I feel like this might be somewhat of a loosing battle unless you go more for the palm, succulent, cactus line of thinking. Check out this other thread on the same topic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check this thread

What part of AZ do you live in? Or any pictures of the area to be landscaped?

I am not familiar with the Sissso tree but from what I researched, it looks like it will get way too big for what your looking for. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Dalbergia_sissoo.html

This tree is listed as good near swimming pools but might also get a little too big. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Proteaceae/Stenocarpus_sinuatus.html

Acacia's are nice trees and good around pools. Vitex are also nice trees/shrubs and they will stay around the size your looking for.

You may also want to consider some palms around your pool if your interested. There are many that would work for your situation.

This links is Tucson-specific but offers some good suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants for Poolside Landscapes

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I took a picture of the area to toe nursery and the sissoo is what they suggested, but after doing my research I began to question whether it was right or not because of how high these trees grow, which is why I asked the question here :)

Oh yes, I'm in Phoenix.

i'll take a look at the links, thanks! Is there any way I can post a picture of the area here?

I went to the landscaping show they had here last month and I saw Pygmy Date palms which looked really nice too. The nursery guy told me that they don't grow as fast so he couldn't recommend them for my particular application.

Maybe this guy wasn't as informed as I thought, he also told me to fill in the area with Lantana's for color, but after hearing on the forum how bad they smell and the whitefly problem, maybe I should consider something else too :)

Wow, I looked at the Acacia & Vitex as suggested on the nurseries web site. These may be good ideas as well - thanks for the suggestion!

Along with these, maybe throw a palm in for the tropical feel.

As far as the messiness factor, I don't really care too much if it gets in my pool, but I don't want stuff blowing into my neighbors pool if at all possible. So maybe my messiness factor is overrated :)

As for uploading photos, you can sign up for an account on a website such as http://www.flickr.com/ or http://www.webshots.com/ and just link the images from those sites.

The pygmy date palms are nice palms but also check out Chamaerops humilis, Chamaerhops humilus var. cerifera (BLUE Variety), Bismarckia nobilis(A little Larger), and most of the Phoenix species will do well in your area but may get too big except for the pygmy date palm.

For a groundcover, I would recommend bougainvillea. Good luck!

Here are the links to the pictures. All of the bricks and stuff are in the process of being removed.

[URL=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2967505870101339792BZXMWe][IMG]http://thumb12.webshots.net/t/57/657/5/5/87/2967505870101339792BZXMWe_th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2055663770101339792iDBquf][IMG]http://thumb12.webshots.net/t/59/659/6/63/77/2055663770101339792iDBquf_th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I have a pool and would like to offer a preventative measure suggestion: Do not use bouganvilla! It blooms and looks beautiful but will drop thousands of colorful pieces of debris that will be a nightmare for your pool's chemistry and clog your filter. You should also stay away from any of the trees that drop leaves. Even though you write that you aren't concerned with debris in your pool, you really should be concerned. Besides the filthiness and clogged filters, it will look really bad on a daily basis if leaves are dropped daily in your pool. For that reason the palms are a good choice, as are giant birds of paradise (they look like banana trees but the leaves don't shred) You may want to use flax, regular birds of paradise, aloes, agaves, even tubidanthus trees (although they occasionally drop leaves they are heavy leaves that are huge and drop straight down--easy to pick up) Good luck!

Thanks for that information. I decided on shrubs and palm trees to do the job. I'm thinking of Honeysuckle & Yellow Bells to compliment the palm tree that I want to plant as well. I see they can grow to about 6-10 feet (the shrubs) which is about what I am looking for without a lot of mess.

I am still kind of new to gardening, but I do have a Willow Acacia planted near my pool. I went to the Dave the Garden Guy website & they had a long list of pool area plantings, from there I used my trusty Sunset Western Gardening book & did the research.

A plant I just discovered this year & I really like is the New Zealand Flax, it's grass like & has flowers too.