How to Landscape Around the Bottom of an Aboveground Swimming Pool

Aboveground pools offer families the fun and relief from summer heat that inground pools do, but for a much cheaper cost. Unfortunately, a plain swimming pool in the center of the yard offers little in the way of landscaping charm. Splashing water can turn the soil around a pool into a muddy mess and bare ground next to the metal sides of the pool can make a relatively expensive installation look shoddy. Go the extra mile and landscape around your aboveground swimming pool. You'll increase your curb appeal while adding to your daily enjoyment of your backyard property.


Dig the soil for a distance of 3 feet away from the walls of the pool. Create a soil barrier between the grass and the pool. Remove grass, weeds and rocks from this strip of soil, and then treat it with chemical weed killer to prevent more weeds from sprouting in the area.


Dig a slit trench about 2 inches away from the wall of the pool, all around the exterior. Make the slit at least 18 inches deep. Hammer a sheet of metal root barrier into the slit using a rubber mallet. This will prevent plant roots from growing beneath the pool.


Plant an assortment of attractive perennial bushes around the perimeter of the pool. Choose evergreen plants that don't drop leaves or blossoms to keep the area clean of debris. The choice of plant depends on your environment and the sunlight the area gets each day.


Cover the ground from the pool edge outward 3 feet with smooth stones or river rocks. These will prevent grass and weeds from growing in the area, while allowing splashed water to drain through to the bushes and plants around the pool.

Things You Will Need

  • Shovel
  • Weed killer
  • Metal root barrier
  • Mallet
  • Bushes
  • Stones


  • Avoid landscaping the ladder area of the pool, but consider installing patio stones in a walkway toward the ladder.
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