1) I would remove the fence completely, and replace it all around with some tall hedge trees like Thuja Evergreens or Lombardy Poplar. ( I would talk to your neighbors first, but I'm sure they would welcome this intervention.) Plus, it would create a little garden like sanctuary.

2) Match the siding/color of the pool house and garage to match the color of the house, whatever you choose.

3)DO NOT put down outdoor carpet. Replace with nice river rocks along the outside of the pool.

4)Leave the concrete, it will not seem as stark with the above changes.

I think it would look so much nicer to replace that gravel strip with grass. You could even put in a few big rocks, so people could sit on the rocks and wiggle their toes in the grass, and some big plants to make it look nice. It would look very natural and inviting!

You could put some big potted plants at strategic places on the concrete to bring in more green and lushness. I wonder if you could try to encourage some kind of climbing plant (ivy?) to grow on those chain-link fences to make them look nicer? Keeping the pool area fenced off is a good idea if you have kids over (so they can run around on the grass without you having to worry about them falling into the pool).

Definitely get some cushy outdoor chairs for hanging out and relaxing pool-side. I think some comfy chairs, a bigger table, and potted plants would go a long way to making the space feel like a really nice place to hang out.

Massachusetts law requires a fence around pools for safety. Also, you do not want some jacka$$ jumping in your pool, hurt his/herself, and then suing you for negligence for not having a fence (true story).

Ditto on what Saval said. You might need to look up the law; some states requires fences of a certain height around pools. I'd put in a tall iron fence and grow some climbing vines on it--I don't know what grows up north, but in Mississippi, honeysuckle, wisteria, jasmine--all would be perfect.

Maybe a rock garden instead of the grass. It's a pain to mow the grass around the pool. It ends up in the pool. You could soften the rocks with some container plants or flowers.

Tanya - I think you are going to be stuck with some sort of fence (wood, wrought iron, chain link, etc). Our lovely state also requires that a fence be around pools for safety reasons. The city will fine you daily if you remove it and they find out until one is put back in to place. Maybe you can disguise the fence with a vine like plants that will create a natural looking fence? If I remember correctly - do you have roses growing in them now? maybe add some more?

As for the gravel around the pool - I think maybe grass (as previously suggested) or replace it with a warm, golden pea stone and maybe add big urns filled with over flowing flowers and greenery. and maybe you can add some dracena grass to the the pots to give them a more tropical feel.

Hi I second Saval. you are required to have a fence.

to start I would highly recommending having a soil test done to determine what type of ammendments you'll need to add to grow your selected plants in.

you say you want lush so I would think twice about cutting back the trees. if my understanding of lush is in line with yours you'll need to plant understory woodland-ish plants like ferns, hostas, azaleas etc to get that cool verdant forest look that I equate to lush.

or you can cut them back and go more towards a beachside feel with ornamental grasses and scrubby pines and bayberries etc.

have you seen Martha's pool at Lily Pond? when I think of a lush poolscape that's what I think of. there are a ton of photos out there but this is quickly what I came up with http://www.themarthablog.com/2008/05/lily-pond-getting-ready-for-the-summer-season.html

i can certainly make more plant recommendations if you are more clear with what lush means...

great suggestions! for clarification, i do intend to put a fence around the pool, even if not illegal, it lowers property insurance. the chain link fence is only 5' tall so it doesn't block out the neighbor as well as I'd like and the issue with growing vines on that side, is that they will take forever to spread and will cut into lounging space, no?

larchgirl: by lush i mean lots of plants that are soft to touch, ie no pricker bushes since people will be swimming. great idea to get soil tested.

Hello,

I grew up with a pool that looked similar. It bugged my mom for years, and we tried many solutions. Indoor/outdoor carpet looked grimy after just one year being exposed to all the elements.

My mom eventually gave up and learned to live with the concrete surrounding the pool as a "necessary" evil. You might try painting it?

Check out Ikea for inexpensive outdoor furniture and accessories. Good luck!

Replace the gravel with grass, right up to the concrete. Varigated hosta looks cool and lush and modern and would look good against the side of the building. How about some dwarf lemon trees in planters for the large concrete area? You can bring them inside for winter.

You could try attaching bamboo screening to your existing fence. Even if it was only temporary until you found something else, it would give you pretty much immediate privacy.

