Trees near pool area

16 years ago

I bought a house with an in-ground pool. The problem is that the pool is on a bit of a hill, and it's a corner lot, so people driving by can pretty much see anyone who's not immersed in the pool. We'd like a little more privacy while wearing our swimsuits, so I'm looking to plant some trees.

A little info: the fenceline (where I would be planting) is about 20 feet from the pool, and about 3 feet below it. The neighbor's driveway is about 5 feet on the other side of the fence, so I don't want to break it up with any roots. The fence is a 6-foot privacy wooden fence, so I'm looking for something that grows maybe 12-20 feet tall (don't want to shade or overhang the pool at all). It's downhill from much of the yard, but not the lowest spot around, so the soil is moist, but not wet. I'd love something like a small maple (I prefer large leaves, and wouldn't mind some decent fall color), but from reading other posts, it looks like deciduous is a bad idea. I don't want anything that will litter the pool with leaves or flowers. If we go with an evergreen, I'd much prefer that it have some sort of real leaves, not needles.

I know this probably leaves a decent number of trees, and the answers may seem obvious to some of you. I'm just new to the whole tree/landscape (and homeownership) thing, so any help you could give would be appreciated.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

16 years ago

do not try to find ONE solution to your problem ...

you want a curtain of cover..

the bald cypress and DR are fast growing.. and can give you some faster summer cover.. and you probably wont be in the pool when they drop their needles anyway ...

and in the mean time.. some evergreen plants can get growing.. for the year round cover in a few years ...

a monoculture of one plant.. MIGHT lead to a monobug or monodisease that kills them all... diversify man..

and throw in some flowering trees for some real interest ...

ken

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Comments (12)

bobert18
Original Author
16 years ago
Forgot to add, if it helps: I prefer trees with a single, straight trunk - it gives a cleaner look, which is something that part of the yard could use. Fast-growing wouldn't be bad, as I don't have the money to buy a 15-foot specimen up front.
iforgotitsonevermind
16 years ago
You can make a nice relatively quick growing screen from radicans japanese cedar (radicans is a dwarf) and moonglow juniper is another one that matches your size that isn't messy.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
where are ya bob???

any chance at a picture??

ken
bobert18
Original Author
16 years ago
Sorry, I thought it was showing my zone next to my name. I'm in zone 7, Memphis area.

I'm not going to be back there for a few days, but I may be able to get a picture then.

Thanks, iforgot, I'll look into those. Anybody else?
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
16 years ago
At first I was thinking about bald cypress & dawn redwood. Both are deciduous, grow with a single leader, and keep their low branches. Both also get tall though!

Holly perhaps? There are a couple with shorter tree like forms. They're not fast growing though.

How about Shantung or Paperbark Maples? If you want a single trunk form you may have to prune them. Not like they're monster trees though

Here is a link that might be useful: Shantung Maples (are these fairly tolerant of dampness like Red Maples)?
bobert18
Original Author
16 years ago
Aren't most of those trees deciduous? I thought those were a bad idea around pools.
bobert18
Original Author
16 years ago
I came across one today that I think might do everything I was looking for, as well as meet most all of the advice I've been given: the Jane Magnolia. It's evergreen, so there aren't many leaves to worry about, it does flower, but only a few really large ones, so less mess, it's fairly fast growing, which is good for me, and doesn't get too tall. My only concern is that I don't believe you're supposed to trim many of the lower branches, which would mean it would have to sit 5-10 feet from the fence, which would eat up a lot of yard. Is my thinking correct here?

I've liked a few of your suggestions - my concern is being able to find them near me. We don't have a ton of variety in my local nurseries.
iforgotitsonevermind
16 years ago
I hate to spoil it for you but Jane magnolia is not evergreen. And even if it was a Southern Magnolia which is evergreen, they do not keep their leaves forever. In fact they change leaves in the spring and it leaves quite a mess of large leaves to cleanup.

I can't believe folks have suggested bald cypress and dawn redwood for near a pool. Not a good idea.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
16 years ago
Is it small needles that fall in October which are bad for pools? Maybe they get stuck in the filter? The overall height wasn't what bobert was looking for so I wouldn't think they'd be his first choice anyway.

Deciduous magnolias regularly dropping their leaves after the pool is covered has to be a plus.

I second Ken's suggestion to put more than one type of plant there. That way whenever its a bad year for xxx tree it isn't a bad year for all of them
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
really need that pic .. WHEN you get a chance ...

its hard to conceptualize the variables ... for me anyway

a pic of the mortgage map might help also.. if the pool is on it ..

ken
iforgotitsonevermind
16 years ago
Bingo. Junk gets in the pool from a tall tree towering over it and clogs the filter or whathaveyou. And besides that, I can see how a shaded pool would be popular in florida where it's 80-100 degrees year round but in a zone 7 climate, having a pool in a sunny spot can extend the time that the pool can be used and probably save energy.