Last updated on May 13th, 2019
I REFUSE TO LIVE WITH A MISTAKE. And what a colossal blunder my partner and I made back in 2003, when we had a pool dug on the property. Actually, the pool wasn’t the problem — the area around it was. As you can see in the photo up top, we’d had a fence installed right next to the pool’s narrow cement border. Would you like to see how I turned this pool prison into a pool garden?
I can tell you that after I started designing actual gardens on the property, the pool area became a real eye-sore. I tried to screen it from view by placing tall arborvitaes (above) along the pool’s long southern side. I also planted Baltic ivy at the base of the chain-link fence. The vine, I hoped, would turn the the fence into a wall of living green. Soon after, I learned that Baltic ivy is a ground-hugger, not a climber. Consequently I had no option but to change the fence.
In the spring of 2011, I had a new fence (it is up to code) built several feet outside the existing one. Then the old fence was cut away and removed. (It has a new life now, surrounding a friend’s kitchen garden in a neighboring town.)
The new fence made an instant improvement. Still, I felt the background wasn’t quite right.
Enter 40 Canadian Hemlocks.
The hemlocks transformed the area into a garden room. And once they grow a few more inches, they will effectively screen-out the fence.
The hemlocks have also provided a nice backdrop for the statuary I’ve been collecting for the garden. The statues give the place a Roman-esque feel. Pictured up top is a statue of a satyr.
Also in the garden is a statue of Summer. What a face, huh?
To me, the pool has a much more welcoming feel now. And speaking of welcoming…
…we are now able to host pool-parties — something which was impossible before enlarging the space.
Of course, as much as I love a crowd at the pool, I also enjoy quiet time there. My habit, after putting in long hours of writing, gardening, and cooking, is to set a glass of Pinot Grigio on the terrace at the far end of the pool. This way, I have to swim from shallow-end to deep-end before I can have a sip. That’s my idea of evening exercise.
Anything on your property you’d like to re-do? Tell us all about it in the comments field below.
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Melinda S says
What a difference! I can see why you love it!
Mark and Gaz says
A big improvement, I can understand why you wanted to change. Its far more inviting now.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Melinda S – Well, I hope you found the water refreshing.
Mark and Gaz – Thanks for stopping by for a glass of wine and a quick dip. Your own pond-project certainly looks exciting. Are you in London?
Donna B. says
What a fantastic transformation! It certainly looks more inviting!
Seeing your “before” photo reminded me of a family member that has fencing as vertical black bars. They thought they were growing “morning glories” on the fence to give some screening and color… but I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was the dreaded bindweed they were harbouring…
By the way, are those hemlocks going to stay small?! I had no idea they looked like that… what a beautiful tree!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Donna B. – Thanks for having a look. The hemlocks will not stay small. But they can be sheared. My plan is to let them grow a little taller than the fence. Then I’ll clip them into a very formal-looking hedge.
Cary Bradley says
Kevin, your transformation is amazing. Enlarging the space and your new choice of fencing and those adorable hemlocks, turns the space into a real pool garden. Congratulations and thanks for the before and afters :)!
Joan says
Love the hemlocks!
FYI–I left you a zuc. recipe over at your entry on monterey jack zuc.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Cary – Thanks for having a look. I’ve made so many gardens on this property over the the last ten years, and did not think to take “before” pictures. This time I did!
Joan – Thanks. Heading over to the zucchini jack casserole post now…
badger gardener says
Goodness, I would be in that pool 24/7, w/ the glass of vino. Just lovely.
Garden master sheds says
That was indeed a beautiful pool! I love the blue waters with all the garden around them.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
badger gardener – Well, that is certainly the best way to enjoy the pool…with a glass of vino within swimming distance!
Garden master sheds – Thanks for stopping by for a “dip.”
Pauline Gore says
I’m wondering if the root system from all those trees, won’t cause a problem with your pool later on? Did you check into that before planting? Thanks.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Pauline – Great question. Root systems are related to the height/width of shrubs and trees. I intend to let the hemlocks get only slightly larger — enough to obscure the fence and create a hedge. Regular trimming will keep both trees and roots within bounds.
