Canna lillies are very pretty and enjoy the sun and aren't very messy. They will grow tall if you let them, and come in lovely leaf variations and bloom colors that work with bop. I like them way better !

How deep is your planter ? Why don't you stick a small meyers lemon in ? It will offer variety and refreshing lemonade in those hot riverside summers (and winters - I have a crop just ripening now). Then, they would be good in a big terra cotta pot on your cement too.

What are winter low temps? These are some low water and low maintenance ones.

Agapanthus

Dietes (Fortnight Lily)

Erigeron - as a spiller, low water

Kangaroo Paw

Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker Plant) - too much sun ???

Nandina (Heavenly bamboo)

Succulents

Check the Sunset Western Garden Book, available at most public libraries. They have a good section on "What to plant around a pool".

Nandina, coleonema, dietes, phoenix roebellini if it's not actually over the pool, aloes, agaves, dracena, ivy geraniums. I don't know about the cannas- I love them but they need a lot of water and they get very ratty in the wind.
The phoenix roebellini is easy and cheap, and stays relatively small while giving a tropical look. I also use asparagus ferns, but I don't usually put them in the ground. They might look good trailing over a planter wall, though.

Ronda may we see a picture?

Riverside also, specifically Riverside County hills overlooking Hemet. Poolside we have queen palms and society garlic and 3 sago palms. We also have a fig tree about 10' away, and it's all good! The Society garlic rocks! We have many citrus close to the pool, and a hedge of Moringa Oleifera.

I'm not a fan of the ratty looking B of P. Flowers are nice, but the things grow huge and clump and look really ratty!

I would help if you posted photos of the area and planters. Not so sure about Phoenix roebelenii. They do have some wicked sharp spines, so anyone backing up to one of them in their bathing suit might be in for a very painful experience. I have many of them all through my landscape, but in areas for the most part, where you would not accidentally walk or fall into one. So, better to use them maybe in the back of the planter, away from where people are walking? Society garlic stinks, and again, probably not great in an area where you're going to hang out in a pool, sitting at the edge. Miniature Bird of Paradise actually stays very nice, and when the flowers are spent, just prune them away. New flowers will emerge. Nandina, coleonema, dietes are all good choices. Also, there are some really spectacular new Coprosma hybrids out there that have just spectacular foliage colors. You can mix and match different Coprosma cultivars with their different leaf colors and really have something beautiful. Aucuba japonica cultivars (needs a fair amount of water), Cordylines, Autralian Tree ferns, Bronze Loquat, Fatsia japonica (False Aralia), Plumeria, Agapanthus, Alpinia (Ginger Lily - love these), Clivia is you have shade, Day lilies, Liriope, Phormiums (Flax), to name a few more good options that don't litter, can take the sun, water wise, have pretty or interesting foliage, and don't attract bees (so much). Also, succulents make excellent poolside companions as well. Large agaves (preferrably ones without spines) and aloes, Secencios (like Blue Chalk Fingers), Aeoniums, Kalanchoe cultivars are all good choices.

Patty S.

This post was edited by hoosierquilt on Tue, Nov 19, 13 at 18:27