Pool friendly trees

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waste

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Mar 29, 2007
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Coastalish 'down easter'
Hey all :wave:

As some of you may know, I left the industry to care for 6 pools in S.E. Maine. They installed 5 ~40 X40" X30" deep planters in the area near the 2 most popular of our pools and hot tub and we need to now grow something in them.

We are looking for a 'tropical' feel. Palm trees wouldn't survive our winters and cost $$$$. I don't want anything that will shed stuff to get in my pools, I have enough trouble trying to keep up with all the %^*)&% pine needles.

I'd truly appreciate any thoughts or suggestions :wink:
 
Fake ones.
No lie.

If they don't go for that, I like those Leelands. Green year round, don't shed, grow fast.

Ask a local nursery, tell em you you don't want messy sappy junk, leaves that don't shed, etc
Planters that small, go w bushes, dwarfs !; not trees. bushes that don't loose leaves or evergrreen bushes that do not shed or looses stuff in heavy winds
 
Not sure how far southeast you are, but http://www.manchestergardenclub.com/rick/Tropicals/Tropicals.htm are supposed to be cold hardy to zone 6 and shouldn't shed much. You could consider something evergreen like holly, too. No matter what's in the planters, it will need extra winter protection because a) planters dry out and b) because of their raised profile, they freeze quicker and freeze/thaw during warm spells. Also, planters that size won't hold a full size tree.

There are some nice junipers designed for containers that you can leave au naturel or prune into topiary.

Edited to add: There are also some nice cold hardy bamboos. Advantages are: they'll be in containers already, so they'll fill in, but not run where you don't want them. Even if you have some winter dieback, you will likely have enough left after the winter to repopulate your planters again in the spring. Also, bamboos are not deciduous the way trees can be, because they are in the grass family.
 
I think I'm going to take my own advice, offered elsewhere, and plant some bamboo in planters. If I can find the bamboo, that is. One of our neighbors has a small grove by the side of the road, more of just a clump, really, and they're very nice to look at. They stayed green all winter, don't seem to drop their leaves, and make a terrific privacy screen.

Unfortunately, it does appear that the salt truck killed the ones closest to the road. That guy is very enthusiastic about doing his job. He's sprayed salt and gravel a good 6 feet into our lawns . . . all dead now, sigh.
 
Thanks for the feedback :goodjob:

I talked with the front desk manager (my wife's sister) this A.M. and found out upper management is opposed to bamboo (apparently they tried it at the lower end of the property and the stuff just spread like wildfire - seems to me that keeping it trimmed, so that it doesn't 'go to seed' would prevent this).

My SIL called her garden person and was also advised to stay away from bamboo. He told her to go to a certain garden center (that he does business with but, is not associated with) and see what they have, because all their plants will be suitable for our climate.

The other option tabled was to let 5 of the cottage owners 'take possession' of the planters and put in whatever they want - which I don't like because there wouldn't be uniformity and I know they'd pick the most shedding plants possible. :hammer:

Please keep any suggestions coming - I have a strong feeling that, whatever we go with, it's gonna be my responsibility to care for and clean up after these plants :roll:
 

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Please keep in mind that even non-deciduous trees shed leaves every now and then. I don't think there is any tree that is totally pool-friendly. When it gets windy, some leaves will be blown off the tree and into your pool. If the tree has flowers, they will go in the pool as well. The only good thing about non-deciduous trees is that their leaves do not drop all at once but they do come down a few at a time pretty much year round.
 
I'm not an expert but I an avid planter and gardener. I have always been told that bamboo will not spread if it is contained within it's container. If planted in the ground it will spread like crazy. My neighbor has bamboo in two huge pots. I'm talking 4 ft tall by atleast 30in diameter. I have yet to see them spread out of the pots. I'm thinking that maybe the planters you have could contain the bamboo. When they tried them in the front of the property were they contained in a planter of some kind or just planted in the ground? May be something to ask garden center. I was also thinking that you may be able to just get bamboo poles of varying heights and widths to stand in the planters with mulch or rocks around them??? Just a few thoughts....... good luck!
 
Bamboo *can* be controlled by lining your containers with heavy-duty plastic. Here's a decent website on the topic:http://www.bamboogarden.com/care.htm

Some varieties "run" worse than others, and, of course, you'll be limited by cold-hardiness.

Ever consider an ornamental grass, like pampas? There are lots of 'em out there.

EDITED TO ADD: Consider contacting your Cooperative Extension. They have tons of information specific to your area. They can help you choose plants that will work and tell you how to care for them. http://umaine.edu/gardening/

Oh, and could you please let us know what you choose? I'd love to know.
 
While we are on the subject of bamboo, there is another kind of bamboo callled Heavenly bamboo (Nandina). It is not a real bamboo and it is very invasive. It is an evergreen but once you plant it, I was told that you will never be able to get rid of it. I have the miniature version of it in a flowerbed by the pool. It is pretty and the leaves change colors in the fall/winter. But the leaves do drop into the pool every now and then. Pruning it is kind of a waste of time since it keeps growing back and much fuller.
 
I'd recommend canvassing the neighborhood/local area and see what has worked for others. Perhaps visit a pool builder or two and get some leads on what works?
 
I dont know how much work or $$ will be involved, of course, but have you considered just replanting each year? Things like canna and musa basjoo (hardy nonfruiting banana, but wouldnt survive your kind of cold), would be very tropical looking. We also get lots of palm trees here at the local stores (walmart, lowes, home depot, etc) that dont live through the winter, but they are cheap enough that I just buy some every spring and replant them in my pots to keep on my deck. A lot of the tropical foliage plants that stores get each year can survive for the summer outside in a planter, you just have to watch the sun/shade requirements when choosing. You could also use a staple evergreen as a focal point to get some height, and then plant around it with brighter flowers to get a more tropical feel. You could even buy one carved into a topiary shape, to be a little different. Some of those look pretty cool, twisty shapes or pom poms and would also make interesting planters, but would still be hardy and nonshedding, since they are just basic evergreens.
 
hey waste try this website:

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantinfo.shtml

It's the missouri botanical garden's website. Click on plantfinder and input characteristics/requirements. Make sure to input your zone to find winter hardy specimen, and just browse the possibilities. FYI full sun means at least 6 hours of sun or more, anything with part sun or part shade will most likely need a break from the hot afternoon sun. (don't want you wasting time or money).
 

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