How about blue colored Cycads? C.lehmannii is one. If you dont mind spending about $200 for a good sized one. Another palm I like is the Triangle palm- not hard to find in soucal and is much less water needy then the more common King Palms. They look great next to pools. The list of what you can use is almost endless.

Yes. Easy as pie. You can dig them in,or sort of lay them on top and surround with bark- they will cover that pretty fast. Some are fast to send out many pups and can cover ground quickly. Fireball is one of the best and its hybrids that add variety. A good and big and fast brom is Aechmea caudata..very hardy although its a generic green on its 3-4' height. Great bloom though.

I have installed a 3 tier water fall beside my pool and it keeps leaking down the rock and running around the base of the waterfall. I have extended the slate past the lip of the pool but it is still doing it. any suggestions

I am also zone 9 - just north of Sacramento. I also have a salt water pool (10 years). We’ve never had any plants affected by the salt water. Do not put anything blooming or grasses with blooms near the pool - bees and and blowing debris. Sego palms and bird of paradise do well for me. Watering will be problematic if not tied to your landscape irrigation system and timer. The heat of the long summer days and no rain during that time of the year can be brutal on potted plants - just forgetting to water one day and they will be harmed or toast. Good luck...get advice from a good local nursery.