Ideas

9+ Brilliant Small Backyard Above Ground Pool Landscaping Ideas

Turning a bulky above ground pool into a seamless part of your yard just takes a little strategic planting and edging. I put together these practical setups you can easily recreate in a single weekend.

1. Create a Clean Gravel Border

Above ground pool with a white river rock border and potted ornamental grasses — Clean gravel border hides pool tracks.

Build a simple gravel border around the base of your pool to hide the ugly bottom track. Dig out a shallow trench about two feet wide, line it with heavy-duty weed barrier, and fill it with white river rock. You can drop a few potted tall grasses right on top of the stones.

Why it works: It stops the weed trimmer from eating your pool liner while creating a clean visual break.

2. Wrap the Walls in Reed Fencing

Above ground pool wrapped in natural reed fencing with string lights — Reed fencing completely hides vinyl pool walls.

Wrap the exposed sides with reed fencing for an instant tropical upgrade. You just cut the rolls to your pool's height and secure them to the upright metal supports with heavy-duty zip ties. It completely hides the bright blue vinyl exterior in under an hour.

Add a few solar string lights along the top rail to finish the look.

3. Sink a Stock Tank Halfway

Galvanized stock tank pool partially sunk into the ground with limestone paver surround — Half-sunk stock tank with a paver border.

A standard stock tank pool takes up less than eight feet of yard space. You can sink it halfway into the ground to make your yard feel twice as big.

Surround the exposed metal edge with limestone pavers laid in a tight circle. This gives you a solid place to sit and dangle your feet.

Plant creeping thyme between the stones for a soft texture that smells amazing when stepped on.

4. Soften Edges with Tiered Planters

Tiered wooden planter boxes built against the side of an above ground pool — Tiered planters break up tall pool walls.

Using tiered wooden planters breaks up the massive vertical wall of a standard above ground pool. Build three levels of varying heights using pressure-treated lumber and push them right against the pool wall. Fill the top tier with trailing vines to soften the harsh metal top rail. The lower boxes are perfect for bright, sun-loving annuals.

5. Build a Flush Half-Deck

Small freestanding wooden half-deck built flush against an above ground pool — A half-deck provides lounging space without bulk.

A 10-foot half-deck requires half the lumber of a full surround but still gives you a premium lounge area. Build the freestanding deck flush with the pool's top lip so you can walk right up to the water. Run your deck boards horizontally to make the small footprint feel wider. Leave the space underneath open for storing pool skimmers, floats, and chemicals out of sight. Anchor the corners with oversized planters to tie the wood structure into the rest of the yard.

6. Design a Desert Rock Garden

Above ground pool landscaped with large boulders, sand, and blue agave plants — Boulders and agave create a desert oasis.

A modern desert oasis vibe comes together quickly when you use large boulders and drought-tolerant plants. Arrange three to five heavy rocks in an asymmetrical cluster near the pool ladder, filling the gaps with blue agave and fine sand.

7. Hide the Equipment with a Slat Screen

Stained cedar slatted privacy screen hiding above ground pool pump equipment — Cedar slatted screen hides ugly pool equipment.

I always hated staring at the pool pump and filter setup in my own yard. You can hide all that loud equipment behind a simple slatted privacy screen built from stained cedar 1x2s.

8. Plant a Living Evergreen Wall

Dense row of trimmed boxwood shrubs planted around the base of an above ground pool — Evergreen shrubs anchor the pool to the yard.

Planting a dense row of evergreen shrubs acts as a living wall that anchors the pool to your landscape. Choose fast-growing varieties like boxwood or arborvitae and space them tightly around the perimeter. Keep them trimmed about six inches below the top rail so you can still see into the yard while swimming. Lay down a thick layer of black mulch around the base to retain moisture and keep the soil looking neat.

Why it works: The dark greenery absorbs the stark white or blue of the pool wall and makes the whole structure look built-in.

9. Hang a Corner Sail Shade

Triangle sail shade stretched over the corner of an above ground pool — A sail shade provides a resort-style cabana feel.

A cozy, resort-style cabana feel happens when you stretch a triangle sail shade over one corner of the water. Mount two corners of the canvas to your house or fence, and secure the third to a sturdy wooden post driven deep into the ground next to the pool. Wrap the base of that post in thick rope for a subtle nautical touch. It creates a perfect pocket of shade for hot afternoons without blocking the breeze. You can even hang a lightweight outdoor chandelier from the center ring.

10. Upgrade the Ladder Landing

Paver stone landing pad surrounded by pea gravel at the base of a pool ladder — Paver landing pad prevents muddy splash zones.

Most yards have an awkward, muddy splash zone right at the bottom of the pool ladder. Swap the dead grass for a durable paver landing pad surrounded by a bed of pea gravel. It gives wet feet a clean place to land before running back into the house.

Throw down a quick-dry outdoor rug over the pavers for extra grip.