A Dive into the Deep End

We are heading into the hottest part of summer, and a time when having a backyard pool is a fabulous luxury, a dip in the pool can keep you cool and refreshed for hours.

But swimming pools are big and they're often bright blue. It can be a challenge to incorporate them into a garden tastefully. In this post, I take a look at some of the many ways a pool has been integrated nicely into a backyard space.

Here the walk from the back door to the pool is a beautiful one. The plantings are tidy, somewhat formal and fairly low maintenance.

A series of waterfalls into the pool add the relaxing ambience of splashing water.

A pergola shades a poolside table and there is even a fireplace for chilly evenings.

Lovely hardscaping make this pool one of my favourite examples.

There is even a leafy bit of poolside shade.

If you won the lottery, a pool with a series of cascading waterfalls might be just the ticket!

This pool even has a slide, pergola and jet streams of water.

A backyard spa seems an apt description.

Sometimes simple is more realistic and just as pleasing. I like the repetition of the lanterns along the length of the pool and the hydrangeas look soft and billowy on the water's edge.

Repetition is used again here. Each sunbather gets their very own container planting. The broad steps that lead into the pool allow for a siren's gracefully decent into the cool blue water.

Here an elaborate archway separates the pool from the rest of the garden.

A poolside pergola shades the seating area that's perfect for entertaining.

A formal boxwood hedge keeps the garden neat and contained.

The next pool is a country one. Large trees provide shelter and privacy.

The decking is informal flagstone with an array of groundcovers filling in the cracks and crevices. These are plants that can take the heat of the sun and lack of water. The contrast of the neutral stone and the palette of grey-green, red and gold is striking.

Sedum Dragon's blood on the left and Donkey Tail, Creeping Spurge and Sedum 

rupestre 'Angelina' on the right.

I hope you have enjoyed this little dive into the deep end of backyard pools.

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A Stylish City Garden

This is another one of my favourites from last summer. I think what makes this garden stand out in my mind is the design and the plantings.  

At the front of the house, there is a very large Norway Maple whose canopy casts the garden in shade. 

There is no bare earth here waiting for the arrival of weeds.

Instead, a mix of groundcovers, which includes miniature euonymus (see note below) and periwinkle, fills in the spaces between the hosta. You'll see this layered approach to planting elsewhere in the garden.

While I have heard Miniature Euonymus or Miniature Wintercreeper, Euonymus fortunei 'Kewensis' recommended as a groundcover that can take foot traffic, I caution you to consider its use very carefully. It is a plant that has made it's way on to lists of invasive species. In some parts of the States,  this aggressive perennial has spread to native plant areas and is crowding the natives out.

By the front door, there is a large square planter that is a nice change of pace
from the urns one usually sees.

More hostas, with a backdrop of feathery yew, line the pathway to the backyard.

There are just a few hosta cultivars that are repeated down the length of the path and that unity really helps the pathway feel like a quiet introduction to the rest of the garden.

Again, there is no bare ground. Between the stone pavers, Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' has been given free reign. 

I always feel sorry for gardeners who unwittingly plant an aggressive groundcover like Creeping Jenny only to discover that this plant has a secret masterplan hellbent on world domination. By the time they discover their mistake, getting rid of the problem is a nightmare! 

Here I think the choice of an ambitious spreader was an intentional and informed choice. The garden's designer chose to embrace the madness, so to speak, and let Creeping Jenny do its thing. Will the homeowner regret this rather bold move? Hopefully not.

In many situations, Creeping Jenny might be a really bad option, but I think it works in this context. It's going to do just what it was intended to do; fill in the gaps and choke out any weeds. It's never going to overtake the much larger hosta. Still, I feel obliged to caution you to consider carefully before planting Creeping Jenny. 

At the end of the pathway, I frog sits waiting to greet visitors.

The plants include more Creeping Jenny, some hosta and grass-like Carex (Sedge Grass).

The property is wider than it is deep, but the garden doesn't feel small. Shrubs and evergreens hide the yard's boundaries and make it feel spacious and private.

The large flowering shrub you see to the right of the outdoor eating area is a Beauty Bush. Note the shrub has been pruned to remove the lower branches and allow room for an understory of more hostas.

Beauty Bush, Kolkwitzia is a really pretty shrub. It has a fountain shape with branches that hang in long, sweeping arcs. The flowers are a soft pink that fades in the sun. Plant a Beauty Bush in full sun in average garden soil. This shrub blooms on old wood, so prune in spring after it flowers. Cut old canes to the ground to renew the shrub. Height: 8-10', Spread: 8-10' USDA Zones: 5-9.

More layers. Tucked under the leaves of the upright yellow-green hosta is a much smaller blue-green hosta. The foliage of the small hosta has a stripe of the same yellow-green as the hosta above it. 

To the right of the table and chairs is a small seating area with a gas fire pit (the concrete bowl with grey stones that you see in the centre). The custom-made lime green chairs were crafted by a local artisan.

Beginning with the large Japanese Maple in the centre of the backyard, one of the things I want to point out is the repeated use of plants with burgundy foliage. The red color adds warmth to a color palette that is largely green.

Adjacent to the seating area is the garden's water feature. Water bubbles up from a low flat stone and adds the relaxing sound of splashing water as it flows into a reservoir below.

In early June, a Dogwood tree is covered with white blossoms.

Another example of warm color contrasting with cool is the combination of a Barberry bush, Berberis thunbergii, with a Japanese maple with its fine-cut green leaves.

A striking pairing of a hosta and a deep burgundy Heuchera.

At first glance, these two plants would seem like an unlikely couple. Hostas generally prefer shade and moist conditions. Euphorbia prefers sun and much dryer soil. The only way to make this pairing work is to choose a hosta that can take a bit of sun.

Cushion Spurge, Euphorbia Polychroma: prefers full sun and somewhat dry conditions. Normal or sandy soil is best. Trim Euphorbia Polychroma back in early summer to keep it neat and compact, but be careful to wear garden gloves as the milky-white sap it extrudes can be irritating to the skin. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.

As small city gardens go, I think this one was pretty amazing. It was a treat to visit. 

Design and Construction: Aldershot Landscape Contractors

Maintenance: Four Seasons Tree Care

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