Tulsa Landscape Design Challenges - Slopes

Slopes in your landscape can make designing your perfect outdoor living space much more of a challenge. Numerous Tulsa residents find themselves with this type of landscape design problem because so many Tulsa homes were built on the area’s beautiful hillsides. These steep hillside slopes can be rather tricky to garden, but it’s important to landscape these areas to prevent costly and possibly even calamitous erosion and drainage complications. What are some ways to landscape slopes to prevent these kinds of issues?

Make some walls.

Erosion takes place when surface runoff moves downhill taking with it loose soil. The faster the water flows down a slope, the more soil it likely will take with it. Thus, to effectively control erosion, the rate at which water flows downhill must be decreased, and yet still allow for drainage. Carefully constructed retaining walls and terraces can be very adept at preventing soil erosion and flooding. Retaining walls can be made using a variety of decorative hardscape materials such as natural stones, brick, interlocking blocks, concrete, wood, or cinder blocks. Because of their decorative appearance, retaining walls can add dimension and character to your landscape. They can be textured and aged or smooth and symmetrical, adding a decorative structure and organization to the landscape while holding back an embankment and creating level areas of land.

However, retaining walls must be properly built so they can withstand the pressure of weather, time, and other elements. These retaining walls need to also complement your property’s drainage and irrigation system to be effective. Several shorter terraces are often more effective than one or two larger segments because the more gradual the slope, the less chances there are for runoff.

Put nature to work.

Woody shrubs and trees that have a deep network of roots can help bind the various layers of soil together. Over time or through construction, these soil layers can become weak and less compact. Thus, plants with a strong root system can help keep the soil layers intact and slow water runoff. Hardy, drought-resistant plants like succulents, groundcovers, and native plants that are plentiful in Oklahoma will help reduce erosion and even help combat weeds. These plants are also usually more low-maintenance plants, providing easy maintenance for you landscape.

Rocks and boulders provide another decorative means of slowing the flow of water down a slope. Add native plants or shrubs behind these stone hardscapes and you’ll create a beautifully natural landscape. Make sure boulders are packed tightly into the soil.

Steps that stabilize.

Meandering steps can be used to help guests up what would otherwise be a difficult slope. You could make a series of steps in a winding or zigzag pattern that adds personality and charm to the hillside. Plant colorful shrubs or groundcover next to the curving stairway to create even more interest and help prevent surface runoff.

Use Water to the Full

While surface runoff can cause much erosion damage, you can work with the water by diverting it through a stream, waterfall, or other water feature along a shallow slope. Fill in the stream with rocks and you have a natural creek bed. Thus, your babbling brook can safely allow water to flow downstream and form another visual piece for your landscape.

Because of the delicate nature of slopes, soil, and their proper drainage patterns, it’s often best to seek the advice of professional landscape designers before making any major adjustments to your slope or hillside. The Tulsa landscape designers at Oklahoma Landscape will be glad to help you correct or prevent drainage and erosion issues by properly landscaping your hillside or slope.

We provide a complete range of landscape architecture, drainage, irrigation, and hardscape services to help you ‘find yourself outside’ in your beautiful and engaging landscape.

Tulsa Outdoor Fireplaces - Transform Your Outdoor Living Space

Nothing creates in your outdoor living space the warmth - figurative and literal - that an outdoor fireplace can. Many Tulsa residents are putting in outdoor fireplaces to their outdoor living areas as they see the increased flexibility and value they offer their space.

Outdoor fireplaces also permit you to extend your time outdoors both earlier in the spring and later in the fall. This accounts for why fireplaces are one of the most popular outdoor living additions. When the nights start getting colder, outdoor fireplaces create the perfect place for warm conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Or to have an elegant dinner party for clients or a cozy night by the fire with family and friends. Extending your outdoor living season with a fireplace allows you to extend your time in your outdoor kitchen as well. An outdoor fireplace is the perfect counterpart to your outdoor kitchen, pool, or spa.