Nancy says
Loved your desription on the “before” photo as a pool prison – you have definitely been set free as the “after” photos show! Great job! Really like the statues too.
trillium says
The change is so incredible! Now your pool is a room within a room!
I hated the landscaping – what there was of it when we moved into this house. We immediately tore out a front wooden walkway that was built across the main living room window. It was too narrow to place a chair on, was made out of untreated wood that was rotting and extended beyond the roof line. A semi-circle of flowers with rock mulch, and staggered railroad ties elevated to the walkway – what an eyesore. Fortunately they had not secured the rotting structure to the house itself!
The deck in the backyard was surrounded by the same hosta. Boring!
One side of the house had no landscaping, and the other contained only orange daylilies – what a lot of us in Wisconsin call “ditch flowers” because you see them everywhere.
Is this too long?
With limited financial resources and even MORE limited knowledge, I enthusiastically dug right in. Ignorance really can be bliss!
I hit up our local farmer’s market at the end of the season and purchased 50 cent plants – anything I liked, noting only what needed sun or shade, etc. Think of me and a crayon box – the more color, the happier I am.
Tore out all the hostas, broke them up and replanted them in various spots in the yard, generously sharing with friends and neighbors. Even went to neighbors I hadn’t met yet that had open shady spots lacking this variety to see if they were interested in a free plant.
It’s an adventure. Addicting. I’ve opened more flowerbeds, swapped plants with friends and a free plant exchange group I belong to locally. Read a lot. Moved things around. I can spend all day working in the yard and love every minute. Ask me to come inside and vacuum, and I’m griping after 15 minutes. Gardening has made such a positive impact on my life.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
trillium – Your post was not too long! We seem to share the same “take nothing” and “make it something” philosophy. Good for you.
Bo Pup says
Really nice do over. If you will paint the boards and posts on the fence with a protective black coating used on farm fencing, they will all but disappear and have better longevity too.
Sally says
I see my glass of wine waiting for me poolside, but my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail! 🙂 Love what you’ve done with the pool.
Pam says
It reminds me of a Greecian garden! Lovely! What an escape place! We added an above ground garden this spring. We have a big lot but in town! I added a shrub or two, more to the herb garden and have so many plans for next year! Thanks for sharing! I believe creativity inspires creativity!
Jerry in Sealy says
Much nicer and more inviting, great job!
Heather O'Shaughnessy says
Every time I look at a property for sale and see one of those concrete sterile pools I immediately stop looking at the house and info….if I ever come across a property where a pool is harmoniously integrated with the landscape instead of looking like a gash I will likely fall in love. lol
Love what you’ve done and that you had the patience and vision to see that it could be better 🙂
Patricia Miller says
What a beautiful and relaxing place your pool is now. Enjoy!
JEANNE ILLENYE says
We have a 40×20 ft. inground pool. At the time we purchased our house, it was surrounded by concrete and river rocks with just some tiny shrubs along one edge and a nearby deck. The first thing I did was have the black cyclone fence moved outward along one side for seating and a low walled garden. The second thing was to remove ALL the millions of rocks BY HAND one at a time and tore up the plastic underneath to add soil. The third major thing we did was to plan 44 Emerald Green Arborvitaes along two fo the sides and continued to add more large shrubs such as Burning Bushes, Rhodies, and even some white blooming Cherry Trees and a thousand bricks for patios. We removed the diving board and railings and added urns with rounded Spireas, 4 pots of Dwarf Alberta Spruces in the corners and a wooden garden bench at the far end for a focal point with the urns, plus off-white umbrellas and cushions on the wrought iron furniture. It’s made a barren, hot, visually ugly area into a lush, green oasis. Ahhhh….
joyce says
Kevin:
You are good. Admitting a mistake then taking action to correct it while telling the world about it is brave. I applaud you.
This weeks post was an inspirational. It is not easy to admit our mistakes but we all make them in our gardens. But your message is that we can correct them.
