If you’re landscaping around a pool, evergreen trees are the best choice for poolside planting. Unlike deciduous trees, evergreen species retain their foliage year-round, helping to keep your swimming pool clean and reducing ongoing pool maintenance. The right evergreen trees provide privacy screening, soften hardscape edges, and create a lush, resort-style outdoor living area without dropping leaves, flowers, or debris into your pool filtration system.
These seven evergreen tree species are ideal for pool landscaping: neat, reliable, low-maintenance, and available in sizes perfect for instant privacy screening or as stunning standalone feature trees. Each selection is chosen for its minimal leaf drop and suitability for backyard pool environments.
1. Magnolia grandiflora ‘Teddy Bear’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Teddy Bear’ is a sought-after evergreen tree that combines sophisticated aesthetics with practical benefits for poolside landscapes. Native to the southeastern United States, this cultivar is celebrated for its compact, conical growth habit, making it suitable for smaller gardens and tight spaces. The tree’s dense, glossy green leaves feature a distinctive velvety bronze underside, creating year-round visual interest. Not only does ‘Teddy Bear’ offer architectural structure, but it also produces large, fragrant white blooms throughout the warmer months, attracting pollinators while maintaining a neat, low-mess environment. Its ability to thrive in challenging conditions and minimal leaf drop make it an ideal, low-maintenance solution for pool owners seeking both beauty and function.
Key Features:
- Height: 4–6m
- Width: 3–4m
- Foliage: Dense, glossy green with soft bronze undersides
- Flowers: Large, fragrant white blooms in summer
Why It’s Special:
‘Teddy Bear’ Magnolia stands out for its compact form, glossy leaves with unique bronze undersides, and spectacular, fragrant blooms. It is highly valued for minimal leaf drop, making it ideal for pool maintenance, and its dense growth habit offers privacy screening and wind protection.
Perfect Pair:
Pair with Buxus (Boxwood) for a classic, low hedge border, or with Bay Trees for layered evergreen structure. Both combinations enhance formal poolside gardens and provide year-round greenery.
Tips for Planting:
Plant in full sun and well-drained, slightly acidic soil for optimal growth. Apply organic mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Water regularly during the first year. Space trees 1.5–2m apart for a dense privacy screen and allow airflow to reduce fungal issues.
Shop Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’ now
2. Waterhousia floribunda (Weeping Lilly Pilly)
Waterhousia floribunda, commonly known as Weeping Lilly Pilly, is an Australian native evergreen prized for its graceful, pendulous branches that create a lush, tranquil setting. This tree forms a natural curtain of soft, glossy green leaves that gently sway in the breeze, offering both privacy and elegance around pool areas. In spring, new growth emerges with a subtle pink-orange hue, adding seasonal color and visual interest. Unlike many natives, Waterhousia sheds very little foliage, making it a practical choice for keeping pool water clean. Its fast growth, tolerance of various soil types, and resilience to coastal conditions make it a reliable and adaptable feature for tropical or contemporary garden designs.
Key Features:
- Height: 6–10m
- Width: 3–5m
- Foliage: Glossy green with pink-orange new growth
- Form: Weeping, dense and graceful
Why It’s Special:
Weeping Lilly Pilly provides natural privacy screening with its dense, cascading foliage. Its resilience to humidity and minimal leaf drop make it a favorite for pool landscaping, and the attractive new growth adds seasonal color.
Perfect Pair:
Combine with Tristaniopsis ‘Luscious’ for contrasting foliage texture or underplant with Liriope for groundcover. Both options enhance the lush, layered effect around modern or tropical pools.
Tips for Planting:
Choose a location in full sun or part shade with consistently moist, well-drained soil. Water regularly through dry periods. For dense hedges, space trees 1–1.5m apart and prune lightly to encourage bushy growth.
