Hello! I'm looking for ideas for backyard landscaping around an in-ground pool. The previous landscape was overgrown and I removed it all two years ago. I left some tall-growing "fountain grass" (that's what it looks like) to cover the fence and two small plum trees. I like the plum trees for color, but the grass is such a pain to cut and dispose of each year. Due to time constraints I limited it to mulch, the plum trees, and the grasses. The grasses add color and help hide the fence a bit, but they don't fully grow until mid-summer and fall over after a heavy rain. I plan on pressure washing and staining the rest of the fence the same color...the previous plants were in the way last summer. Same with the retaining wall...it looks brand new after washing, but I have to do it each year. The tiki bar and fence are cedar. I'm looking to keep the pool/tiki bar theme going so any fun ideas are welcome! The platform for the hot tub was a quick project and I thought about replacing the grass with patio stone and creating a step up to hide the ledger. I'm in Western Pennsylvania. Thank you in advance!

A few general considerations first. IME shrubs are less work than the majority of perennials as long as you look up the mature width (rather than just what the tag says) on a reliable site such as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Plant Finder and plant accordingly so pruning isn’t needed. Regardless of what you choose, have repetition of at least some of the plants to provide cohesion, either by repeating a particular large plant several times down the row, or having large grouping of several kinds of plants, or even having a fronting row of a lower perennial such as Nepeta/catmint (sun) or an overall groundcover such as Veronica ‘Georgia Blue’ which is happy in full sun or full shade. I would also make the bed deep enough so that there is a gap between the plants and the fence at maturity for ease of maintenance. If you allow enough depth for a couple of rows of plants such as one of shrubs and one of bulbs and easy care perennials, you can have a really long season of interest. Here is a winter photo of one of my beds that is a mixed shrub bed , though much larger and denser than you want. It shows the first type of plant repetition, with evergreens that really stand out in winter, each kind in several spots down the bed. Some of the large perennials that repeat can also be seen in their winter shades of gray and tan. Here is a link to a perennial garden that repeats, both groups of the same plants as well as repeating similar flower colors in different plants. It would take more maintenance to do this with perennials as illustrated here, but the concept of repetition will work regardless. [https://www.houzz.com/photos/clamshell-alley-rustic-landscape-portland-maine-phvw-vp~20985226[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/clamshell-alley-rustic-landscape-portland-maine-phvw-vp~20985226) The link below repeats the same 4 plants in a pattern down the whole row. [https://www.houzz.com/photos/garden-spaces-traditional-landscape-new-york-phvw-vp~3417617[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/garden-spaces-traditional-landscape-new-york-phvw-vp~3417617) For plants, Consider some of the panicled hydrangeas such as Little Lime or Little Quickfire, both of which will get to around 5’-6’ in about 5 years in good soil in my part of the US, though I don’t know where you are. If you want something larger or smaller, there are other varieties such as Limelight which reaches 9’ or Bobo which shouldn’t exceed 4’. Bloom is long with the QF and Bobo starting in early July and LL and Limelight about 3 weeks later and continuing for the rest of the growing season here. In my NH garden they are fine in all day sun, though at high elevation or farther south than New England they prefer some shade in the hottest part of the day. If you want some colored foliage, ninebark/Physocarpus has some smaller types such as Tiny Wine with deep reddish foliage and pinkish-white flowers and ornamental reddish seed capsules. They all have a somewhat weeping or mounding shape but vary in size and foliage color- red or green or gold. Gold foliaged ‘Ogon’ Spiraea has white flowers and a slightly weeping shape. if you will be viewing this from indoors in winter, add at least a couple of plants with winter interest such as a the red twigged, variegated leafed dogwood shrub Cornus Ivory Halo or a smaller evergreen that won’t exceed about 6’, perhaps one of the smaller cultivars of false cypress/Chamaecyparis. One option to consider for fastening to the fence is the climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin which has scented pink flowers and is virtually thornless. Mine has had healthy foliage for the 5 years I have had it in my garden with no maintenance other than a spring pruning and fastening it to its trellis. I have emphasized summer interest plants, but you can add spring flowering shrubs that have fall color which as one of the smaller Viburnum plicatum such as popcorn or Newport/‘newzam’ or Fothergilla. You could also underplant the shrubs or perennials with spring bulbs such as Crocus or daffodils.

One thing to think about since you have kids is sight lines. Wherever you put the pool you will want to have good sight lines from outdoor lounge areas as well as perhaps from areas in the house from which you might want to be able to supervise for short time periods such as if you run inside to get snacks, you will want a view from the kitchen windows.

Hi Karina, It looks like your garden area has lots of potential. I'd look through images of gardens online so that you start to get clarity about your own sense of style, what you like and dislike. Also, make a list of goals for the garden (eg : play space for the kids, grilling area, dining / entertaining area, herb/vegetable garden. or whatever makes sense for you). Knowing what you want to be able to do in the garden, as well as what is beautiful to you, is a good start. Then measure the garden and make a basic plan of its shape, and include the house and the placement of windows and doors (measure their location). See if you have an outdoor GFI electrical outlet, and a hose bib or faucet---if you use low voltage landscape lighting and an irrigation system, you will need these. (You will want the irrigation outlet to be continuous, that is, you won't want it on a switch because you don't want anyone to turn the irrigation off). I can't tell what part of the country you are in? But from the photos, a few thoughts: - it looks like you may get a lot of sun, and so if you're in the right zone, a fragrant garden would do well: lavender, rosemary, butterfly bush, monarda. rose, perhaps lilac, plants like that. Or are you in California? I can't tell, but plants that make sense in your area; you can discuss with your local plants nursery. You'll want to choose either an angular, geometric garden or organic, curvy shapes for the layout. From what I can see of the photos, one design I would try out would be : formal vegetable and herb and fruit garden in the sunny area near the house (if it gets full sun), with gravel walks. Also, flower beds. A terrace with shade of some kind (sail cloth, or umbrella, or pergola). Then I'd make a small woodland where there are tall fences, this may be along the side of the house where the pool is, it's hard to tell in the photos. There could be seating in a few areas: a bench in the herb garden or a chair & ottoman there (eg adirondack chair, nothing fancy); dining table or deeper seating with a dining-coffee table on the terrace, for say 6-10 people if that makes sense for your lifestyle; and then a bench or a couple of chairs in the "woods" area. You could also incorporate a small oval or rectangle of grass for play space. Good luck with your design process. I think you might find helpful hints on how to approach designing your own garden on gardenista.com