Quite a few garden centers sell screening or you could try Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Gardman-Bamboo-Fencing-Screening-R646/dp/B001P8ICT2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1273186736&sr=8-2

First, you have a lovely base to start from! Here are my ideas:

Fence - Perhaps on the side that faces your neighbors you could use bamboo or willow. At are local hardware store I've seen rolls of bamboo wired together to make a kind of fabric/screen. Something like that could easily be wired to the existing fence. It's a natural color and would let light through, while providing a little more privacy.

As other commenters have suggested you could place tall potted plants along that edge to break things up as well.

I can't tell if there is a gate on the left side next to your house, but you could put an arbor there. Think it would give the feeling of a more formal entrance (even if it wasn't used that often. With some climbing plant, wisteria?

Living Space - We use our backyard more than the living room. I think it's a good idea to break it up into sections, maybe an area for morning coffee near the backdoor. An area for sun bathing and relaxing next to the garage.

Agree with you on moving the fence by the barn back - you could buy/build a large wooden dining table (craigslist?) to sit under the tree. Hang some lanterns from the branches and edge of the barn and it would be ready for a party.

Rocks - Moss seems like an excellent idea for those areas with a few big rocks to sit on like AmandaJC said. Moss requires no mowing and if feels nice! Another idea would be flag or river stone, depending on your taste.

Concrete - Think painting/sealing is the best idea. You could buy or make a few canvas rugs for the sitting areas. Something that you could throw in the wash when dirty.

Hope that helps - please post pictures when you're done!! And invite me for the 4th of July!! ;)

no don't paint concrete! It can be a disaster outside or in wet areas. Stain it instead.
On your fence, one thing I see around here (pacific northwest) to break up chainlink fences is to plant a hedge right next to it and trim it closely, laurel, boxwood or camellia are common and grow in fairly quick.

I live in Western Mass and have a very similar pool. Our best resource is Ocean State Job Lot.

http://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/home/default.aspx

They have amazing deals on patio furniture, beautiful and affordable glazed pots in all shapes and sizes, plants, and even the chemicals you will need for your pool.

We bought large colorful glazed pots and loaded them with tall Elephant ear, bright coleus, and trailing sweet potato vines. This made a huge difference in the large expanses of concrete. I would love to see your "after" pics as well.

You have lots of great ideas. I suggest hiring a professional designer (hopefully, a talented landscape architect) to help you realize your vision. Good space planning, the right materials (I like simple materials used in elegant ways) and some great furniture will transform your yard into an oasis. Investing in a plan now will pay off in the long run. You don't need to do it all at once, as tempting as it may be.
I'm a big fan of the gardens by Oehme and Van Sweden. Their gardens have been described as bold and romantic (and they do great pools). Check out their books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=van sweden oehme&x=0&y=0

Seriously, give a landscape designer a job.

You can find one (also in an "add" on Craigslist) who will draw up a plan, give you a list of local planting materials and still let you do the purchasing and labor if you remain so inclined.

It will be the best investment you ever make.

I love projects like this! I see a rounded white fence in the background - is that your neighbors or yours in the front yard? The white would go great with the color of your home, and it provides privacy. That type of fence won't fade over time either! I'm a fan of natural stones/pavers - I don't think they would be slick like concrete then. Not a fan of pea gravel or rock, regardless somehow they'll end up in the pool. Personally I'd do most of it in stone pavers and then use fun, colorful pots - then you can rearrange them all the time. Did I mention the pergola yet? Having a white one (to match your new fence) coming off the garage would look cute! You could put more indoor/outdoor furniture under it too for summer entertaining and bbqs! Found this blog who did a summer garden patio - you pay more up front for the furniture and lighting, but they last WAY longer than the cheap stuff!

http://www.blog.barnlightelectric.com/page/2/

your house is so cute! I don't know what plants work well in nh but maybe honeysuckle for privacy on the fence. Does it grow well there? It smells so good and grows quickly here in oklahoma. I say nay on the carpet. And if you want to save money on flowers, buy seeds instead of the plant. Good luck

I like the look of your neighbor's white fence- something similar would brighten up the area and provide much needed privacy. Perhaps in a 3/4 height so you don't feel completely boxed in?

