As with any landscape plan, the more year-round color  you have, the more enjoyable your landscape is. Choose a  mixture of evergreen shrubs, deciduous trees and colorful  perennials. Fill in open spaces with annuals or pots of  colorful flowers. Attach hanging baskets to fences and  posts, making sure they're securely fastened and out of  the way of volleyballs and other flying pool toys. Gravel mulches  and other types of materials will prevent mud from  splashing onto your deck and furniture.

If you want more shade over your pool, consider planting  more trees, but avoid using fruit or nut trees that will  drop their bounty on the deck or in the pool. Pecan  shells, for example, stain plaster. Crape myrtles are  beautiful in bloom, but if they're close to the pool  you'll need to be vigilant about skimming blossoms off  the water. Trees with big leaves can clog filters and damage  pool equipment if left unattended.

If you have a spa adjacent to your pool, you can  easily convert it to a child's wading pool by installing  a "Minipool Spa Floor." The durable plastic  material rests on the seat of your spa and creates a  shallow pool. Small holes allow water circulation, and  you can still operate the normal spa functions (heated  water, jet action, bubbles). For information, call (214) 245-8856.

Containers of colorful plants at  poolside provide year-round interest at this North Texas  home.

• Build up a portion of one of the pool walls to create  a raised bed for shrubs, colorful flowers and  sun-loving fragrant herbs.
• Shrubs for shade: azaleas (build in a raised bed  of peat moss), aucuba, cleyera, Japanese yew, some  hollies and viburnum.
• Shrubs for full sun: crape myrtle, Texas sage,  Indian hawthorn, red barberry, nandina, some  hollies, banana trees, Mexican fan palm.
• Double-check the plants' compatibility with the site.  Some shrubs such as crape myrtles and Indian hawthorns  do poorly on slopes because water drains away  from their roots. Begonias and impatiens  typically don't do well close to the pool because  they're incompatible with chlorine.
• Bring your pool into the '90s with brick or stone coping  and aggregate decking. A new product, "Pebble  Tec," is an interior finish that gives a more  natural look.
• Drainage is critical in landscaping around a pool.  Poor drainage causes soggy soil which can affect  deck and pool movement, and may flood or kill  your plants.
• Use fertilizers cautiously around pool areas.  Spills can cause rust spots on the plaster.
• Disguise pool equipment by erecting a wooden trellis  and covering it with ivy or flowering vines. Or,  fence it off and surround it with shrubs. Hang  garden ornaments from the fence and install hooks  for towels and robes.
• Pool covers are a good defense against leaves piling  up in your pool during the winter months. Pool  covers even come in different colors if you really  want to coordinate your backyard.