North Texas plant suggestions

[notenuftoys]

Our pool is just about done, only have the plaster left, so I'm thinking about the next phase of landscaping. I'll be doing almost all of this myself, not just to save some money but because I enjoy getting my hands dirty. But I'm really at a loss on what plants to use.

Here's a picture of our pool and patio:

I'm going to have a planter about 18-24" deep along the back, behind the weeping wall and the rest will be grass. I'm debating whether to build plant beds around the near patio where the diving board will be, and to the far left, just outside the picture is the fence around the equipment where I'll probably do a trellis and vine (just to soften it instead of staring at a fence). Then there's some beds between the patio and the house.

Right between the end of the patio and end of the weeping wall I was thinking of a banana tree or dwarf palm, something that gets 7-8' tall. But there's a valve box and all the pipes for the weeping wall, so it has to be something that doesn't have aggressive roots.

Based on all this, are there any suggestions? Or for that matter, plants to avoid?

 

[257WbyMag]

We have three fan palms around our pool, as well as oleander, lantana, verbena, and calla lillies. Banana trees are really nice. I just don't know how well they would do in this area with the heat (and cold). We had banana trees at our home in Houston and in the spring and summer, they needed to be watered a lot every single day.

 

[smccull]

Lot of good suggestions above. Oleaders have a hard time in the Dallas area when we have the occasional long hard cold. Lantana will grow like mad, crepe myrtles, knockout roses are incredible, Mexican feather grass, red tip photina (and it's dwarf cousins), hollies, boxwoods, fountain grass/maiden grass are all good and hearty. Junipers do well if you want a spiral cut bush, hydrangeas can handle the heat but need total shade. Banana trees will work but you would probably need to either wrap them up in winter or can dig up and keep in garage so they don't rot in ground while dormant.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=33.087705,-96.648847

 

[texasdad]

I'm not a fan of the tropical looking plants around the pool.

This is a Bret site for Texas landscape information.
http://www.txsmartscape.com/

Also. Many local nurserys will do a free plan with you with the expectation that you buy from them

 

[msujohn]

I am in the exact same spot that you are. I just finished my plaster and decided to do all my own landscaping. Actually, I took a half of day off from work today and started the process. Here is what we decided to use:

Dwarf Wax Myrtle
Salvia - Cherry sage
Loropetalum - Chinese Fringe Flower
Double Knock Out Roses - Red
Variegated Pittsoporum
Abelia
Turks Cap
Guara - Blaze
Lemon Coral Sedum
Canna

We really didn't want any palm trees or anything that will drop leaves or flowers into the pool (i.e. crape myrtles).

 

[257WbyMag]

I am in the exact same spot that you are. I just finished my plaster and decided to do all my own landscaping. Actually, I took a half of day off from work today and started the process. Here is what we decided to use:

Dwarf Wax Myrtle
Salvia - Cherry sage
Loropetalum - Chinese Fringe Flower
Double Knock Out Roses - Red
Variegated Pittsoporum
Abelia
Turks Cap
Guara - Blaze
Lemon Coral Sedum
Canna

We really didn't want any palm trees or anything that will drop leaves or flowers into the pool (i.e. crape myrtles).

Well, if your wax myrtles are near the pool, they will drop TONS of berries and leaves into your pool. We had one that virtually overhung our pool and we ended up removing it since we were cleaning skimmers twice a day with that thing. Talk about a mess!

 

[msujohn]

We put the Dwarf Wax Myrtles the farthest point away from the pool - being used as a small border along the fence. It's about 12 feet away. I hope that is far enough.

 

[anonapersona]

Mind that slope at the back of the pool near the fence. You don't want your water to run into the neighbors yard and kill their grass. If you add any dirt there, put in something to lead water around to the side. Gravel or even perforated pipe.

Pay attention to where the sun is in summer, whether you need shade in the heat of summer or if you want early spring heat to let you swim sooner. Looks like the spa is to the east and the house is north of the pool so your shade will come from the house mostly. Patio area will need shade but nothing but the house will be able to shade the pool, if I see this correctly.

I'd consider some screening plants at the back fence, tall narrow evergreens no flowers or fruit if possible. It may be that the neighbors provide that for you, can't be sure. Lots to choose from, ask the nursery or local master gardeners at the ag extension office for advice on specifics. Those will take at least 4' or more of that depth at the fence line if you need screening. If not, you can play with other shrubs layering in 2 or 3 rows. The middle row could be tropicals that fade in the winter to be hidden between the first and 3rd row. Cannas, sun caladiums, agapanthus, pretty things. In the front put short sturdy grassy stuff, maybe giant liriope. In the back have some shrubs of whatever height you need for privacy, make them thin so you can get the three rows in.
Be sure to mix leaf forms (airy and bold) as well as colors (shades of green or variegated) so that each bunch of different plants is distinct. Use bunches of plants to make a mass, pay attention to mature spacing and fill in with annuals if you are impatient rather than overplanting the expensive stuff.
Play up the view from the seating area to beyond the spa. That should be a vista that is very nice, paint a picture from that spot. Do that again from the covered patio. Plant something to draw the eye, color or even lights or hardscape like a bird bath or such. Then at the back of that, put in screening so that the view beyond is not houses.

 

[notenuftoys]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really like the idea of taking my pool plan and a picture to a nursery. That makes a lot of sense.

Behind the pool, in the summer, will be a sun/shade mix, or filtered sun. My neighbor's trees overhang into my yard giving some shade. On the west side, by the diving board and along the house will be full sun. Just for orientiation, I took this picture standing on the southwest side of my yard. My house faces north, pool on the south side, spa on the east side, diving board on the west.

The slope behind the pool will have a 5' strip of St. Augustine, and I'll build up a bed for the remaining 2'. I have a ton of bedding areas already to maintain, so I want to minimize where I can.

Again, thanks for the plant suggestions. I like the idea of using lantana, verbena, canna, and fountain grasses. We have a bed on the far side, beyond the spa, that's our rose garden. I'll look up some of those other plants you mentioned, msujohn. And I'll go visit a nursery and get their input.

 

[Monkey's Mom]

We hired a landscaper but was on a small budget so we helped her plant the plants to save money. We planted cannas, banana trees, several grasses, sky pencil holly, artemesia, purple pixies, blue liriope, abelia, knock-out roses, cleyera, spago palms and hot lips salvia (which I love)! We did a 60 ft x 4 ft bed around the back of the pool and a 2-3 ft x 30 ft bed by the house for around $2,000 plants and labor included. Everything is starting to bloom and it looks awesome! The banana trees were cut down last year and are already 18" tall. They tolerated the winter just fine (I'm in North Fort Worth/Keller).

 

[JennKeith7]

We are in the Dallas area and put in some Cannas. They grow fast, have pretty blooms and we don't have to constantly water them! They spread too! We started with 3 starts from a friend this spring and have at least 10 now. A friend of ours has a banana tree. They just cut it back in the late fall and it grows tall every year. This year it's already around 10 ft tall even after being cut back to the ground last fall.