs such as the dwarf Nandina Pygmae, Duranta Sheenas’s Mini Gold and Eugenia Tiny Tim.

  • Avoid planting trees and shrubs that are not pest and disease free as you don't want to be spraying poison that will end up in the swimming pool.

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    This article appears courtesy of GardenShop.

  • Also try to choose plants that won't require a lot pruning, it could be quite dangerous and difficult to cut branches hanging over the deep end.

  • Avoid 'stickery' plant species near the swimming pool where children could get hurt such as Cacti, Pyracantha, Hollies and Yuccas.

  • Also avoid plants that will attract stinging insects, like some Salvia varieties that will encourage bees.

  • Remember that perennials tend to be messier than annuals so you might want to replace with annuals like Coleus and Begonia nearest the swimming pool. The vibrant flowers will brighten up the area.

  • To ensure privacy consider setting up a large trellis or arbour to block the eyes from passer-by’s or the view from a neighbour's window. Good vines for a trellis include the non-invasive Honeysuckle and the Carolina jasmine.

Tip: Tropical plants look wonderful around the pool. Widely available and tidy examples include Aspidistra, Aucuba, Cyperus and the Fatsia japonica.