Trees around a pool...type recommendations and distance? (houses, landscaping)

[HX_Guy]

Now that our pool is getting near completion, we've started to think about planting 4 trees in the backyard (along with other landscaping).
Because of the surrounding houses, I'd like to place the trees in specific spots for privacy, especially from the neighbor's 2 story house.

What is a safe distance from the pool that a tree should be planted? Obviously it will depend on the mature tree size I assume. Should the full grown tree canopy not extend over the pool (because the rule of thumb is that the roots grow as big as the crown, right?) Would the roots cause a problem to the shell of the pool?

What type of trees should I be looking at? I really like the Fan-Tex Ash and will probably do at least one of those, probably two (they drop their leaves in the winter but are very very clean the rest of the year). What are other good trees that don't have huge roots?

Ideally this is where we'd like the trees planted and the distance I estimate the trunk would be from the edge of the pool.



You can see the neighbor's houses here that I'm trying to put a tree in front...


The other two trees would go in the back corners, one on each side...

[maverick974]

I know how important it is to have some privacy but I can say from experience, you'll end up loathing any trees that drop their leaves and/or needles. Once you have to start removing all the leaves on a daily basis and, depending on how windy it gets, sometimes you'll be cleaning the leaves out two or even three times a day.
If you must get trees, get trees that DO NOT lose their leaves. You'll regret it in short order.

[Ponderosa]

I've tried them all I think and the only ones that I would recommend around a pool are palm trees. The rest of them are all messy. It is their nature and they just don't work around pools. Do like the resorts do. Stick to palms for ambiance and use umbrellas for shade and privacy.

[PhureeKeeper]

Please consider Queen palms. Anything else would be too messy.
If you think any other tree "only drops its leaves in the winter", you haven't lived here long enough.

You can add Mexican Bird of Paradise shrubs for some privacy in the summer. Once established they can grow up to 8 feet or higher. You cut them back in the late winter and they come right back.

[LBTRS]

I don't know what Phureekeeper uses but I had 6 queen palms that I removed after four years because they are a HUGE MESS in my pool. Every time there is a slight breeze I had queen palm fronds clogging up my pump. I dug them all out and put in Mexican Fan Palms and Pygmy Palms and have never seen anything from a palm in the pool since. Only issue with the Mexican Fan is they are growing too fast and getting taller than I would prefer.

I wouldn't let you put queen palms in my yard next to my pool for anything.

HX_Guy: One thing to consider, if you create too much shade around your pool you're going to shorten your pool use season considerably. I have sun on mine constantly and I can get in mine almost two months longer than my buddy who has his all shaded by trees. I use umbrellas for shade and the trees are decorative.

[vince3vince]

Just curious, are you using adobe illustrator for your renderings?

[asufan]

citrus trees are good but can be a crap shoot as far as how well they grow. I think cypress trees would go well with your ambiance you are looking for but wouldn't do much for privacy. other options of course would be a tall hedge, a lattice covered area or strategically placed umbrellas to create privacy.

[stevek64]

Having a pool, I know what you mean about privacy, especially with 2 story homes you mentioned you have. Palm trees look nice and umbrellas provide shade in a small area but really nothing in the way of privacy from your neighbors when swimming in a pool.

For trees/the "mess" factor, I remember what a nursery guy said to me once and it stuck with me/is true based on my experience. Evergreen trees shed to some degree throughout the year while deciduous trees lose all their leaves usually at once with little drop in between.

As for how far to plant trees from a pool, I'd strongly suggest checking with your pool builder for warranty reasons. We had Presidential Pools build our pool and they have a specific figure on how far a tree can be from the shell to maintain the warranty. We received a guide book/manual that had the figures in it. As I recall it was closer than I would have guess(2 feet as I recall but don't hold me to that...and figures may vary from one builder to another).

For privacy around our pool, we have one tree(a mulga tree, an evergreen) and have some big shrubs and a giant timber bamboo(bambusa oldhamii...a clumping bamboo, not a runner). Also have a big tecoma shrub("orange bells") that is easily 15ft tall/10 ft wide. The shrubs are only a few feet from the decking but I keep them trimmed so the tree/shrub branch line doesn't hang above the pool or decking/just barely. Some flowers/a few leaves get in the pool but they are easy to scoop out/they end up in the skimmer and it's a small amount. It doesn't bother me a bit for the privacy gained/the nice look it provides around the pool. Also put in several green hopseed shrubs that can get 10-15ft tall and as wide. They are low water/thick evergreen and very hardy and grow fast/won't die back in frost and love the heat. They are nice for privacy. All the above plants take reflected heat no problem from walls/hard-scape and reflected sun off the water which is intense at certain times of the day. Planted all these shrubs 3 years ago from 5 gallon containers and they are all 10-15 ft tall now. The hopseed were only a few feet tall/wide when I planted them. Water them deep once a week in the growing season, fertilize them once a month with a good fertilizer formulated for our desert soil and you will have a nice privacy hedge.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by maverick974

I know how important it is to have some privacy but I can say from experience, you'll end up loathing any trees that drop their leaves and/or needles. Once you have to start removing all the leaves on a daily basis and, depending on how windy it gets, sometimes you'll be cleaning the leaves out two or even three times a day.
If you must get trees, get trees that DO NOT lose their leaves. You'll regret it in short order.

Well the thing is...all trees drop their leaves, it's just a matter of how they do it. Evergreen trees are green all year but they constantly drop leaves and make new ones, so while you would think they would be better, they can actually be worse. At our old house, we have a couple ficus trees and they had leaves on the ground on a weekly basis...not a lot, but they were there. With the Fan-Tex Ash, the grow new leaves in about February and keep the leaves all the way until December, no mess at all, even with high winds (at least in my experience). I definitely want one or two of those but not sure what else.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by PhureeKeeper

Please consider Queen palms. Anything else would be too messy.
If you think any other tree "only drops its leaves in the winter", you haven't lived here long enough.

You can add Mexican Bird of Paradise shrubs for some privacy in the summer. Once established they can grow up to 8 feet or higher. You cut them back in the late winter and they come right back.

We're going to have Pygmy palms around the pool (in the built in planters you see around the pool) but that's probably it for palms. I have yet to see good looking queen palms here...they always seem to end up all ragged looking.

I do like the Mexican Bird of Paradise and will do a couple off those, but will keep them more of a shrub around 4'-5' tall.