The beautiful pool in your backyard deserves the perfect setting to let it shine and you deserve to have full enjoyment of your poolside landscape. As your pool may be already established, here are some ideas for newer features to help enhance the summertime experience. You can choose from a wide variety of water features, plants, lighting strategies, and more. Here are four landscape design tips to improve pool landscapes in the South Whitehall, PA area.
Related: Boost Your Front Yard Landscaping with Beautiful Water Features in Lehigh County, PA
An Outdoor Shelter
With any pool-going experience in the summer, there is always the chance for too much sun, or for some unexpected weather. Including an outdoor shelter such as a pavilion in your landscape design will keep the party going outside, especially if it contains a snack and beverage center (or a full outdoor kitchen) which will minimize soggy trips into the house for a snack or cool drink. A pavilion will provide a good place to dry off and relax on comfortable chairs between swim sessions or when you are ready to call it a day.
Pavilions also provide wonderful opportunities for bringing some creature comforts out of your home, such as an outdoor kitchen, ceiling fans, heaters, TVs, speaker systems, and even an outdoor fireplace which will significantly enhance the outdoor experience and extend your outdoor season well into the cooler months. In fact, the combination of pavilion and fireplace is one of the best investments that will get you to use your outdoor space for most of the year instead of a mere fraction.
A Stunning Waterfall
A waterfall is always sure to please everyone. Waterfalls are customizable and can adapt to almost any existing landscape design theme. You might choose the modernistic approach of a sleek, boxy waterfall with a clean, glassy flow that lends itself to the minimalist lines and contours of your home and landscape.
Or, you might choose to go all out in making your waterfall the most realistic natural waterfall – complete with rocks, plants, a small wooden footbridge, and even a slide right into the pool below. The versatility of water features is nearly endless, and so are the possibilities for fun and atmosphere.
The Right Lighting Strategies
Always consider safety as your biggest priority when designing around a pool. One of the best ways to ensure safety is with the right lighting strategies. First, consider submersible lights in your pool. These will emit a blue glow from beneath the surface that washes over the surroundings. Any ripples seem to dance in the light, creating a truly magical setting.
Meanwhile, the surrounding pool deck should be carefully and efficiently lit to make sure walking around the pool is as safe as possible. Consider using LEDs (light-emitting diodes) which can be placed near the ground or embedded into vertical masonry structures to create an attractive and functional lightscape without cluttering the landscape with prominent light fixtures.
A Lush Greenscape
While you improve your landscape around your pool, be sure to include your favorite plants to make a lush environment that will give your pool area the feel of a true retreat. Nothing beats a riot of happy and healthy plants surrounding a pool to create the perfect atmosphere of fun and relaxation.
Apart from being beautiful, these plants can also provide shade where necessary and even act as a privacy wall to keep the pool more private and appealing. There is a wide variety of plants native to Pennsylvania that make excellent companions to any pool area, so be sure to check out your local nursery for some ideas.
Related: Choosing Poolside Plantings in the Hamburg, PA Area