Shop Waterhousia floribunda now
3. Laurus nobilis 'Miles Choice' (Bay Tree)
Laurus nobilis 'Miles Choice' is a select cultivar of the classic Bay Tree, celebrated for its dense, upright growth and superior performance in modern gardens. This evergreen is prized for its aromatic, glossy, deep green leaves and its compact, symmetrical form, which adapts beautifully to topiary, hedging, or large containers. 'Miles Choice' stands out for its improved resilience to pests and diseases, as well as its strong tolerance of pruning and shaping, perfect for formal poolside borders or as a striking feature tree. Like all bay trees, its leaves can be used in the kitchen for culinary purposes. Its slow, steady growth and minimal leaf drop make it an excellent, low-maintenance choice for landscapes where tidiness and structure are most important.
Key Features:
- Height: 3–5m
- Width: 2–3m
- Foliage: Deep green, aromatic, evergreen
- Form: Upright, ideal for clipping into cones, balls or hedges
Why It’s Special:
'Miles Choice' offers a neater, denser habit than standard bay trees, with exceptional tolerance to drought, heat, and seasonal pruning. Its non-invasive roots and minimal mess make it especially suitable for planting near pools.
Perfect Pair:
Pair with Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’ to create a tiered evergreen screen with contrasting leaf shapes, or combine with clipped buxus microphylla balls for a symmetrical, formal effect. For a Mediterranean-style garden, consider underplanting with rosemary or lavender, or surrounding it with ornamental grasses for added softness.
Tips for Planting:
Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. 'Miles Choice' thrives in large containers or as a clipped standard. Use a premium potting mix for potted plants and water consistently during dry periods, especially in the first year after planting.
Shop Laurus nobilis 'Miles Choice' now
4. Ficus hillii ‘Flash’
Ficus hillii ‘Flash’ is a vigorous and adaptable evergreen tree renowned for its rapid growth and year-round dense foliage, making it an exceptional choice for privacy screens around pools. This Australian native cultivar displays bright green, glossy leaves with attractive lighter new growth, creating a vibrant, layered effect. Its upright, fast growing habit allows it to quickly establish a living wall that blocks unwanted views and dampens noise. Ficus ‘Flash’ is highly valued for its ability to withstand regular pruning and shaping, making it perfect for formal hedges or naturalistic plantings. Importantly, it holds its leaves well, minimizing maintenance and keeping pool areas tidy.
Key Features:
- Height: 6–10m
- Width: 3–5m
- Foliage: Variegated bright green
- Form: Upright, dense and fast-growing
Why It’s Special:
Ficus hillii ‘Flash’ offers rapid growth and dense evergreen foliage, providing immediate privacy and wind protection. Its tolerance for pruning allows for tailored hedges or screens, and the minimal leaf drop is a plus for clean pool maintenance.
Perfect Pair:
Pair with Magnolia ‘Little Gem’ for alternating heights and flower contrast, or with Bay Trees for mixed evergreen borders. These combinations improve landscape diversity and visual appeal around pools.
Tips for Planting:
Ficus ‘Flash’ thrives in full sun or partial shade and adapts to a range of soils. Water during dry periods and mulch to conserve moisture. Plant 1m apart for a dense hedge and prune regularly to maintain shape and height control.
5. Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Luscious’
Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Luscious’ is a robust Australian native evergreen tree, admired for its shiny foliage and adaptability in diverse garden settings. Developed as an improved selection of the Water Gum, ‘Luscious’ features broader, thicker leaves with a rich green color and attractive copper-toned new growth. Its compact, upright form and moderate size make it ideal for use as a small feature tree or clipped hedge near pools. The tree’s summer display of yellow, fragrant flowers adds seasonal interest without contributing significant debris. With non-invasive roots and exceptional tolerance of urban conditions, ‘Luscious’ is both visually striking and practical for poolside privacy and greenery.
Key Features:
- Height: 5–8m
- Width: 3–4m
- Foliage: Shiny green with copper-toned new growth
- Flowers: Yellow, summer
Why It’s Special:
Tristaniopsis ‘Luscious’ features robust, shiny foliage and attractive copper new growth. Its non-invasive root system and minimal leaf litter make it a safe and practical choice for poolside planting, while its tolerance to urban conditions suits modern gardens.
