Pool Friendly Plants In Queensland - What Are They? [List]

Landscaping your pool can be a difficult endeavour. Even once you have sorted out patios, furniture, and pool coping, you may still be interested in adding plants to your backyard to pull your entire design together. That’s where pool-friendly plants come in.

In this article, we will review what makes plants pool-friendly and provide a list of the best plant choices for poolside use in Queensland.

What Makes Plants Good For Poolside Use?

Plants that are good for poolside use have three main characteristics.

First, they are easy to care for. This means that so long as they get adequate water and sunlight, they will grow well.

Second, they do not drop a lot of leaf matter into your pool or create strong root systems. If they do have strong roots, these plants must often be kept in pots for the most low-maintenance approach.

Third, these plants are tolerant of pool water, whether you have a saltwater pool or a traditional chlorine pool. Some plants are very sensitive to these chemicals and will die after even a little pool water is splashed on them, so it is good to avoid these sensitive plants.

Best Pool Friendly Plants Queensland

Cycads

Cycads are slow-growing and easy-to-care-for plants that provide large leaves that resemble palms and ferns. These plants are great for the climate in Queensland and are tolerable to being splashed with salt water. Choose this plant for a pop of greenery that will last for years to come.

Frangipani

This tree produces glossy, dark green leaves and delicate white flowers. The root system of these trees are non-invasive, making them a great choice for planting in the ground directly near your pool or pool walls. This plant must be watered regularly so that it does not dry out.

Agave Attenuate

Agave is a very low-maintenance plant that requires little water and can even thrive in low light conditions. As long as it is planted in soil with good drainage so that the roots do not become soggy, this plant will provide calming green leaves that do not shed on a seasonal basis.

Clumping Bamboo

Clumping bamboo is a non-invasive type of bamboo that makes a great choice for planting near pools. Patches of clumping bamboo tend to reach a maximum height of 5 metres and are very easy to care for long-term. This plant pairs well with other plants that have a tropical aesthetic.

Evergreen Giant

This grass-type plant produces wads of dark green and slender leaves that make it preferable as a border plant. It is easy to care for and can also produce small, purple flowers in the late spring and early summer.

Bird Of Paradise

This plant provides glossy green leaves and vibrant, pointed, orange blooms. Providing a tropical feel to your backyard, Bird of Paradise is easy to care for.

Unfortunately, the root systems of this plant tend to be very invasive. Because of this, we recommend you plant this flower in containers.

Yucca Elephantipes

Yucca Elephantipes is a tropical, leafy plant with broad green leaves. These plants can tolerate splashes of saltwater or chlorine water and are so easy to care for that they are often considered self-sustaining.

Yucca makes an excellent option for lush, low-maintenance foliage that is of a shorter height.

Star Jasmine

This vining plant is great for training to climb up a trellis to create a privacy screen. Along with petit, dark green leaves, this plant produces an incredible amount of fragrant flowers. It is low maintenance, salt and chlorine water splash-resistant, and only needs to be pruned yearly.

Bromeliads

Bromeliads are a group of low-maintenance plants that produce stalks of green foliage and vibrant flowers.

These are salt and chlorine water splash-tolerant and are available in different varieties such as Alcantarea, Guzmania, and Neoregalia, each with their own unique leaf and flower colours.

Mexican Snowball (Echeveria Elegans)

Mexican snowball is an incredibly popular variety of succulents. This low-maintenance plant produces juicy, light-green leaves that can sometimes develop pink or purple hues along the edges. These plants are very drought-tolerant and can adapt to different levels of sunlight.

Honourable Mentions

Some other plants that make great low-maintenance poolside landscaping options in the Queensland area include tricolour jasmine, mondo grass, cordyline, sacred bamboo, viburnum suspense, ornamental ginger, and golden cane palm.