Living in a cold climate doesn’t mean you can’t own a pool. There may be some warm summer months where you really enjoy it, and there can also be options to heat it so you can use it longer.
No matter how you decide to get the most out of your pool, you’ll also want to consider some pool landscaping ideas to keep the area looking great. Since a cold climate generally means you won’t be using your pool all year round, you want to find a way to make it look good when it’s warm and also when it’s cold.
Here are five questions to help you consider how to do just that, depending on how much you want to showcase your pool even when it’s too cold to jump in the water.
1. Do you hide your pool in the winter?
Your pool can be beautiful in the winter months, and you can show it off even when you can’t go for a swim. There’s no need to hide it —Â but you can if you have it covered and don’t like the way the cover looks, or there are other reasons why you’d prefer to downplay that you have a pool when the weather won’t let you use it.
Bushes or plants that stay green all year can be planted around your pool, or between your pool and your house. Of course, that also conceals your pool in the summer, which might not be what you’re going for.
You can also plant winter-blooming flowers, which won’t hide your pool in the summer months because they won’t be in bloom. Consider not hiding your pool, and instead trying to make sure it looks good all year round.
2. Can you color the water or ice?
The right pool design ideas are important. They can provide you with great options to consider.
For example, does your pool freeze over in the wintertime? Even if it doesn’t, there are ways to make it look really lovely. One of those ways is with the right lighting. Coloring the water —Â or ice —Â can give your pool an ethereal look, especially if there is snow on the ground or overcast, foggy conditions that day.
You can’t actually color the water itself, but properly angled lighting with colored bulbs can give you the look of colored water. It can also reflect off of ice, or even off of a pool’s cover to produce a unique look that will make your yard look different from the rest and very beautiful while you wait for spring to arrive again.
3. Do you have a good fence in place?
Good fences make good neighbors, and they also keep your pool safer. Anytime you have a pool in your yard, you want to put up a fence to ensure that animals and people who aren’t supposed to be there don’t wander in, especially if there are children in the neighborhood. You don’t want to take the risk of someone drowning. You also don’t want neighborhood kids to think they can use your frozen pool as an ice rink when it’s cold outside.
When you live in a cold climate, you need to choose a fence that’s going to work for your location and your pool. Most options hold up to cold weather very well, so you can generally pick what you like.
If you select a wooden fence it may see some expansion and contraction during the changing seasons, so you’ll need to space the boards properly and check the fence each spring. The right type of fence can add a lot of beauty to your pool landscaping, and can also give you the privacy that you’re looking for when you’re swimming in warmer weather.
If you consider both privacy and maintenance, you’ll get the right fence for your pool and your climate, so you can enjoy the pool and the fence for a long time.
4. Are you really ready for a snowstorm?
Getting your pool prepared for a snowstorm is important, so the cover, liner, filter, and other components don’t get damaged. If you have an above-ground pool you may need to make sure the water lines from the filter have been drained and wrapped. That can keep them from freezing, and help protect your pool while it sits dormant.
You’ll also need to consider the pool’s cover. Whether you have an above ground or in-ground pool, the cover that sits on it during the winter can only take a certain amount of weight. If you cover your pool and then have a big snowstorm, the weight of the snow may push the cover right into the pool, damaging both the pool’s interior and the cover. Clearing the cover periodically may be necessary, or you can remove it and let the snow fall into the water.
5. What will grow in the winter months?
In buying a home, you make a commitment to upkeep, and part of that is the landscaping. If you want your pool and yard to look great even in a cold climate, you have to consider what you can grow around it in the winter months.
By choosing plants that won’t go dormant but that also won’t hide your pool from sight, you can get a nice look that doesn’t cost a lot. You may also want to consider other ways to decorate around your pool that don’t involve plants, so you have less upkeep and a more uniform look throughout the seasons.
2 Point Highlight
Your pool can be beautiful in the winter months, and you can show it off even when you can’t go for a swim.
Getting your pool prepared for a snowstorm is important, so the cover, liner, filter, and other components don’t get damaged.
