The Best Pool Landscaping Privacy Plant Ideas

Some of us — many of us — like our privacy anywhere we can get it. Not everyone is cut out for the stage … especially when that stage is your swimming pool.

Do you feel like you’re on display to the neighbors every time you step out of your pool? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve helped so many of our swimming pool clients improve the privacy of their outdoor spaces — and it doesn’t have to mean putting up a big fence.

Sometimes privacy calls for a different approach. Three words: natural privacy fence.

What Are The Best Plants for Privacy Landscaping Around Pools?

Whether you’re looking to block the neighbor’s front-row view of your pool or need to create a windbreak to make your poolside environment more comfortable, the experts at Neave Pools suggest the following as the best pool landscaping plants.

Norway Spruce

For privacy 365 days a year, we believe evergreens will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Norway Spruce, for example, are fast growers that maintain low branches as they mature. A typical Norway Spruce will grow to 100 feet tall and up to 40 feet wide — talk about coverage.

Some of the reasons we prefer this spruce are:

• soil adaptability
• ability to grow in full sun as well as moderate shade
• dense branching pattern
• naturally blocks winds

Colorado Blue Spruce

Another spruce to consider is the Colorado Blue Spruce. Blue spruces have that iconic Christmas tree shape and a silvery greenish-blue color. While many homeowners and commercial property owners might choose a blue spruce as a focal point, it’s also an excellent option for improving privacy. And it’s deep root system makes it a strong candidate for withstanding strong winds.

Like the Norway Spruce, Colorado Blues adapt well to a variety of soils. It can reach a height of 60 to 75 feet and spread between 10 to 20 feet. To truly take advantage of this evergreen, we suggest planting them in a row.

Green Giant Arborvitae

When you hear the term “privacy hedge,” there’s a good chance it’s an arborvitae. Arborvitae boasts an impressive line-of-sight-blocking density and is easy to control with trimming.

Green Giant Arborvitae is a favorite at Neave because once established, it can grow up to 3 feet a year if the conditions are right.

The green giant arborvitae has a pyramidal to conical shape and its dense foliage is a deep green that may get darker or even bronze in the winter months. Speaking of winter, Green Giant can stand up to heavy snow and ice — literally.

Emerald Green Arborvitae

From one popular and reliable hedge to another, the bright green Emerald Green Arborvitae is slow growing, easy to grow and low-to-no maintenance. This arborvitae has a classic, slim, pyramidal shape making it perfect for tight spaces.

Planting multiple Emerald Greens 3 feet apart will ensure a privacy screen that rarely, if ever, needs trimming. Some of the features that make this arborvitae attractive to homeowners include:

• heat and drought tolerant (once established)
• cold hardy (down to -40°F)
• extremely dense foliage that doesn’t discolor in the winter
• tops out at a manageable height of 10 to 12 feet
• soil adaptability

It should be noted that unlike Green Giant, Emerald Green is not deer resistant.

Pool Landscaping Ideas for Privacy

Good news: Selecting the best plants for around your pool takes you one step closer to a more private, more comfortable poolside. Bad news: That was the easy part. Proper planting of those spruce and arborvitae will require a good amount of elbow grease and know-how. (Don’t worry, we’re here to help you with all of it.)

Correctly spacing the plants for your natural privacy screen is crucial. Proper spacing ensures the plants will get the nutrients they need and enough space as well to reach their mature size. The experts at Neave Pools work seamlessly with the Neave Landscaping pros to give our clients the privacy they deserve by selecting, arranging and planting the right privacy plants for your outdoor living space.

The following are a few pro tips we urge you to keep in mind in your pursuit of effective backyard swimming pool privacy ideas.

1. Many homeowners think, “The closer I put these plants together, the better (and faster) the privacy.” But planting too closely can prove detrimental to a plant’s health and can ultimately end up in removal.
2. Planting trees? Try to place them at least 5 feet from patios and fences, 15 feet from your home and not underneath utility lines.
3. Pay attention to the plants’ width at maturity and leave enough space between plants for them to grow.
4. Most plants that work well as privacy screens need sun in order to keep their foliage nice and full. Be sure your planting area gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Neave Knows Pools … And Fast-Growing Privacy Plants To Surround Them

The award-winning professionals at Neave Pools know that your outdoor living experience doesn’t start and stop at the pool’s edge. And the experienced pros in our Neave Landscaping division are experts in selecting the right trees, shrubs, and perennials for a natural privacy fence. We know how high plants grow and how fast. And we know how to layer them for a landscape look that offers both privacy and beauty.

By working with Neave Pools, you will also benefit from the support and easy access to Neave’s other Outdoor Solutions divisions all while maintaining a single point of contact for everything.

If you’re in the Hudson Valley, call us at (845) 463-0592. If you’re in Westchester County, call (914) 271-7996; from Connecticut, dial (203) 212-4800. Or, fill out our simple web form, and we’ll contact you about setting up your free consultation. Let us help you turn your property into a secluded retreat.

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