Perfect Pool Landscaping

When carefully chosen and well placed, stones add a touch of class and elegance to the swimming pool area. Even better, stone and rock landscaping features are practically zero maintained when installed correctly. Whether you love the look of stone or just want something that’s easy to care for, these swimming pool landscaping ideas will get you started.

Rock Garden Bed

Around the swimming pool, this your best bet for a rock garden is a bed covered with eye-catching landscaping stone like cameral or wintergreen quartzite, rose marble, or glittery crushed granite. Rounded river rocks in a variety of colors can also work well. If you choose to build a bed like this, consider making it a raised bed or installing edging to keep the rocks from straying onto your patio where they can cause a slipping hazard. For something a little different, try covering the entire bed in closely set medium 18-24″ stones for a loose cobblestone effect.

Stacked Rock Wall

A slightly curved stacked rock wall set behind your seating area can set of the area nicely and provide an added sense of privacy, even when the wall’s only a few feet high. This type of short wall can be used in a number of swimming pool landscaping ideas. While a dry stacked wall is usually fine under three feet, for extra safety around the pool area, you’ll want to mortar the stones into place.

Aggregate Stone Pavers

While rough and nubby exposed aggregate stone isn’t the best idea for walkways or patios where people will be barefoot, 12″ and 16″ tiles work nicely when used to border the patio area or larger planting beds. These pavers come in a variety of natural colors like grey, white, rose, and tan, as well as multi-colored.

Stone Pillars

Stone pillars make classy ways to frame the steps leading to the deck of a raised pool or the entryway in a pool enclosure. Depending on the style of your pool’s landscape, these could be anything from artistically chiseled Greek style pillars to square posts to natural-look stacked stone pillars. You can buy stone pillars pre-fabricated from popular stone like granite and marble, but of you’re on a budget, faux stone is also a good option.

Boulder Fountain

Few landscape features add a sense of luxury to the pool area like a fountain. If you’re going for the natural look in your swimming pool landscape, try a pre-fab fountain in the form of a large boulder. Water cascading from the top of the boulder gives the look of a real waterfall.

There’s a lot more to landscaping with stone than boring grey rock gardens sprinkled with hens and chicks plants. Imagination is the only limit when it comes to swimming pool landscaping ideas with rocks, stones, boulders, and pebbles.