Love your weekly post and your Garlic Scape pesto recipe posted earlier in the season is excellent. Keep these good things coming.
Joyce, Ontario, Canada
Gordy 'Sedgie' Swift says
Hi Kevin,
Love what you have done with the pool. It is so much coooler looking! The hemlocks will bring the temp down if only visually. Beware of the pest ‘Hemlock woolly Adelgid’. We are fighting an infestation here at the lake at Goshen. Not a huge danger but one that must be maintained. Look for white spores on the new growth. I will keep you posted.
Love
Gordo (and Andi)
Deb Haack says
I have to say, You are talented and inspiring. You would probably be in shock if you say the state of our place. The drought has just about done it in but all things do come back.
Queen of the Click says
It looks beautiful now!! I love the trees!
And I love your exercise tip 🙂
Pam says
Love your newsletter and all the things you write about and the gorgeous photos.
i want to come to a party at your house!
We have everything in pots…no available bare ground in a yard that is decking or concrete. But it is lovely to us. Would love to send some pics. Do you accept? Might be more than you want to do…
My husband is the prepper and planter. Mostly I am the harvester…the easy part. I water a few things not on the drip system.
Thanks so much for all the wonderful information and the joy you share it in!
Shirley Long says
Love what you have done with the pool….looking at it makes me think God’s favorite colors and blue and green…great job…
Mark and Gaz says
A pleasure! We’re just outside London but work there weekdays
Beverly says
One of the most dramatic “do-overs” in my garden was the REMOVAL of a pool, an above-ground monstrosity and eyesore which sucked up pricey chemicals and unacceptably elevated our electric bill. It was replaced with a 20 foot row of black raspberries, moved there from another too-crowded spot in the back yard, after the pool sub-soil was amended with my own precious compost. I laid a 4 foot wide bluestone walkway comprised of small jigsaw type pieces, then filled in patches above and below the raspberries with perennials and/or rotating vegetables.
We inherited the pool from previous owners, but it did not really suit our lifestyle. Removing it allowed me to further develop my gardening skills. It also greatly improved the view from the second floor kitchen windows where I sit, daydream and mentally redesign the landscape plantings below.
Aussie says
Just a quick note re safety. Love the transformation by the way but wish to mention the glass which shouldn’t be there. Glass cannot be seen in the water so if it, or any other glass, falls in and breaks that is a hazard right there. If it is indeed plastic sorry about the error. Cheers! Aussie
Garage Door Repair Mount Prospect says
That was amazing. In the third picture i have seen that you just made some simple changes and i thought it will enlarge your pool area nothing special but when i see the next picture it waz really amazing. The pool is looking really good and by placing Hemlocks and statues you give that place a awesome look.
Nancy says
I am still redoing our sunken patio, we tore out the old cement block wall and put in a nice wall that matches the brick of our house. I am having a terribble time figuring out how to landscape the grass area that butts up to the new block. Hopefully inspiration will hit before to long!
Judy Hoppe says
Absolutely beautiful. Oh to be young again and do the things you’ve done.
I live in an 8 year old small subdivision (maybe 30 residences). Have transformed my yards in the past 5 years I’ve been here. But could use some more ideas.
Have an inquiry: Do you or anyone know of a website inspiring subdivision yards? Most seem to deal with yards on a much larger scale where depth perception is achieved a little easier.
I have torn out my front side and back lawns, put 3 French drains in the back, and have deer up and down the street, mostly at night. Put in a 4′ black chain link fence in the front yard (mainly to keep my Manchester Terrier in), berms and walkways, trees and plants (mostly xeriscape and at the bottom of the deer desire list), but would love to see what others do with relatively small yards who don’t want to fight the problems of moss, European Crane Fly, nut and crab grass, etc, in constantly treated lawns. I still have a few feet I haven’t done anything with yet, and always ready for more inspiration.. lol
Corrie says
Hello! This is lovely! I am in a similar situation with my current pool. We were thinking of moving the fencing back, but are concerned about grass areas inside the fence. A pain to mow and to avoid grass clippings in the pool water. Have you run into this with your changes? Thank you.