Kerrie, I live in Victoria and my pool in completely internal, that is to say it is part of the house and not an addition to the house. I planned to have an external door with the required regulation lock height and seld closing mechanism. Hubby was dead against this door and so I agreed to have a window instead, not long after, we found out that the laws had changed and you are no longer permitted to access to an indoor pool from the outside, so it was just sheer luck that we changed the door to a window. Further, when we purchased the awning windows (2) with regulation restricted 10cm windouts, our building inspector tried to tell us that the windows weren't allowed and that they would have to remain shut and we were also going to have to concrete "bars" into the brickwork on the outside. I argued that regulation pool fences had the same 10cm restriction and after contacting the Victorian Building Commission, I have confirmation in writing, that the windows are deemed to be adequately safe and the inspector has accepted the finding. My access to our pool now, is only from the inside of the home obviously and if that becomes illegal, then we'll just have to sit and look at the pool longingly through the window, as there won't be any access at all ha-ha I'm not advocating that people argue with regulations but if I hadn't investigated my options further, who knows where I would be, having spent $1,500 on these two windows with laminated glass and how beautiful would my brickwork have looked with prisson bars attached. Cheers, Barbara

Nice pool, but a shame that your neighbours can see you through the fence, and therefore, you get no privacy. If you were wanting privacy of some kind, bamboo, tikka plant or even lovely conifers will look quite nice, also as a backdrop to your pool area. I would also place a beautiful urn or two strategically near the pool, to add character and colour. I would finally add an order of large stones for good effect.

Hi Jenny, I'd suggest popping into your local nursery (not big box store). Often they will offer a consultation service where they can come out and help suggest plants that suit your aspect, climate and situation. The other option is to have a consultation with a local landscape designer or horticulturalist who specialises in planting. Check your local landscape association or AILDM for listings in your area. An outlay now could save you $$$'s in the longer term, as well as making sure that what you do spend your money on is going to give you the most bang for your buck. They'll also have local knowledge as to what can potentially become weeds. Just remember you can't plant anything against the fence that can be considered climbable - this can include hedges. Have a look at the link I included above as to what the definition of climbable is. Look for lush and green to link in with the background. Some pops of colour; maybe foliage (eg alternanthera) or flower (bougainvillea or mandevilla) will also help to lift it and make the green more green. Small growing varieties of lomandra may be better than the large one you have there - this could easily be moved, divided and used elsewhere.

Has no-one any idea how totally destructive ALL Ficus plants are - especially around pools. If people dont know anything at all about plants, then they should leave advice to the experts. Ficus have horrific root systems. It may take 10 to 20 years for the damage to become evident, but the damage costs a lot of money to resolve. Experienced and plant knowledgeable garden designers know NEVER to use Ficus in any situation other than in pots - and even here they need to be raised pots off the ground. Do not offer advice if you are plant ignorant. Many landscapers plant and walk away, with no accountability for their flawed advice or landscaping. They can be sued for this. Plant growers grow these plants because of the demand - not because they are good plants. A reputable Horticulturist-designer would never suggest Ficus planted into a garden - especially around a pool. Their roots are shockers.