Perfect Pair:
Team with Waterhousia for a multi-layered privacy screen, or add Liriope muscari at the base for a neat, weed-suppressing border. These combinations support biodiversity and add year-round color.
Tips for Planting:
Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Tristaniopsis tolerates most soil types, including clay. Water regularly until established, then reduce frequency. Space 2m apart for screening and prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape.
Shop Tristaniopsis ‘Luscious’ now
6. Syzygium australe ‘Resilience’
Syzygium australe ‘Resilience’ is a versatile Australian native lilly pilly prized for its dense, evergreen foliage and adaptability to a range of garden conditions. This cultivar is renowned for its compact, upright growth and minimal leaf drop, making it exceptionally well suited to poolside hedging or screening. The glossy green leaves and bronze-tinted new growth provide year-round color and visual appeal. As its name suggests, ‘Resilience’ is tolerant of pests, diseases, and a variety of soil types, offering both beauty and durability for low-maintenance pool landscaping.
Key Features:
- Height: 3–5m
- Width: 2–3m
- Foliage: Glossy green with bronze new growth
- Form: Upright and compact
Why It’s Special:
‘Resilience’ stands out for its dense, glossy foliage, tolerance to pruning, and strong resistance to psyllid pests. Its minimal leaf drop and compact habit make it perfect for keeping pool areas tidy, while providing privacy screening in narrow spaces.
Perfect Pair:
Pair with Buxus for a neat, formal border or with Bay Trees for contrasting leaf shapes and structure. Underplant with Liriope muscari for added groundcover and year-round texture. These combinations create multi-layered privacy screens and visual interest in pool landscapes.
Tips for Planting:
Plant in full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil. Water regularly during establishment, then reduce frequency as the plant matures. Mulch annually to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. For dense screening, space 1–1.5m apart and prune lightly after flowering to maintain a compact shape.
Shop Syzygium ‘Resilience’ now
7. Cupressus × leylandii ‘Leighton Green’
Cupressus × leylandii ‘Leighton Green’ is a widely recognized conifer celebrated for its rapid growth and imposing stature, making it a staple for large-scale privacy screening. This hybrid, developed in the United Kingdom, is particularly noted for its dense, dark green foliage and strong, upright, conical form. ‘Leighton Green’ is ideally suited to boundary plantings around pools, offering wind protection and visual seclusion without the heavy leaf drop associated with many deciduous trees. Its tolerance of a wide range of soils, ability to withstand urban pollution, and minimal maintenance requirements make it a dependable and enduring solution for expansive poolside gardens and properties seeking instant, lasting impact.
Key Features:
- Height: 8–12m
- Width: 3–4m
- Foliage: Dense, dark green
- Form: Upright, conical
Why It’s Special:
‘Leighton Green’ is valued for its rapid growth, dense conical shape, and outstanding windbreak qualities. Its evergreen foliage makes it ideal for privacy and screening large pool or garden boundaries with minimal mess.
Perfect Pair:
Combine with Bay Trees for a formal, mixed evergreen hedge or with Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’ for seasonal blooms and layered screening. These pairings maximize privacy and visual variety in large pool areas.
Tips for Planting:
Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. ‘Leighton Green’ responds well to annual pruning to maintain a dense, uniform hedge. Space 1–1.5m apart for a continuous screen, and provide extra water during establishment or extended dry periods.
Shop Cupressus ‘Leighton Green’ now
Final Thoughts
A pool garden should feel clean, lush, and low-maintenance. These top evergreen trees for pools provide lasting landscape structure, backyard privacy, and visual appeal while keeping your swimming pool free of fallen leaves and excess debris. Choosing the right poolside trees ensures easy pool care, less maintenance, and a beautiful outdoor entertaining area.
Whether you need a formal evergreen hedge, sculpted feature tree, or a graceful native species, there’s a pool-friendly tree to suit every landscape design. All are available in practical sizes for instant visual impact, functional privacy screens, and low mess pool surrounds.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.