Your backyard has been staring at you all summer.
The pool sits there, functional but kind of sad — surrounded by plain concrete or a sad strip of grass that’s slowly losing its battle with chlorine.
Good news: you don’t need to hire a landscape architect or spend $40,000 to fix it. A weekend, some plants, and a little creativity go a long way.
Here are 31 ideas that actually work.
Start With the Ground Around Your Pool
The area immediately surrounding your pool sets the whole mood. Get this right and everything else feels easy.
1. Swap Concrete for Travertine Pavers
Bare concrete gets hot, cracks, and looks like a parking lot.
Travertine pavers stay cool underfoot (huge deal in summer), have a natural texture that prevents slipping, and age beautifully.
You can DIY this over a weekend with a chisel, rubber mallet, and some patience.
2. Add a Pea Gravel Border
Pea gravel between your pool deck and planted beds creates a clean transition. It’s cheap, drains perfectly, and you can lay it yourself in an afternoon.
Just put landscape fabric down first unless you enjoy weeding forever.
3. Try Flagstone Paths
A winding flagstone path from your back door to the pool instantly makes your yard feel intentional.
You’re not just walking to the pool — you’re arriving somewhere. Set the stones in sand or gravel for easy DIY installation.
| Deck Material | Avg. DIY Cost | Heat Resistance | Slip Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bare Concrete | Low | Poor | Fair |
| Travertine Pavers | Medium | Excellent | Good |
| Pea Gravel | Very Low | Good | Excellent |
| Flagstone | Medium | Good | Excellent |
4. Use Rubber Pool Mats for Instant Comfort
Okay, not the sexiest option — but interlocking rubber mats around your pool ladder and steps prevent slipping and protect your feet from hot surfaces.
Pair them with better hardscaping elsewhere and nobody notices.
Plants That Earn Their Spot
The right plants make a pool look like it belongs in a boutique hotel.
The wrong ones drop leaves, clog your filter, and make you regret everything. Choose wisely.
5. Go Tall With Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses like Karl Foerster or Pampas grass add serious height and movement without the leaf-drop problem.
They sway in the breeze, they’re drought-tolerant once established, and they won’t dump debris in your water. IMO, these are the most underrated pool plants out there.
6. Plant Agave for That Desert Resort Look
Agave doesn’t need much water, doesn’t drop leaves, and looks architectural in a way that most plants simply don’t.
One well-placed agave in a gravel bed near the pool edge communicates “I know what I’m doing” immediately.
7. Border With Lavender
Lavender along the pool edge smells incredible, repels mosquitoes (bonus), and stays tidy with minimal pruning.
The purple-silver color plays off water beautifully in photos — which matters if you’re creating content for Pinterest.
8. Add Tropical Drama With Bird of Paradise
If you’re in USDA zones 9-11, Bird of Paradise is a game-changer for pool areas. The large paddle-shaped leaves create instant resort energy.
In colder climates, grow them in pots and bring them inside in winter.
9. Use Potted Palms for Flexible Tropical Vibes
Palms in large terra cotta or concrete pots give you the tropical look without committing to in-ground plants.
You can move them around, swap them seasonally, and take them inside if a cold snap hits. Windmill palms work well in zones 7-11.
10. Frame the Pool With Dwarf Clumping Bamboo
Regular bamboo is a nightmare — it spreads and you’ll spend years fighting it.
Dwarf clumping bamboo (Bambusa multiplex) stays contained, grows to about 8 feet, and creates a gorgeous privacy screen. Plant it in a root barrier just to be safe.
11. Try Low-Maintenance Succulents in Rock Gardens
A gravel bed filled with succulents on one side of your pool looks like something from a Palm Springs boutique hotel.
Almost zero maintenance, zero leaf drop, and they photograph incredibly well.
Privacy Without Fencing
Pool fences are usually required for safety, but the area outside the fence doesn’t have to feel like a prison yard.
12. Build a Living Wall
A wooden trellis with climbing plants (jasmine, star jasmine, or climbing roses) creates a lush green wall that blocks neighbors’ sightlines, smells amazing, and costs a fraction of a wood fence. Build the frame yourself with 4×4 posts and wire mesh.
13. Install Tall Planters as Screens
Group 3-4 large planters (24 inches or taller) with tall grasses or small trees. This works especially well on a pool deck where you can’t dig into the ground.
Cluster them in corners for maximum effect.
14. Use Evergreen Shrubs Strategically
Arborvitae, Leyland Cypress, or Green Giant Thuja planted in a row create year-round privacy that gets denser every year.
Plant them 3-4 feet apart for a solid screen within 2-3 growing seasons. This is a long-game play but worth it.
15. Add a Pergola With Curtains
A simple pergola with outdoor curtains on 2-3 sides creates a cabana-like enclosure that feels genuinely luxurious.
