Pool Privacy Screening: Plants and Structures for Melbourne Gardens

Creating Pool Privacy in Melbourne

A swimming pool should feel like a private retreat where you can relax completely. Our pool landscaping projects often address properties in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs where a beautiful pool sits unused because it feels exposed to neighbouring windows. This guide explores screening solutions that create true seclusion without making your garden feel enclosed.

Understanding Your Privacy Needs

Before selecting a solution, you must accurately assess your site’s specific challenges.

Where Are the Sightlines?

• Neighbouring windows: Identify second-story windows that have a direct line of sight into your pool zone.
• Topography issues: Properties in hilly suburbs like Ivanhoe or Doncaster often face overlooking from “high side” neighbours.
• Street visibility: Corner blocks often require specialized treatment to block pedestrian views.
• Future development: Check if the single-story home next door has permits for a double-story extension.

What Level of Privacy Do You Need?

• Complete visual block: Essential for high-traffic areas or close proximity to neighbours.
• Filtered screening: Allows light through while breaking up the view.
• Upper level only: Targets specific windows while keeping the ground level open.
• Year-round vs. Seasonal: Deciduous plants fail to provide privacy during Melbourne’s dormant winter months.

What’s Your Timeline?

• Immediate privacy: Structures or advanced tree stock required now.
• Grow-in approach: Planting smaller stock (200mm pots) and waiting 2-3 years.
• Combination: Installing a temporary screen while the permanent hedge establishes.

Plant Screening Options

Fast-Growing Hedging Plants

Murraya paniculata (Orange Jessamine)

• Growth rate: Fast (up to 1m per year in warm pockets).
• Height: To 4m if left unpruned.
• Features: Glossy foliage and highly fragrant white flowers in summer.
• Expert Tip: This plant struggles with heavy frost. We recommend it for protected pockets in inner-eastern suburbs rather than exposed valleys.

Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’

• Growth rate: Fast and vigorous.
• Height: To 5m.
• Features: Vibrant red new growth that creates a dense visual barrier.
• Maintenance: Requires frequent hedging (3-4 times a year) to maintain density and shape.

Syzygium ‘Resilience’ (Lilly Pilly)

• Growth rate: Moderate to fast.
• Height: To 3m.
• Features: Psyllid-resistant native that tolerates Melbourne’s heavy clay soils well.
• Why it works: This is our go-to choice for tight spaces near pools because it responds exceptionally well to narrow pruning.

Bamboo Options

Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ (Slender Weaver)

• Growth rate: Extremely fast (can reach full height in 18-24 months).
• Height: To 6-8m.
• Features: The premier choice for narrow beds (under 500mm wide) where height is needed.
• Safety Note: Even clumping bamboo drops leaf litter. We advise planting this at least 3-4 metres away from the water’s edge to save your skimmer box.

Bambusa ‘Goldstripe’

• Growth rate: Fast.
• Height: To 3-4m (shorter than Gracilis).
• Features: Distinctive green and gold stripes on the culms.
• Use case: Ideal for under-planting beneath the canopy of established trees.

Warning: Never plant running bamboo (Phyllostachys species) near a pool. The rhizomes are aggressive and capable of penetrating pool shells and plumbing lines.

Tall Screening Plants

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’

• Growth rate: Moderate.
• Height: To 6m.
• Features: Large, glossy leaves with a rusty underside and massive white flowers.
• Maintenance: Low leaf drop makes it relatively pool-friendly compared to other trees.

Viburnum tinus

• Growth rate: Moderate.
• Height: To 3m.
• Features: incredibly hardy and shade tolerant.
• Reliability: This shrub survives the neglect and fluctuating weather typical of Melbourne gardens better than almost any other screening plant.

Ornamental Grasses for Softer Screening

Miscanthus sinensis varieties

• Height: 2-3m.
• Features: Adds movement and texture rather than a solid wall.
• Maintenance: Must be cut back to the ground in late winter to encourage fresh spring growth.

Structural Screening Options

Fence Panels

Hardwood Screening

• Materials: Spotted Gum, Ironbark, or Silvertop Ash.
• Heights: Standard lengths up to 2.7m or 3.0m for vertical battens.
• Spacing: A 10-15mm gap provides privacy while reducing wind load on the structure.
• Warning: Merbau contains high tannins that will leach brown stains onto your pool coping. We strongly advise using Spotted Gum around paving.

Composite Screening

• Materials: Wood-plastic composites (e.g., ModWood, Ekodeck).
• Heights: Various board lengths available.
• Features: Impervious to rot and requires no oiling or painting.
• Heat Factor: Be aware that dark composite boards can retain significant heat in direct summer sun.

Aluminium Screens

• Styles: Blade fencing, perforated sheets, or wood-look slats.
• Heights: Custom fabrication allows for any height requirement.
• Durability: Powder-coated aluminium is the longest-lasting option for poolside environments due to salt and chemical resistance.
• Maintenance: A simple wash-down with a hose is all that is needed.

