The Art Of Swimming Pool Landscaping
You just fulfilled your dream of putting a swimming pool in your backyard, and you can already envision the amazing pool parties and neighborhood get-togethers that will fill your summer weekends for years to come. Only one thing stands between you and your first big party: the challenge of landscaping your swimming pool area. Staring at the blank canvas of yard around your pool can make swimming pool landscaping seem like a daunting task, but if you follow these easy tips, your poolside will be gorgeous.
Swimming Pool Landscaping Begins With The Right Fence And Decking
Fencing a swimming pool is a major safety precaution that every pool owner needs to follow. In fact, many cities require fences as a part of getting a swimming pool permit. Since your fence will be a major focal point around your pool take the time to choose one that will look attractive next to your house and provide a great backdrop for swimming pool landscaping. Don’t make the mistake of placing your fence too close to your pool, or you won’t have room to place plants around your pool.
Depending on the type of pool you have, the way that you surround your pool will vary. Above ground pools often have wrap around wooden decks and in ground pools are often wrapped in cement sidewalks or flagstones. Choose decking that compliments the shape of the pool, type of fence surrounding it, and the type of swimming pool landscaping you want to pursue.
Swimming Pool Landscaping And Plant Choice
When you are landscaping your swimming pool area, sometimes the plants you don’t choose are as important as the plants you do choose. Many people like the idea of shade around the pool, but planting trees around the pool means you will be cleaning leaves out of the pool on a regular basis. If you want shade choose evergreen shrubs, such as junipers and you will have a cleaner pool.
It is very tempting to plant highly fragrant or flowering shrubs next to your pool. As beautiful as a flowering bush can be, it can also be a haven for bees. If you don’t want to deal with bee stings at pool parties, skip the types of shrubs that attract these insects.
A great way to bring foliage near your pool, with the ability to keep things portable, is to plant shrubs and annuals in containers and spread them out around your swimming pool.
Pool Landscaping Will Require Significant Thought
Coming up with ideas for pool landscaping will require a little thought as there are many considerations in plant choices. Whether your pool is above ground or in the ground will make a difference in the types of plants you choose and the possibility of their exposure to chemically treated water will also help choosing the right pool landscaping easier. For in the ground pools, shrubs and trees should avoided if planting in close proximity as the growing roots can cause problems later when they begin to grow into the pool’s foundation.
Since most in the ground pools will be surrounded by a privacy and safety fence, plants can be chosen for the perimeter as well as in any open areas inside the fence. For inside pool landscaping, plants should be non-deciduous, meaning they won’t lose their leaves every year, which will often accumulate in the water. Even evergreen shrubs run the risk of needles blowing in to the water during stormy weather and clogging the pool’s filtering system.
All plants placed near the pool should be low blooming varieties and most often the simpler the better. Many annual plants will wither and die if exposed to water from the pool, especially those pools treated with chlorine. Keeping the pool landscaping simple for inside the fence is the best plan as they are also easier to care for. Creeping plants can help cover any open ground around the pool, but you will have to keep it trimmed to prevent it from taking over the entire area.
Protect Your Pool From External Forces
Outside the fence allows more flexibility in the choice of plants, but remember the more flowers and plants you put in, the more work you will have to maintain them, detracting from the time available for using the pool. When choosing pool landscaping for around the pool’s fence, the plants should not grow higher than the fence as their leaves will end up on the water before the summer is over.
Small grouping of low flowers, with plenty of open space between them can add a neat look to your pool landscaping and still provide a splash of color around the fence. An occasional shrub strategically placed around the fence’s exterior can contribute to the apparent height of the fence but, again, should not be allowed to grow over the fence.
Another consideration for pool landscaping is the type of flower that may attract flying pests. Many flowers are attractive to honey bees and other flying insects that can interrupt your enjoyment of the pool.
Are You Ready for Landscaping Yards
You have not had much luck in the career field that you have been in, and you want to do a job that is both creative, and one that gives you some exercise and allows you to be outside. You have decided that it would be great to start a business in which you are landscaping yards, but he question is: Are you ready?
About Landscaping Yards
The first thing that you need to realize when it comes to landscaping yards is that it is not going to be as simple as taking your lawnmower and mowing endless lawns. You are going to need a significant amount of money to start this business, because you will need landscaping tools other than just a lawnmower.
For example, in order to be considered a professional when it comes to landscaping yards, you will need a leaf blower/mulcher for autumn clean ups, a weed wacker, a seed spreader, and various pruning tools. On top of this, you will need a truck that can securely hold all of the tools you need for landscaping yards.
Once you have the truck and the tools, the next thing you need to do is get a business permit so that you can legally operate your business. You should probably have a designated office area in your home, or you will need to rent office space and have it inspected so that you can get a business permit.
When you have your business permit, you will next have to find employees to help you with your business. You will need at least two other landscaping employees so that you can get yards done efficiently and quickly. You will probably need to enlist the help of a financial advisor to figure out medical benefits and pay rates.
So, how do you find the right employees? Place an advertisement in your local newspaper or an online job database, and make appointments with them for interviews. You should also have background checks done.
When you have your workers, the next step is to build a clientele. At this time you should also have someone to act as a secretary for the business. Place advertisements in the local paper, in the form of flyers all over your town, and online if applicable.
The clientele base will grow if you do a good job, because word of mouth can definitely be an excellent marketing method, and clients will recommend you to family and friends. Thus, for this you should have business cards, and you can even think about making a website. As you can see, starting a business landscaping yards is a lot of work, but if you have a true passion for it, it will definitely be worth all the work.