Modern Pool Modern Pool, Melbourne

5. Unsightly ViewsGrow a natural screen. No one wants to look out their window onto an unattractive building right next door. Foliage is a wonderful answer to hiding those unpleasantries while also enhancing your property. Bamboo grows quickly and is evergreen, a definite bonus when it comes to creating a leafy screen. (Be sure to plant it in a strong root guard underground, as many types of bamboo can be invasive.)Talk to a local landscape designer or nursery about the best species for your climate and soil, but as a rule, if you need dense screening all the way to the ground, choose a smaller species.

8. Look for opportunities for repetition. Repeating forms of simple shapes can help give a feeling of order and balance. Look for ways to use both hardscape elements and plants as repetitive forms. For example, using a simple four-post design for a shade pergola and then repeating the same rectangular shape for a structure around a seating area gives a feeling of balance. In this garden in Melbourne, Australia, the linear shape of both the trunks of the ficus and the bamboo form a repeating pattern around the pool.

Ficus trees on left and bamboo on back wall

Border with bamboo and trees for back right corner

Clean cut coping with bamboo backdrop