An outdoor fireplace can instantly transform any backyard into an upscale outdoor living space. A plain patio can transform into a sophisticated lounge area with the romantic ambiance of a stone fireplace. They can become the dramatic focal point of any outdoor area and really anchor the outdoor environment. Outdoor fireplaces turn regular outdoor living spaces into a kind of luxury resort retreat. By adding a sense of style and luxury to your outdoor space, this outdoor element can thus expressively increase the value of your home and property.

Outdoor fireplaces can be made using a variety of hardscape materials like concrete, stone, and brick and be custom-designed in a variety of styles to match the architecture of your home. From Mediterranean, Old World style, or with a Spanish theme, outdoor fireplaces can be as basic or ornate as you would like. Adjacent seating can be installed for pleasant  conversation or dining by the fire.

A stone, brick, or concrete wall can be added to the fireplace to create a “dividing” effect to different areas of your outdoor space. A pergola, roof, or other outdoor structure is can built to encapsulate the fireplace to provide protection from the weather. Thus, you can comfortably sit by the fire and watch snow cover the rest of your landscape.

These visual design elements offer a wide variety of uses in a wide variety of entertainment settings. Providing warmth, light, and sometimes cooking, depending on the design and fuel sources, outdoor fireplaces offer great flexibility.
Offering a distinctive ambiance and luxurious style, outdoor fireplaces were among the ‘most wanted additions’ in the 2013 Outdoor Living Trends survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The Tulsa outdoor fireplace designers at Oklahoma Landscape would be glad to design and build a custom fireplace for your outdoor space. We can coordinate it to perfectly match your home, lifestyle, and entertaining needs. Our custom outdoor fireplaces are built with quality design features and materials so that your family can enjoy them for many years to come. Check out our Outdoor Living Gallery for outdoor fireplace and fire pit design ideas.

How to Keep Rabbits And Deer From Getting Into Your Tulsa Garden

We may enjoy watching beautiful deer and rabbits in the wild, but they’re not always so pretty when seen eating the flowers and vegetables in our backyard. Are rabbits and deer constantly feasting on your garden? What can you do to keep these critters away?

One way to ward off rabbits and deer is to plant foliage that is uninviting to these animals. You may try planting some aromatic perennials that rabbits and deer don’t favor. Here are few: catnip plants, echinacea, chives, lavender, garlic, yarrow, peony, , and columbine or honeysuckle. Although humans often enjoy the smell of many of these perennials, wildlife like deer and rabbits can actually be repelled by the strong scent of these plants. You can plant these perennials around the border of your garden or property to help repel these animals.

Along with plants that have repelling smells to certain wildlife, many fragrant soaps can act as repellents. You can hang these bars of deodorant soap, preferably wet, on trees or plants around your landscape to repel pests.

Some gardeners also make natural deer and rabbit repellents combining ingredients like red pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder, eggs, etc. and making them into a mix that these animals do not like and applying it to various plants in the garden.

Along with deer and rabbit repellent plants, many gardeners also use deer or rabbit-resistant plants. These are trees, shrubs, and plants that animals do not like to eat so they don’t disturb your garden in the first place. Deer-resistant plants, trees, and shrubs include blue spruce, juniper, birch, boxwoods, iris, daffodil, lilac, barberry, and holly. Plants that are rabbit-resistant are a little harder to tell but some include daffodils, birch, hydrangea, elderberry, lilac, sedum, and yucca. Planting shrubs that have thorns, fuzzy leaves, or thistles is also a good deterrent.

 A good fence around your garden is must in terms of effective ways of keeping these animals out. To keep rabbits out, you’ll need to have a fine mesh fencing around the lower 2 feet. Fences will need to be around 8 feet high to keep out whitetail deer, or they can be slightly lower (around 6 feet) but be slanted. Solid wooden fences will of course be the best deterrent for deer so that they can’t see what’s on the other side.

Your much-loved dog or cat might also be one of the best deterrents for deer and rabbits.  Other tactics include scaring the animals away with radios, scarecrows, loud wind chimes, and motion-sensitive floodlights.

Talk with the Tulsa landscape design specialists at Oklahoma Landscape for more tips on how to protect your garden from deer, rabbits, and insects.

