Water alone is colorless and without form, but in the hands of landscape architects
Jorge Sanchez and Phil Maddux, water becomes fluid sculpture. For a young Palm Beach
couple, they created a garden oasis surrounding a pool that transcends a mere place
to take a swim. "We created an object of beauty that can also work as a pool," said
Sanchez. "Sometimes, the swimming part is secondary." Although the pool and its landscaping
are done on a large scale, the design is filled with ideas that apply to almost any
pool.
The pool as sculpture
Let's face it, a great majority of the time, pools sit empty. Realizing this, Sanchez
and Maddux create landscapes that integrate water for maximum visual impact. "We suggest
that people don't put lights inside their pool," says Phil Maddux." Pools with dark
interiors act like mirrors as the sun goes down. It's a beautiful effect." The interior
of the Palm Beach pool is covered with small, dark-blue tiles. During the day, the dark
tiles saturate the water with a deep blue glow. At night, the pool is transformed into
a reflecting pool.
The architects found inspiration for the pool in the gardens at Alhambra, a Moorish
castle in Granada, Spain. In keeping with the look of the fountains at Alhambra, Sanchez
and Maddux integrated water jets into the sides of the pool. The arcing jets turn the
pool into an exotic fountain.
A pool with such royal heritage could quickly become uninviting, but Sanchez and Maddux
didn't forget the fun. "The owners wanted a lap pool, so we elongated it," says Sanchez.
"The pool is beautiful and useful for the adults and for the kids -- it can be a blast."
Pool plants
Pools can be tough on landscaping because they can reflect a lot of the southern sun.
So Sanchez is particular about which plants are fit for placement near the pool. "Choose
plants as bomb-proof as possible," he says. For the Palm Beach pool garden, Sanchez
and Maddux chose poolside plants with a variety of color and height. Foxtail palms tower
over the pool. Ruellia Brittoniana 'Purple Showers', yellow Thryallis, pinwheel
jasmine, and tarragon bordering the long sides of the pool enhance the garden's
color palette.
Outdoor living areas
The pool garden is surrounded with secluded sitting areas. A pergola, intertwined with
Thunbergia grandiflora, creates a living ceiling above a sitting area at the
far end of the pool. Some of the areas are shaded under plant-filled canopies and others
are open to the sun. "We look at the play of light and shape on both the garden and
pool," explains Sanchez.
Sanchez and Maddux work the pool into the landscape to create an outdoor living room
that's an extension of the house. The pool is laid out on a formal, straight-line axis,
but the edges are softened with flowers, vines, and potted plants.
