Desertbean, I would be more concerned with trees that have a large invasive root system, Cottonwoods, Sycamores etc. which may also be water seeking. Hopefully aztreelvr will respond he knows so much about trees that it's scary and always provides excellent advice.

ItÂs difficult to get a tropical look in the low desert as the summers are too hot and the winters sometime too cool. Palms work fairly well but donÂt provide much shade. The African Bird of Paradise and the Banana tree both do okay with some afternoon shade but again neither provides a lot of shade. I think that Orchard trees might work nicely with the tropical look. I have several Hong Kong Orchards and love them; however they are not an optimal tree for the desert. Read up on them and then decide. You might also try some of the medium to large bamboos. The will provide some shade although they drop a good deal of liter, but what doesnÂt! I think bamboo with palms might be very interesting, however IÂve never seen the two together. Whitfield nursery on Glendale Ave. has a small grove of the timber bamboo that might be worth looking at. I would definitely try to get shade on the Northwest side of the pool. Pools are so much more enjoyable with some afternoon shade.

I think most of the nurseries would work with you. However itÂs a crap shoot as to how knowledgeable the staff might be. Perhaps others who read this forum will have more specific recommendations.

There have been some posts indicating some less than satisfied Moon Valley Nursery customers. However, I'm sure that many others are folks are happy with them.

I would also suggest that you get a copy of the Plants for Dry Climates by Duffield and Jones. ItÂs an excellent publication, both are landscape professionals and live in Tucson.

I see that you are new to this forum, so welcome and good luck. Take care, Bill.

It is possible to create a Mediterranean or tropical look to your landscape by using low-water use plants. The University of Arizona has a great publication on landscaping around swimming pools. Here is that information with links to photos of many of the plants.

I hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Friendly Plants for the Low Desert

Thanks a bunch for the useful info! I will look into the bamboo- we did have some in Seattle that was very nice. And I am checking out the attached link from aztreelvr right now!
Thanks again for the help!

We planted around our pool about 5 yrs ago and it is quite tropical looking. We have queen palms, mediteranean palms, pygmy date palms, cypress, and large oleander. None provide much shade but that means the pool heats up earlier and faster but they give us privacy because we are on a waterway. We also have lantana but I wouldn't recommend it because it has to be cut back about once a month otherwise the flowers get in the pool and clog up the cleaning system. I don't know if I would plant bamboo because it's so invasive. My mother-in-law had it in her yard in Oregon and it was a bear to control and almost impossible to get rid of. I hope this is of some help to you.