i love bamboo, giant bird of paradise etc but do NOT put next to your pool. In our last build we used Zanadu. Big leaves that do not drop and bullet proof. Perhaps find another way to cover the fence other than plants that almost always drop their leave and have invasive roots.

Do you have a budget in mind? preparation is the key to success, I would consider maintenance how much time do you have to spend on the garden, hedgers are great but to look great require a fair amount of consistant care. Firstly I would do a ph test on the soil, that will determine what you will be able to grow easily, you then need to consider light, how much sunlight does the area get, it looks to be quite compact being a driveway, drainage is another issue as from the picture it looks the have quite a slope to the area, the laws of gravity will have an effect on water infiltration, so plants at the highest point will have less water and the plants at the bottom will be subject to being water logged. I would be mindful of plants with thorns being such a small area and getting in and out of your car scratches are inevitable and dangerous for little kiddies eyes etc. Australian natives are great but most wont tolerate water logging and most prefer alkaline soils and wont do well in heavy shade. My choice would be to find a climber to suit the area there are many to choose from I love Hardenbergia Happy wanderer, Jasmine, honeysuckle and stephanotis just to name a few. Camelias are also something to consider but again all comes down to your soil ph.

Thank you for all the ideas. Sometimes you think about something so much you can't see solutions. Like the ideas of umbrellas or awnings. We have 80 mm of the timber beam available to put an awning on. I think they're wider than that.☹️☹️ (There is a bolt in the beam that protrudes 2cm, it's not easily seen in photo as it is painted cream). An awning would need to sit underneath this bolt. The panels are plastic not glass and their track would need to be clear for when we open the pergola up, which we do during summer on long hot spells. We did plant callistemons about 3 -4 m away but they have not grown according to plan...lol I'm thinking the most achievable solution is a cantilevered umbrella. I think we'd need to concrete the base into the ground and remove the pole during winter. The brick area is a play area - netball etc. Any pros or cons to this idea?

hi Katie, my experience with my plant-beds next to the pool, (at back of pool=1 metre deep x 3 metres long) & along side of pool =50cm deep * 15m long) - .. initially I planted Palms - removed them after 15 years.. .. I re-planted the 'back-bed' with 'Birds of Paradise, large' - I removed them last year, after 10 years, bcoz they grow very big and spread in all directions & broke-up the garden-wall. Over the past few months, I have been replanting all of my garden , still in-progress- . in the beds near the pool, I have planted - ...…. Tiger Grass bcoz it is not as vigorous as Bamboo, doesn't grow as tall and is in small clumps ….. interspersed with some 'ball-shape plants'.. (for example,EUPHORBIA Ascot Rainbow, RUBY Leaf Alternanthera Dentata Compact) and some silvers - check your local nursery for small tidy, compact shrubs....or, small grasses for a different shape Make sure that whatever you plant does not have any noxious sap etc.. .. https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/poisonous-plant-philodendron/ whatever you plant, there will be some drops into the pool - just make sure you turn on your vaccuum at least once a week...