Thank you all - and I should have written more clearly. I mean above the wall on the berm area. I put in St. Augustine last summer around the pool itself and cannot explain how much I love it. The heat here is terrible in the summer and our pool area is so much cooler for having grass instead of cement. We have a large patio area "this side" of the pool, so seating and all that has a place. I am just trying to "pretty up" the area above the wall while not adding any more work for pool maintenance. So I went to Archies in Ft. Worth and grabbed a couple of trays of Angelina Sedum and I am going to start with that - I am hoping that I got the soil amended enough that they will live in the clay that we have here. If they look positive in a couple of weeks I will go out and buy a bunch more. I think I will end up doing a mix of ground cover up there just because the area is so big. Thinking maybe some silvery lambs ear might look nice against the yellow/green of the Angelina Sedum. I am taking a look at every single plan that has been mentioned here as I have a HUGE area to deal with up there - I measured it finally - most of the bed will be 6-8 feet deep and it is over 100 feet long. Ugh. I guess I know where you can find me if you need me. Oh, and a bit of a review for edging. I need to edge at least the back side of all of this area and the metal stuff that would normally be my go-to was just so expensive for this big of a space. I ended up buying Suncast Eco Edge ($20 for 20 feet of it) in brown and got 3 sections of it put in yesterday - It is still new but I am REALLY happy with the way it went in and the look of it. If anyone needs a cheaper edging option, you might look into it. Again, thank you all so very very much. I am working so hard to learn Texas plants! I should have paid more attention to my great grandmother when I was a child. She could convince a stick to bloom in the middle of the west Texas sun.

I posted on your other thread as well. My pool is 44 feet long by 12.5 feet wide. While I'd love to have a few feet more, I swim well over a mile without getting frustrated about the length. I'd say that 50 feet would be better, but 45 would be okay too. As for the width, you need at least 6 feet per person if you have more than one swimmer doing laps at a time. As for depth, I did 3.5 feet to 5.5 feet and that works fine for me, but you might prefer to keep it at a 4 feet minimum for the reason you state (esp. if you do flip turns). Speaking of flip turns, I think that they are an issue when deciding ideal your minimum length for lap swimming - if you do flip turns and push off hard, you project yourself further and would need a longer pool. I'm a tap and turn kind of gal who never quite got the art of the flip turn down. When I push off, I project maybe 3-5 feet, so I can happily swim mile or two without feeling constrained in a 45 foot pool. If a flip turn projected me 1/3 of the length of the pool before beginning my stroke, I'd probably feel differently about it.

Hi -- I am looking to build a pool and separate spa in central jersey. The space that I have left is about 28 feet by 29 feet. How much of this should I allocate to decking, fencing, etc. I am trying to squeeze in as long as possible so i can swim laps if possible. But am thinking I am looking at a 15x20 foot pool or so. Thoughts/recommendations/considerations would be appreciated.

1.6 m is deep but what are the main uses for your pool? As a Natural Pool builder, we are seeing a trend in shallow pools just over 1m (3.5 ft-4.5 ft). The shallow pools are popular because most people either swim for exercise, float or sit along a bench while enjoying their pool. A shallow pool provides ease of movement while playing games in the pool and keeps the water a bit warmer. The decision should also consider the age of your children and their activity preferences.