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Rectangular Pool Landscaping Ideas — 10 That Suit the Shape

Rectangular pool landscaping ideas work with the geometry instead of hiding it. 10 approaches, the 3 ft rule for planting, and which plants never go poolside.

By Salma 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A rectangular pool with a raised spa at one end, timber decking on two sides and loungers beyond
Photo: GregoryButler, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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A rectangle is a strong shape, and most poolside planting is an attempt to apologise for it. The ones that work do the opposite: they repeat the geometry and then break it deliberately in one place.

Ten approaches

1. Single linear bed along one long side. The simplest and strongest. A 3-ft band of ornamental grasses or dwarf evergreens running the full length restates the rectangle and gives the eye something to travel along.

2. Matched planters in a row. Three or five identical large containers, evenly spaced. Cheap, movable, and the only way to plant within 3 ft of the coping without risking the shell or the paving.

3. Hedge on the far long side. A clipped evergreen hedge at the far edge gives the pool a back wall and privacy in one move. Yew, Japanese holly and podocarpus all take clipping and shed little.

4. One deliberate break. A single feature off-centre — a specimen tree, a water bowl, a bench alcove — interrupts the rectangle far more effectively than softening all four sides.

5. Paving across the short axis. Laying the deck’s long joints perpendicular to the pool makes a narrow surround read wider. Costs nothing extra at the time of laying.

6. Raised bed at one end. An 18-inch raised bed across one short end doubles as seating and plants at a height where it screens without blocking the view down the length.

7. Grass and gravel instead of lawn. Lawn to the coping is a maintenance trap — clippings blow in and the mower throws grit. Gravel or decomposed granite beyond the paving drains fast and keeps the water clean.

8. Lighting along one edge. Low linear lighting on the same side as the planted bed emphasises the length after dark. Uplighting all four corners does the opposite.

9. Screening with clumping bamboo. Fast, evergreen, and vertical, which suits a long narrow space. In a root barrier, always, and never a running species.

10. Pergola at one end. The only structure that reliably improves a rectangular pool, because it gives shade at the end people sit rather than the end they swim to.

What to plant, and what never to

Poolside planting
WorksAvoidWhy
GrassesMiscanthus, carex, muhlyPampasClean habit vs heavy seed drop
EvergreensDwarf yew, podocarpus, hollyPines, spruceNeedle drop clogs filters
TreesOlive, crape myrtle, palmWillow, poplar, silver mapleRoot plate lifts coping
FlowersAgapanthus, daylilyLavender, buddleia, rosesBees, thorns, petal drop
VerticalClumping bamboo, in barrierRunning bambooRuns under the shell
FruitNoneAny fruiting treeFruit stains and attracts wasps

Tip

The test for any poolside plant is simple: stand under it and ask what lands on you in October. Every expensive poolside maintenance problem is leaf litter, petal drop or fruit falling into water, and all three are decided at planting time rather than fixed later.

Distances that matter

  • 3 ft from coping for anything in the ground. Inside that band, use containers.
  • Canopy width for trees. A tree whose mature spread is 20 ft goes 20 ft back, not 6.
  • Root barrier to 24 in for bamboo and anything else that runs, placed when planting.
  • Clear the pump and filter by 3 ft on all sides. Planting that grows over equipment is the commonest regret, and it is invisible on the day it goes in.

Common questions

What should you plant around a rectangular pool?

Evergreen, non-fruiting, non-shedding plants with contained root systems. Ornamental grasses, dwarf evergreens, agapanthus, clumping bamboo in a root barrier, and succulents all suit poolside. What they have in common is that they do not drop petals or berries into the water, do not attract bees at head height, and do not have roots that lift coping.

How far from a pool should you plant?

At least 3 ft from the coping for anything small, and a distance equal to the mature canopy width for anything with a trunk. The root plate of a mature tree lifts paving and can damage a pool shell, and leaf litter inside that 3 ft band goes straight into the water. Containers are the way to plant closer than that.

What plants should never go near a pool?

Anything that drops heavily, attracts insects, or has aggressive roots. That rules out willows, poplars and silver maples for roots; fruiting trees, bougainvillea and most roses for litter and thorns; and lavender, buddleia and flowering fruit for the bees they bring to a place where people swim barefoot. Running bamboo without a barrier is the single worst choice on the list.

How do I make a rectangular pool look less like a box?

Break one long side rather than all four. A planted bed along a single edge, an off-centre feature at one end, or paving laid across the short axis all interrupt the rectangle without fighting it. Attempting to soften every edge equally reads as indecision and usually makes the pool look smaller.

What is the cheapest way to landscape around a pool?

Large containers and gravel. A row of three or five matched planters along one side costs a few hundred dollars, needs no excavation near the shell, and can be moved. Gravel or decomposed granite beyond the coping handles the ground cheaply and drains, which matters more poolside than it does anywhere else in a garden.

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