Build it from cedar or pressure-treated pine. Add outdoor string lights inside and you’ve got a nighttime destination. 🙂
Water Features That Make Your Pool Feel Alive
16. DIY a Rock Waterfall
A small recirculating waterfall built from stacked natural stone creates sound, movement, and visual interest that flat water simply can’t match.
You need a submersible pump (around $50-$80), flexible tubing, and flat stones. The sound alone is worth the weekend.
17. Add Bubblers at the Shallow End
Pool bubblers are small jets that push water up through the pool floor. They’re especially popular in shallow tanning ledges.
You can add them during a pool renovation — not a full DIY unless you’re comfortable with plumbing, but worth knowing about.
18. Install a Deck Jet
Deck jets arc a stream of water from the pool deck into the pool. They’re surprisingly affordable and create a dramatic fountain effect.
Many are DIY-installable with basic plumbing knowledge.
19. Try a Small Koi Pond Adjacent to the Pool
A small koi pond connected visually (but not plumbing-wise) to your pool area adds an entirely different element.
The fish are meditative to watch, the plants around the pond add texture, and it separates your pool area from the rest of the yard in a natural way.
Lighting That Makes Evenings Actually Good
Here’s the thing about pool areas: most people use them in the evening, especially in hot climates. Your lighting either makes or breaks the vibe.
20. Line Your Path With Solar Stake Lights
Simple solar stake lights along the path to your pool cost almost nothing and create a warm, guiding glow at night.
Get warm-white bulbs — cool white looks clinical and harsh.
21. String Lights Over the Pool Area
Outdoor string lights (Edison bulb style) strung between a pergola, fence posts, or even trees create a magical overhead effect.
This is one of those ideas that looks like it cost a lot but runs around $30-50 for a 50-foot strand.
22. Install Underwater LED Lights
If your pool has existing light fixtures, switching to color-changing LEDs is a straightforward DIY swap.
Blue and green settings make your water look like it belongs in the Maldives. Warm white for a more classic spa feel.
23. Use Tiki Torches for Instant Party Energy
FYI, tiki torches still work. They’re not ironic. They create actual flame, actual warmth, and actual atmosphere.
Set them along the pool perimeter about 6-8 feet apart and you’ve got yourself a luau.
24. Try Landscape Spotlights on Trees
Uplighting a palm tree or large ornamental grass near the pool at night creates dramatic shadows and depth.
Solar-powered landscape spotlights have gotten much better in the last few years — many are now bright enough to actually illuminate a 15-foot tree.
Outdoor Furniture That Looks Like It Belongs
25. Build a DIY Outdoor Daybed
A simple wooden daybed frame with weather-resistant cushions next to the pool is the kind of thing people actually use — and photograph constantly. You can build the frame from cedar 2x4s in a weekend.
The total cost with cushions runs about $150-250 depending on materials.
26. Add a Floating Tray Table in the Pool
A small teak or acacia floating tray table for the pool is technically furniture. It holds drinks, snacks, and sunscreen while you’re in the water.
These exist, they’re inexpensive, and they make your pool look like you have a butler.
27. Use Hammock Chairs on a Stand
A hammock chair on a freestanding stand near the pool looks effortless.
They’re compact, don’t require trees, and create a natural lounging zone separate from your main deck furniture.
28. Build a DIY Outdoor Bar Cart or Station
A small serving station — even just a wood console table treated with exterior stain — near the pool turns it into an entertaining space rather than just a swimming space.
Add a cooler, a few hooks for towels, and a small shelf for sunscreen and you’re done.
Details That Pull It All Together
29. Create a Dedicated Towel Station
A simple freestanding towel rack near the pool exit, made from a few lengths of pipe or cedar post, keeps wet towels off your chairs and furniture.
Small detail. Big difference. Add a small galvanized bucket for sunscreen and goggles and it looks intentional.
30. Paint Your Pool Fence
If you have a required safety fence, painting or powder-coating it (or replacing the slats with horizontal wood boards) changes the entire feel of your pool area. A matte black aluminum fence reads modern and almost invisible.
A white fence reads coastal. The fence matters more than most people realize.
31. Add an Outdoor Rug Under Your Seating Area
An outdoor rug under your pool furniture anchors the seating zone and makes it feel like a room rather than just some chairs next to a pool.
Get a polypropylene rug — they handle moisture and chlorine splashes without problem. You can find decent ones for $40-80.
Putting It All Together
You don’t need to do all 31 of these. Pick 5-7 that match your space, your budget, and your energy.
Start with the hardscaping (pavers, gravel, pathways) because that sets the foundation for everything else.
Add plants in stages — get the big architectural ones in first, then fill in with texture.
The goal is a pool area that feels finished and intentional rather than an afterthought. Every resort pool you’ve ever envied started with the same basic concrete hole in the ground. What made it feel different was the space around it.
Your turn. :/
Looking for more backyard ideas? Save this post and check back — new project ideas added regularly.