I would get rid of the gravel completely in favor of a mossy groundcover-your local greenhouse should be able to provide you with good ideas of what spreading plant to choose.

Target has some nice looking plastic adirondeck chairs in different colors that are very cost effective.

Some planters with bright flowers and lush green would really pull it all together with minimal upkeep effort on your part. No weeding, easy to change out, etc.

Beautiful area-congratulations!

I think you're going to have a great pool area. The most important thing is you will have to have that master plan all drawn out, knowing that you probably can't do it all in one season. You're going to have to define the space around the pool, either with a waist high fence (or higher, but the higher you go the less roomy a feel you're going to have) or tall shrubs (in your area, Summersweet will grow to eight feet and is summer blooming with fragrant white flowers) Neither is exactly cheap, but you can space it out over a few years. Do two sides the way you want it, then slowly make it come together as you can afford it. Completely blocking the neighbor's house might not be necessary if you define the space. Divide the master plan into affordable steps that, when they come together, will end up being the dream pool you wanted. For that lush look, you might do a wooden fence and put out big, wheeled, potted tropical plants (you really won't need many, and you can wheel them indoors in the off season). You have slopes off the concrete. A decking would extend the space around the pool and eliminate the slope problem. Again, it could be done in stages. I picture a more fluid shaped deck surrounding the square concrete, like a figure-eight. You probably wouldn't need much decking around the side where the concrete is widest. I would recommend against outdoor carpet. It looks ok the first season, but doesn't age well and can start to look old and dirty fast. If you really don't like the concrete, you may be able to put decking over part of it, but not too thick that it would raise the edge of the pool by much. I think the concrete looks fine in the pics, but it could be refinished with a mini-pebble veneer.
My advice is to go for amazing: set out exactly how you'd love to have it, then do it in steps. Or, just live with it the way it is for a few years and save up for the big make-over. The biggest mistake would be to try to do it all in one season with a low budget.
By the way, your house and yard look great. I really like all that green with the yellow house. Whatever you do with the pool, I hope you post more pics and show us the results.

I am getting ready to tackle a similar problem with a house I am purchasing. I am planning on cover the concrete with cedar. See the cover of Elle Decor July/August 2006.

You say you want greenery and privacy - But you had the yews removed which were providing both???

on the building in pic #2, build either an arbor, put one of those sails (like this http://www.backyardcity.com/Shade-Sails-Coolaroo.htm) or anchor some sort of fabric as a canopy to the exterior wall and use large planters to cement posts (and use as planters) for the other two legs of the canopy. Replace the stone w. grass and put a chaise or two in the space.

If you put up a wooden fence, you could put lattice above the exsisting fence and grow jasmine, wisteria or similar.

Best advice a fellow gardener gave me, as far as getting the landscape going, start in the area you will see/use the most and go from there, instant(ish) gratification.

I'm in southern NH too. Hi, neighbor!

I'd replace the chain link with either a white PVC fence or with some version of stockade. This would give a nice private room-like feeling. (We will be fronting some existing chain link we can't remove with stockade later this month, as a matter of fact. Mine is for privacy and a backdrop for a Japanese garden. Our landscaper, Souhegan Landscape Services, gave us the best bid. Gate City Fence came in second.)

I'd consider covering the gravel with smooth river rock. I don't think moss will like being near chlorine, and in fact, I can't think of any soft-underfoot plant that will. Plus you don't want anything shedding leaves into the pool.

I'd plant a row of arborvitae or some other evergreen with a vertical habit along the fence for the green and to soften the look of the fence. At their base, you could grow hostas and other tidy plants. Maybe some annuals like primroses or impatiens for color.

You could have the concrete stained a color that goes better with the house color and the pool -- maybe a navy blue or something.

I'd leave the trees -- trees are important to the planet and yours are important to the overall look of your yard.

WOW!!! What a GREAT spot! SO much potential...I'm envious!

I'm a landscape designer (Toronto) and I have SO many ideas for your space! I don't normally do this, but if you contact me directly at sheilalady@hotmail.com, we can chat about the space and I can prepare some quick sketches! This will be a fun diversion for me!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sheila!

Thank you everyone for all the AMAZING ideas! To start, I have found pics of all the suggestions and I am going to research costs and create a style board. That white fence in the front is my neighbors.