Tulsa Lawn Care Tips - Getting Ready For Fall

With fall approaching here in Oklahoma, you may be thinking that this year's Tulsa lawn care days are almost over. It may be true that you won’t have to mow the lawn as much now, but there are some necessary fall Tulsa lawn care items you may need to still need to handle to get your lawn prepared for winter.

It's important to take care of your lawn in the fall as it will help to ensure that you'll have a vibrant and healthy lawn in the springtime. Here is a few fall lawn care tips to help you get started.

Lawn Fertilization

Likely the heat of summer has taken a toll on your lawn, so fall is a good time to replenish nutrients in the soil with a slow-release fertilizer. This lawn fertilization in the fall will build the underground root system so that the roots are stronger and the grass recovers faster from drought and heat. This lawn fertilization for your Tulsa lawn will also help the soil to have the nutrients it needs to be strong in the spring. It’s ideal to fertilize your lawn four-to-six weeks before the first frost is due to occur.

Overseeding Tulsa Lawns

Often a lawn can start looking a little thin and worn-out, which can happen because of summer’s heat and just the passing of time. Overseeding in the fall will help it to be lush again. Overseeding or seeding your lawn with a new layer of cool-season grass over existing turf will fill in any thin or bare spots and help your lawn be more resilient to diseases and weeds.

Fall is a great time to overseed your lawn because the soil is still warm enough for the seeds to germinate, and yet the air is cool enough to prevent weeds from cropping up. There are many other reasons why fall is often the best time for overseeding.

 Lawn Aeration

Before overseeding your lawn, you might need to aerate the soil, which involves removing small core patches of dirt, thatch, grass, and if the soil is compacted aerating the lawn will help the soil and roots get more water, oxygen, and nutrients. This will help the roots of the new grass seeds to grow strong and healthy.

Some wonder if they need to rake all the leaves in their yard. Commonly, if the leaf coverage is covering the lawn so much that the grass can’t be seen, then the leaves need to be raked because they can prevent air and sunlight from reaching the grass. Thus, it’s best not to wait until all the leaves have fallen before you begin raking. A light layer of mulched leaves applied later in the season can provide the lawn with nutrients and protect it from colder weather. However, if the mulch is too thick or gets too moist before it decomposes, it can begin to choke out the grass or cause lawn disease.

Watering

Even with the weather getting colder, your Tulsa lawn will still need regular irrigation in the drought conditions. While the ground temperatures are above freezing, lawns can have infrequent, deep watering to help roots grow deep into the soil.

The Tulsa lawn care experts at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your fall lawn maintenance needs, giving your lawn the right fertilization at the right time, as well as aerating, and overseeding your lawn so that it will look healthy, beautiful, and ready for the coming spring!

Beautify Your Tulsa Landscape With Plants That Add Color In The Fall

Fall is in the air and soon leaves will change colors and the cool fall breeze will brush through the Tulsa landscape. People love the fall season for the display of colors that can be seen across all of Oklahoma, but especially here in Green Country. For an even more colorful fall season, many homeowners plant shrubs, trees, and perennials that are known for their amazing colors in the fall.

The Virginia Sweetspire is a showcase-worthy shrub with great ornamental fall colors. Growing in either shade or sun, the Virginia Sweetspire will display little white flowers in the summer, and then its green leaves will turn to a bright red, yellow, orange, or even rich burgundy color during fall.

A tough deciduous shrub that affords an outstanding display of fall color with orange-red fall foliage is the Chokeberry. This shrub thrives in open sunlight but can tolerate partial shade as well. The Amur Maple offers nice red color during the fall and can act either as shrub or a small tree depending on how it’s managed. Also, different varieties of Sumac provide stunning displays of fall color with yellow, scarlet, orange and foliage. These Sumacs are hardy shrubs that thrive in full sun and shouldn’t be confused with their poison sumac cousin.

Naturally, Maple trees will add a nice display of color to your Tulsa landscape this fall. From the widespread Red Maple to the Japanese Maple, these trees are known for their crimson colors and elegant, unique shapes. The Autumn Purple Ash tree is another fall favorite with reddish-purple leaves that change earlier in the season than other trees. Dogwoods afford great color during any season with white and pink flowers in the spring and purplish-red leaves in the fall.

