Pool and Landscape Design: One Plan for a Dallas Backyard

By Bryce Arrington, Studio Manager, Blount Designs

Published November 2026 · Last updated November 2026

Most Dallas backyards with a pool were designed in two halves.

The pool came first, drawn by the pool builder around the water itself, and the landscape came second, fitted into whatever space was left over. You can usually tell.

The decking is the wrong size for the furniture, the planting fights the coping, and the view from the kitchen window lands on pool equipment. Pool and landscape design done properly works the other way around: one plan, drawn once, where the water is simply the most important element in a larger garden.

That is how we approach every pool at Blount Designs. The pool, terrace, planting, lighting, grading and screening are worked out together on the same set of drawings, so nothing is an afterthought.

Schedule a design consultation and we will walk the property with you before anyone talks about pool shapes.

Why Should the Pool and Landscape Be Designed Together?

The pool and landscape should be designed together because every decision about the water changes the yard around it. Placement sets where shade falls, where people sit, how water drains and what the house looks out on. Designing both on one plan avoids rework, keeps materials consistent and lets the whole backyard read as a single composition.

Pool manufacturers say the same. Latham, the pool manufacturer, lists planning the pool and landscape at the same time as one of the core ways to avoid landscaping mistakes, because it keeps the timeline, the budget and the trades coordinated so no element is left until the end.

The deeper reason is the way a family actually uses the yard. In the 2026 U.S. Houzz Outdoor Trends Study of nearly 1,200 homeowners, 83 percent of those renovating outdoors were creating lounge or seating areas and 55 percent were adding dining areas.

A pool is only one zone in a backyard that now has to hold several. Drawn on its own, it tends to take the best spot and leave the rest of the program squeezed around it.

What Goes Into a Combined Pool and Landscape Plan?

A combined pool and landscape plan covers the water, the hardscape around it, the planting, the lighting, the grading and the equipment on one coordinated set of drawings. Each sheet references the others, so the coping, terrace levels, planting beds and lighting runs are all drawn to agree before a single contractor bids the work.

On our projects, the drawing set for a pool backyard typically includes a site plan, a hardscape sheet, a dedicated pool sheet, a landscape and planting sheet, and renders. That structure comes straight from our pool and spa design work, where the pool is never issued as a standalone drawing.

Placement, Sun and Sightlines

Where the pool sits is the first and most consequential decision. We look at where afternoon sun falls in July, which rooms in the house face the yard, where the neighbors' second-floor windows look down, and how far guests will walk from the kitchen to the water.

A pool placed for the view from the family room often ends up somewhere quite different from where a builder would put it by default. That shift alone changes where the terrace, the shade structure and the planting belong.

Decking, Coping and Terrace Levels

The hardscape around a pool does more work than any other surface in the yard. It has to hold loungers, dining, circulation and planting edges, and it has to drain away from the water and the house at the same time.

Designing the pool and the hardscape design together means the coping, the terrace and the steps can share one stone and one set of levels. On North Texas clay, that coordination also protects the deck: the Texas Water Development Board describes the Blackland Prairie's Houston Black clay as soil that shrinks and swells markedly with moisture, which is why drainage and slab detailing around a pool are drawn, not improvised.

Equipment, Access and Service

Pumps, filters and heaters need a home that is out of sight but still easy to service. Our drawing sets call out the equipment location on the site plan from the first round, because moving it later usually means moving a wall, a gate or a planting bed with it.

Which Plants Work Best Around a Dallas Pool?

The plants that work best around a Dallas pool are ones that tolerate reflected heat, drop very little litter into the water and hold their shape year-round. Evergreen structure, ornamental grasses set back from the coping and trees placed far enough away to shade the terrace rather than the pool are the usual starting points.

Choose for Reflected Heat and Low Litter

Stone decking and water both bounce heat back onto nearby beds, so a plant that does well in a shaded front border can scorch beside the pool. We favor durable evergreens, structured grasses and native or adapted species that handle a North Texas summer without constant watering.

Homeowners are asking for the same thing. The Houzz 2026 study found 73 percent of renovating homeowners choosing low-maintenance plants and 55 percent choosing native plants. Around a pool, that preference pays off twice, in less pruning and less debris in the skimmer.

Plan for Mature Size and Every Season

Planting drawn for its size at installation is the most common mistake we see around pools. Shrubs and trees keep growing, and in a few years they crowd gates, windows and the coping itself. Our landscape and garden design spaces every plant for its mature size and includes enough evergreen structure that the pool still looks finished in January.

Keep the palette simple. Latham recommends limiting a pool landscape to two or three colors that suit the house and fence, and we find that restraint is what lets the water stay the focal point.

Bringing the Water Into the Rest of the Garden

The best pool backyards do not stop at the coping. A spa set into the terrace, a sun shelf, a water feature on the far wall or a fire feature across the deck all extend the pool into the garden. For smaller lots, a cocktail pool can hold the same idea at a fraction of the footprint.

Lighting is part of that conversation from the start. In the Houzz study, 66 percent of homeowners with outdoor lounge areas added outdoor lighting, and around a pool the lighting runs have to be planned before the stone is set. See how the water, terrace and planting were drawn as one composition on our Modern Luxury Poolside Retreat project.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pool and Landscape Design

When should landscape design start on a new pool project?

Landscape design should start before the pool is engineered, ideally at the same time the pool shape and location are being decided. Starting early lets the pool, terrace, drainage and planting be drawn on one plan. Starting after excavation usually means the landscape has to work around decisions that are already set in concrete.

Can you redesign the landscape around an existing pool?

The landscape around an existing pool can be redesigned without rebuilding the pool itself. New coping, decking, planting, lighting and screening can transform how an older pool looks and is used. The design starts with what the pool already sets, its shape, levels and equipment, and builds a new garden around those fixed points.

How long does it take to build a pool and landscape together?

Building a pool and landscape together takes longer than the pool alone, because hardscape and planting follow excavation, shell and plumbing work. The phases overlap when they are planned as one project. Our guide to how long it takes to build a pool in Dallas walks through each stage.

One Plan, One Backyard

A pool is the single largest decision most homeowners make outdoors. Drawing it on the same plan as the rest of the garden is what makes it feel like it was always meant to be there. When you are ready to start, our custom pool design team will plan the water and the yard around it together.

Request a design consultation and bring your survey, your house plans and your wish list. We will start from the whole property, not the pool.