Mark Bentsen

Oct 12, 20223 min read

They Finally got that Pool they've been wanting for so long...

Updated: Apr 18, 2023

Milton and his family have a new swimming pool in the back yard. But, to add finishing touches, they want to put in some landscaping.

-There's a fountain along one side. Yew Podocarpus will add a nice green backdrop.

-Sago Palm adds that tropical touch.

-Bicolor Iris is a nice specimen plant that will bloom most of the growing season.

To add color there's nothing better than Lantana. There is an endless selection of colors and sizes, and every year the growers come out with new varieties. Above the first three are old, more common varieties- Irene, Purple Trailing, and White Trailing. The bottom three are Confetti, Miss Huff, and Dallas Red.

Oh, and by the way...if you look on the Internet not everyone agrees on which is which. So, the best way to choose the color you want is to buy them when they are blooming!

These almost always freeze to the ground in the winter, then return in the spring to put on another show.

And don't forget to fertilize them. That's the number one reason they quit blooming.

-Mystic Spires Salvia-this is one of my favorites because it blooms from spring through fall. You can plant it when it's 8" tall and by the end of summer it will be 24" tall and wide. If the blooms like spent, cut the plant back about 6"-12" and it will regrow and rebloom.

-Foxtail Fern just makes a statement without any flowers. But it puts on red berries toward the end of summer. Save those and grow some of your own next year.

-Blue Plumbago will get about 2' tall and wide, and it blooms from spring to fall.

-Along the back add Splitleaf Philodendron.

-There's another one that has smaller leaves but at least twice as many. It's called Xanadu.

-Add a few tropical Hibiscus to any open area. Yes, they will freeze in the winter, but they will give you so many flowers during the year it's worth. Here are some of my favorite varieties: Dark Heart (red), Mrs. Jimmy Spangler (red and yellow), Big Bang (yellow), and Cherie (orange w red throat).

Whenever you bring in more soil to build up the landscape you don't want to cover the trunk of the existing trees. You should build a tree well. Here are two examples. One big one on the left, and one small on the right. In some cases you might want to cover the opening with some kind of grate. Here's one that is on a sidewalk in some city somewhere. This grate makes it safe and allows water to get to the soil.

When ever you have a swimming pool, you are going to have a lot of pipes, hoses and equipment. If you'd rather not see it, you can hid it, or disguise it someway. Here is how a few people have done it in their yard. It's pretty inexpensive and the equipment is still accessible.

To add a little privacy to your space, here are some plants you use to create a screen:

Southern Waxmyrtle, Cherry Laurel, Waxleaf Ligustrum, Arborvitae, Elaeagnus, and Arizona Cypress.

-Dwarf Burford Holly is one of the best plants you can use for a medium size hedge.

-Mystic Spires Salvia will get about 3' tall and bloom from spring thru fall.

-Variegated Flax Lily does good in sun or shade.

Ixora is a great summer bloomer and it loves the hot sun.

-Sometimes you want to hide a feature in your landscape like Septic system covers. Here's an easy way to do it. This is a fake rock. You can find them almost any size from pretty small to pretty big...and they are light weight and can be removed in a few seconds if they then need to. There are a good easy way to make your landscape look more natural.

-Adding a sidewalk? You can always pour concrete, but you can also use pavers which really do look more natural. Do it yourself or hired a seasoned pro. Pavers are sold all over town in a multitude of colors and textures.