Pool lanais going green

Interior Plant Scapes filled the right back corner, shown above, of the pool lanai of John and Joyce Blatner with two decorative planters and plants, at the right. The plants brighten bare space. Homeowners who have pools appreciate every chance to be poolside.

Whether to relax with family or entertain guests, many spend a lot of time on the lanai. So, it's no surprise they are sprucing up those areas by adding plants.

"People want to live in their outdoor lanais," says Brad Miller, owner and president of Interior Plant Scapes in Fort Myers. "It is Florida, and that is an extension of our living area."

For 25 years Mr. Miller's company has installed potted plants for mostly commercial venues, including downtown Fort Myers as part of the revitalization there. In 2003, he introduced the Pool and Patio Scapes line that's ideal for residential clients.

"We never liked to do exterior potted plants," he says, "because it was so hard to get enough water to them. Subirrigation is a way to have a reservoir of water underneath the roots, so the plants can take up the water when they need it."

COURTESY PHOTOS The sub-irrigation system features two tubes buried vertically on opposite sides inside the planter. The tubes are filled with water to create a reservoir at the base of the planter. When the plant needs it, the water moves up to the roots.

Mr. Miller says the company specializes in potted plants, rather than plants rooted in the ground, because of the success in maintaining them. The company's 2-acre site in South Fort Myers has a greenhouse full of stock and a back shed with planters of assorted size, shape and color.

"Because we live in the tropics, people really want a tropical look, a lot of palms," he says. "We try to be very careful to not have plants that are shedding a lot of leaves."

Ten to 20 non-flowering plants are installed in a normal job, he says, and they may be 10 to 12 feet high to allow room for growth in the pool cage. "It's a very common problem that they get too tall," he says.

The company's literature includes a selection guide of 35 plants, but homeowners may opt for other choices. Majesty, lady and adonidia palms are usual choices, greenhouse manager Quentin Schmidt says, with grasses frequent picks for underplantings. Crotons add color without having flowers. "We try to use the stuff that isn't problematic," he says.

Interior Plant Scapes technicians installed these two planters in an entryway at the home of John and Joyce Blatner. The bright blue ceramic planters of varying size have textured finishes. "The Asiatic jasmine is really hearty," he notes, "and they'll even drape down the side. They give a little more character."

The Vietnamese ceramic planter has become a preferred choice among homeowners. The glazed planters have 12- to 24-inch diameters, Mr. Miller says. Some on the company's site are as high as 26 inches, in hues such as navy and burgundy. Some have a top or middle ornamental band, others textured finishes. Many are round at all points. A few have a square top and base with a slight curve in between.

The other common planter is the Italian terra cotta replica, which is guaranteed for life not to break or fade. The IPS greenhouse site has mostly brown solid replicas, the kind normally seen in commercial projects or dated residential plans.

Mary Louise Chiappetta Planters tend to be grouped in pairs or threes. Sometimes they are of different heights and widths. "The staggering does give a more full look," Mr. Schmidt says.

IPS outfitted the entryway, courtyard and pool lanai of John and Joyce Blatner in Estero. People who want plants in the pool area usually want some at the home's front, too, because Mr. Miller says "they want to have a more welcoming entrance."

The Blatners have ceramic containers of varying size, color, shape and texture. For example, they have a grouping of two planters with a square top and bottom in a solid brown shade. An entryway has two round planters that are bright blue with decorative black and dark blue streaks. "The containers are almost equal to the beauty of the plants," Mr. Miller says. "They really bring color."

IPS technicians installed on each front side of the pool waterfall a round planter in goldish brown, with thin streaks top to bottom. Each has a middle band and a mid-sized palm and grassy underplanting. "They had a great fountain," Mr. Miller says. "It didn't make any sense to put plants behind that fountain."

Along the back of the lanai, the Blatners have furniture where they can appreciate their water view. For homes along water, preserve or golf course, technicians try to keep planters low or to the lanai corners, which Mr. Miller calls "dead space," so as to not obstruct the view.

The plants by the Blatners' seating are low. Matching planters in a dark finish, fitted with mid-size plants, occupy the sides of the two-seat chair. By the nearby table and chairs are two higher, wider planters, also in a dark finish. One has a tall palm showing a lot of trunk, the other a short, full palm. Even with the wider spread of a low plant such as a fan palm, the planter still can be a part of a grouping.

Mary Louise Chiappetta has had IPS install and maintain plants in the pool lanai at two residences over the past five years. She says she added the plants "to dress it up. It looks so bare if you don't have anything."

She says she and relatives, including her parents who winter here, are on the lanai often and enjoy meals there. Her plants, primarily palms, line the sides of the pool, although she also has planters at the home's entry. "Most of them are large, just because it works better," she says. "It's beautiful. They (IPS technicians) take great care of them. They always replace if something is wrong."

IPS offers a plant care plan — technicians visit weekly or biweekly, at additional cost to installation, which Mr. Miller estimates at $1,000 or more.