Poolscaping: Gardening and Landscaping Around Your Swimming Pool and Spa

Transform the swimming pool of a backyard into a Tuscan paradise with tiles and flowering plants, or create a pool with a beach-like presence filled with beach plants: that's the idea of Pool Scaping, a title which covers both swimming pool decor and appropriate landscaping around it. Pool Scaping is a lovely guide which covers the specifics of plants in a water surrounding.

The writer starts out with "Swimming pools have come a long way from the turquoise water holes surrounded by stark paving. Increasingly pools are being integrated into the design of the house and garden..."I'm happy to see a book on this topic, especially one written by an accomplished writer and photographer. Many garden swimming pools stand out like a sore thumb - a harsh rectangle of Hollywood blue water with cold tile edges. They're lovely and cool in hot weather, but UGLY. Anything that helps to change or disguise this is all good.The writer has many suggestions for doing just this. She addresses in depth topics such as decking, enclosures, structures, furniture and plantings. She has researched and offers suggestions for problems such as awkward rocky sites and the need to have an enclosure around the pool that doesn't block the view or make the place look like a prison.It was good to see a generous number of pages given to plants and plantings - everything from container planting to landscaping the entire site. The writer also focuses on planning ahead when installing a pool or landscaping around it, and on matters relating to the budget. Both are very important and often overlooked..The writer obviously has an encyclopedic knowledge of her topic and her writing is crisp and to-the-point. She understands the issues facing people who want to integrate their pool into their garden and addresses them directly. Her photographs illustrate her points with relevance and clarity. I'd recommend this book to anyone trying to add some style and class to a garden with a swimming pool.

I was a little disapointed when I first got this book as the photos weren't all eye-popping fancy layouts - BUT - - I have found the book surprisingly good to read!! I've been up late every night pouring over it's content. It's written very, very well and you will learn some great hints, regardless of budget. I am so pleased I decided to write a review (which I've never done). I hope the authors continue to write on this suject! It's a GREAT BOOK! Thank you!

I loved the book for design ideas. Although the book contains pools that must cost over 50K, you can get some great ideas from it. We have a palper's budget, but there were a lot of beautiful photo's to get you started and give you ideas to break the standard ho hum swimming pool look. Designers in our area had no imagination and some told us that we do not have room on our property for a pool,,, bah humbug! We're not going with the 'sale pool package' most companies wanted to sell us, but we still will have a pool worthy of their next book (cross my fingers!!) for a few dollars more. We just had to find the right company with a little creativity.

This book is a must have! It is beautifully illustrated and very informative. If you own a pool or are thinking about getting one this book is a great investment. It covers everything from choosing a design for your pool to plants and lighting. The pictures are spectacular! I Preordered this book and I'm glad I did. It was worth the wait.