Green Walls and Vertical Gardens

For limited space:

• Wire trellis systems: Stainless steel cables tensioned to support climbers like Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides).
• Modular systems: Felt pocket or pot-based systems attached to walls (requires automated irrigation).
• Planter boxes: Elevated troughs with climbing frames for instant height.
• Espalier: Training citrus or camellias flat against a fence line.

Pergolas and Structures

Overhead screening for neighbours above:

• Timber pergolas: Defines the space and blocks acute viewing angles from second stories.
• Shade sails: A cost-effective way to block views while providing UV protection.
• Louvred roofs: Adjustable aluminium blades that control light and privacy.
• Cantilevered umbrellas: Large umbrellas can be strategically positioned to block a specific window view.

Combination Approaches

Often the best solution combines elements to create depth and interest.

Example 1: Instant + Long-term

• Step 1: Install inexpensive brush fencing or bamboo rolls as a temporary backing.
• Step 2: Plant a quality hedge like Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese Laurel) in front.
• Step 3: Remove the temporary screen once the hedge density is sufficient (usually 3 years).

Example 2: Layered Privacy

• Upper Tier: Pleached trees (hedged on stilts) like Ficus hillii ‘Flash’ to block upper windows.
• Lower Tier: A solid masonry wall or timber fence for ground-level privacy.
• Ground Tier: Low sprawling groundcovers to soften the hard edges.

Example 3: Multi-functional

• The Structure: A custom bench seat with a high backrest acting as a screen.
• The Softening: Planter boxes integrated into the top of the bench with spilling creepers.
• The Result: You gain seating, storage, and privacy in a single footprint.

Design Considerations

Don’t Create a Box

Privacy shouldn’t feel like confinement. We encourage clients to use different materials on different boundaries to avoid the “compound” effect.

• Vary heights: Keep screens lower where privacy isn’t critical to allow light in.
• Texture contrast: Mix timber softness with the sleekness of aluminium or stone.
• Transparency: Use laser-cut screens that offer 60% block-out rather than 100%.
• Sky views: Ensure tall trees don’t canopy over the entire pool area.

Consider All Seasons

• Evergreen necessity: Pool areas are often viewed from the house in winter.
• Deciduous strategy: Use deciduous trees only on the northern side to allow winter sun to heat the pool area.
• Access: Ensure you leave 500mm behind any screen for maintenance access if it’s near a boundary fence.
• Growth speed: Fast-growing plants often require more pruning later.

Light and Airflow

Dense screening can create microclimates.

• Sun blockage: Tall screens on the north or west can significantly drop pool water temperature.
• Stagnation: Solid walls can block cooling breezes.
• Mould risk: Reduced airflow combined with pool evaporation can create damp corners.
• Solution: Use slat screens with gaps or loose-leaf plants to maintain air circulation.

Council Regulations

Before installing screening, you must navigate Victoria’s specific planning and building rules.

Fence Heights and Permits

• Standard height: A boundary fence up to 2m typically does not require a building permit.
• Over 2m: Anything higher generally requires a building permit and neighbour consent.
• Corner blocks: Strict height limits apply to front and side fences near street intersections.

The Non-Climbable Zone (NCZ)

• The Rule: Pool safety barriers must maintain a 900mm Non-Climbable Zone (NCZ).
• The Impact: You cannot place climbable screening, planters, or trellis within this zone.
• The Solution: Any privacy screen inside the NCZ must have vertical gaps no wider than 10mm or be completely solid.
• Verification: Always consult a registered building surveyor before attaching anything to a pool fence.

Vegetation and Overlooking (ResCode)

• Overlooking Standard: Victorian ResCode Standard A15 restricts views into secluded private open spaces within a 9m radius.
• Compliance: Installing a screen with 75% obscurity to a height of 1.7m usually satisfies this requirement.
• Vegetation Loopholes: Plants are not considered permanent structures under planning laws.
• Why this matters: You can often plant a hedge taller than 2m without a permit where a fence would be illegal.

Budget Considerations

Lowest Cost

• Strategy: Plant 200mm pot size ‘Resilience’ Lilly Pillies.
• Trade-off: You will wait 2-3 years for full coverage.
• DIY: Planting and mulching is a manageable weekend project for homeowners.

Medium Budget

• Strategy: Combine 45L advanced tree stock with treated pine fencing painted dark charcoal.
• Upgrade: Add panels of hardwood screening only in key visual areas.
• Professional help: Engage landscapers for the hardscaping portion.

Premium Options

• Strategy: Custom fabricated aluminium louvres or architectural concrete walls.
• Greenery: “Instant hedge” bags (100L+) that provide immediate 2m high density.
• Integration: Automated irrigation systems and architectural lighting for night-time ambience.
• Service: Full design and construct service including permits.

Creating Your Private Paradise

The right screening transforms your pool area from an exposed yard into a genuine sanctuary. We believe that true luxury in a Melbourne garden is the ability to swim without feeling watched.

Contact us to discuss privacy screening options for your Melbourne pool project.