Question
I resently installed a pool.  I want to put a hummingbird garden right next to the pool.  I live In Indiana.  I have small children and i didn't know what to put in around the pool that the chlorine wouldn't kill and would still attract hummingbirds

Answer
Hi Amy,

I apologize for the delay in my response. I was set for "vacation" and you are my first returning question...didn't notice you were in my mailbox. I am glad to help you out, though.

I did a little research on the topic of chlorine and plants and this is some of what I found:

"Generally the residential pool does not exceed 3 PPM (parts per million) of Chlorine at any given time. This is well below the threshold of harming a plant or grass during OCCASSIONAL contact. The bigger problem comes from pH levels, which many home owners don't monitor closely. Some plants like low pH, some like high. This will affect your plant more than chlorine (which is usually destroyed by UV light from the sun in a matter of hours after the water has evaporated)"

So, my suggestion is to find a list of plants that hummingbirds like and then check the pH requirements of those plants. If they are particular about their pH you may need to monitor the soil.

To reduce splashing on your plants you might also invest in building a 2 foot raised bed (depending on how close this bed is to your pool).

It sounds as if you have no worries as far as the chlorine goes.

Here is a list of hummingbird plants from Monrovia:
http://monrovia.com/learn/plant_catalog/search.php?search_term=&search_term_add=...

I hope this helps!! Let me know :-)