swimming pool landscaping

[londoneye]

hi

wasnt sure whether to put this under pools or gardening but  thought i would try here.

i am having a swimming pool in march or so this year, and no amount of staring aimlessly at the area where it will eventually evolve is inspiring me on the gardening front.      tried internet but predictably just end up with hundreds of sites wanting to landscape my pool area for me (cant afford that, and no fun anyway letting someone else do it).

just wondered if anyone else had had a similar dilemma and found any helpful websites or inspirational pictures when they went through the process ?

 

[Pun]

Hi IONDONEYE,

Nice to hear your doing the pool thing, almost completed but still waiting for the pool to be seen working,

Ive read your bit and was wondering where are you? what dept.

the reason I asked is if your not worlds away , we could see the two pools etc develop together, We're in dept23 limousin.

the  pool we're having in is a roman ended one (no romans provided with the pool) but Im thinking of one of thoses concrete maids with the big baskets and flowers hanging out, and for her in doors a statue of a gladiator nude with a big hanging fig leaf, or thats what it looks like, "could be wrong my eyes are not what they once were,

anyway let us know your dept. as we do have a smashing place here that has hundreds of statues and water features.

[Chas]

When we did ours - a few years ago now - we got the guy who dug the whole to pile the spoil in an arc round one of the long sides of the pool.  He did a brilliant job, separating out the topsoil as it was removed and then finally putting the topsoil on the new bank. We have now planted up this bank and it provides some scenery and privacy and also a pretty efficient windbreak.  

[londoneye]

in 87 haute vienne - was thinking of perhaps slightly more - err - conventional landscaping that naked statues !!!!  unless anyone knows where i can get hold of life-size robbie williams perhaps (statue that is !).     seriously though, statues had not crossed my mind at all, but its certainly something i should think of (in a non-pervy way !)

[Pun]

Hi londoneye,

thanks for you reply, Rob williams noway "Icant stand him, his heads so big ",

But I was thinking about this idea, (1) topiary, we got a large horse in a jumping a fence shape, (his front feet are high up as if jumping over a fence)

and what Im going to do with this (when these pool people have gone) is to put  2  box  one at about  6feet from the other and shaped like a square box and then put 2 white painted poles between the 2 box shrubs so the complete thing looks like the horse is jumping over the poles,

except for clipping the hedge and topiary once or twice, you dont have a lot to do, and it's the kind of thing you can use throughout the year ie christmas dec/ the horse with lights,

The second idea was the area around the pool, we are having a tall light fitted and a swing seat at this end of the pool and at the end you enter the pool via the stepe we 're thinking of 2 very large (winter proof)  and glazed vases, these again can be filled with hanging plants ie ivy geraniums last throughout the summer with little care and look good,

The 2 sides of the pool we're having paving wide enough to have a sun shade and sun lounges (6) each side. behide each side of the sun lounges we're having  (1 side of just lavender border surrounded by small white coloured  chip stones, all this will be cut into the lawn and edged)

the second side of the pool (2 again a long border cut out and filled with miniture coni firs and pines and small whit stone chips around the complete area)

The idea of the 2 borders are to have a nice lavender smell on one side of the pool and a nice border of low growing plants to the other side,

by using small stones and having planted all plants on bothsides through a weed free protection plastic cover the need for any weeding is very low if any.

and these two borders stop people and children from wearing out the grass edges around the pool, if solar lighting is put into these 2 borders it looks really relaxing of an evening, (that late summer nights swim and that whiff of lavender, "you just cant beat it".

The total length of the borders are approx 16 feet and about 3 feet wide, the lavender will be planted in pairs side by side allowing 6in space around each plant, (this gives that full look and the stones around the edges give that clean look between the end of the lawn and start of the border. 

[londoneye]

dont disagree ref robbie williams personality - thus my thinking that a statue would be even more perfect than the real thing cos it wouldn't open its mouth and spoil everything!

you have some interesting ideas - i now feel conservative in the extreme with my thought of the odd palm tree blowing in the breeze !   you must send me some piccies when you get going - ive always loved copying (even as a school-girl !)

[Pun]

Hi  Iondoneye,

Im just indoors after looking at the pointing of the new edging on the pool, the workmen, "I  call them rapid " (speed) they dont have any, speed I mean.

one of them walked away as he saw me get out of the car and headed for the hedge, (yes your right, mist every place and that head jerked back look)

anyway after he'd finished and felt much lighter im sure , he said he was going to connect the pump, (thats good I thought) then he finshed and said to the electric's in the house, so by this evening we should have the pool lit up, great.

Every time I see that light coming up from the pools water I'll think of manuel peeing in the hedge and saying about things about his pump.

You've got all this exciting things to come, I bet you can't wait?

When all this is complete (summer) I'll be only to pleased to send  you a load of piccies, Would you like one of the pump? its inside the pump house so I'll use a flash for that one.

Anyway Ive one more idea, a very good friend of mine gave me a christmas gift, a book about knot gardens and how to do them, it's a really good read and im going to give this idea a go,

Again these knot gardens are a labour saving sort of garden when planted and look good in the winter, its a thought for you to think about and take your mind off pumps and poolmen and robbie williams,

speake to you later .