Winter is depressing...

[l1ltaral1l]

Thanks Kim I know they are pretty hardy, but let's hope the full sun doesn't roast them.

 

[kimkats]

SO pretty! That will look awesome!

 

[Newdude]

I thought we'd have grass coming in sooner

While the fall sure was wet, it made for next to zero sunshine to help grow anything

. I really don't want to add yet another hardscape product as an edger.

I went mulch crazy. My town gives it away for free at the compost yard. Its untreated so it cant go around the house. but i used it for a border around the pool and a few new flowerbeds. I could puckup a yard per trip in my truck and i made 30 trips over 2 seasons. I paid for a 20 yard delivery of treated black mulch to do the whloe area under my deck (similar setup to your house) and also as a top layer for the ugly town mulch. Ugly but free. No need to spend money on the bottom 5 inches, and i wanted it thick to help deter the weeds.

My mind is already racing at what plants to use.

I went with 3 kinds of paparas grass (tall and puffy) and 2 kinds of hostas. Well ive gone with 100 other attempts but nothing else lived. I have either blackout shade or blazing sun depending on the time of day. Nothing at all has survived anywhere on the back side of my pool. I finally figured it out this year that the sun bounces off the pool and literally burns whatever i plant on the back. So this year i"ll just get whatever annual flats are cheap and colorful and not care ehen the August dun does its thing.

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Annuals are a good idea! I often forget about them - but they do add such a nice pop of color.

 

[bmoreswim]

There are many perennials for full sun. I have a wide variety from 6" to 6'+ all around our pool. Here are some views. Not all is in full bloom in these pics of course, as the bloom time is spread from May - Sep in my garden. Nothing too early because we aren't by the pool much in April. The white on the upper side is Shasta Daisy 'Becky'. I also love the many colorful coneflower varieties. I used 'Winter Gem' boxwoods and yucca filamentosa for some full-season structure.

What does your pool paradise look like?

I expect your grass seed will be just fine, though one thing that happens when done in the late fall/winter is it has a long time to wash away in places, so I'd plan to overseed early and again in fall as needed. 7-10 years ago I had sowed and had grass seed germinate in Feb in MD. That was a crazy non-winter.

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Thanks! I won't lie that I'm a bit picky about perennials

What are these?

 

[bmoreswim]

What are these?

View attachment 125330

Plants We Love: Rudbeckia Herbstonne - Horticulture

 

[l1ltaral1l]

Ahhh they are rudes! It was my first guess but they seemed so tall. Thanks!

 

[BowserB]

HA! No heater, but we did wire for one and pour a pad. My cheap Rear was determined to try a season without, but I am already searching online to price check them ?

FWIW, if you continue a heater search, I'd be curious to hear from members here with a Pentair Mastertemp. I have one, but it's only 1.5 years old. It could be my imagination, but it seems like I read A LOT of problems and failures with this heater. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Pentair Mastertemp is the only heater problems I've read about here. Anyone have an old one that has never had a problem?