Sedums are a vibrant perennial for fall color as are Helenium, Fall Crocus, Asters and the brilliant Colchicum. These are all wonderful perennials that bloom in the fall and can bring a boost of color to your garden late in the season. For a little contrast, the Russian Sage is a perennial that has a collection of purple-blue flowers from mid-summer to fall.

Beautify your Tulsa landscape this fall with some of these brilliant late season trees and shrubs.

For more ideas on how to add a splash of amazing color to your fall landscape, contact the Tulsa landscape design specialists at Oklahoma Landscape. We can create a unique color palate for your Tulsa home and garden and create brilliant interest in your landscape throughout the year.

Lawn Care Tips - Tulsa Irrigation System Maintenance

Irrigation systems are excellent for helping keep your lawn healthy and looking great all summer long by providing your lawn the right amount of watering. Lawns that are healthy tend to be less susceptible to disease, insects, weeds, and drought. Healthy lawns help to lessen soil erosion and surface water runoff. Thus, your Tulsa irrigation system plays a key role in maintaining a healthy, vibrant lawn, as well as helping with water conservation and reducing the time needed to maintain your lawn.

But, just as your lawn needs regular maintenance, your irrigation system also needs maintenance in order to function correctly. What can you do to make sure your irrigation system is working properly?


Your automatic irrigation system will need a thorough check-up and maintenance overlook both the start and end of the season. It’s often best to have a professional Tulsa irrigation company perform the spring start-up maintenance and then also winterize your irrigation system in the fall.
But throughout the season, regular inspection of your irrigation system will ensure it’s still functioning properly and help to prevent more expensive sprinkler repairs.

So, every month or so, it’s important to inspect your irrigation system for any broken components or leaks.

Make sure sprinkler heads and nozzles are not broken and are aligned correctly, watering the specific area of the lawn. Brown spots or constant damp spots in your lawn are both indications that your sprinkler system may have a damaged component or that the sprinkler heads are facing the wrong direction. You may need to adjust the sprinkler heads a little to ensure they are watering the lawn and not the sidewalk or home. Also check to see that the sprinkler’s spray is not blocked by plants or other things.

Replace any broken or damaged sprinkler heads. These components can often be damaged accidentally by lawn equipment, become clogged, or just wear out over time.

Inspect your entire irrigation system for any leaks and for the right amount of water pressure. When checking your automatic irrigation system for leaks or improper water pressure, it’s good to run the system one zone at a time so that you can easily pinpoint any problem spots. Low pressure can often indicate a line break.

Proper winterization of your Tulsa irrigation system is vital to ensure pipes do not break during the cold winter weather and that everything will work correctly again come springtime.

The Tulsa automatic irrigation system specialists at Oklahoma Landscape are skilled at designing, installing, checking, and maintaining your whole sprinkler system. We can handle all of the maintenance and regular system audits as well as winterization of your irrigation system to make sure it’s always working at the optimum level of performance. We service all brands of irrigation systems and sprinklers and can effectively diagnose problems so that you conserve water and your lawn continues to be, lush, vibrant and healthy.

Great Uses Of Low-Maintenance Plants In Tulsa Landscape Design

In Tulsa, and really all of Oklahoma we know first-hand how tough it can be for plants, wildlife, and even us to survive the heat of summer. To combat the effects of a long drought and overall help with the global conservation of water and resources, many Tulsa landscape designers are using low-maintenance landscaping techniques.

This type of Tulsa landscape design makes use of plants native to the area that are already better suited for the Oklahoma weather and also drought-resistant plants. Native plants are also typically more resistant to local disease and insects. Using these types of plants can often lessen your landscape’s need for irrigation and maintenance. Succulents like cacti, aloe, and sedum are very tolerant of dry weather, although they do need more water during their growing season and do best in soil that drains well.

Ornamental grasses such as blue oat grass, feather reedgrass, and purple fountain grass are another kind of decorative foliage that can, withstand conditions with less water. Some groundcover plants and shrubs can also do well in these conditions. Groundcover can also be used on slopes to replace lawn areas that are difficult to mow.

Using low-maintenance or xeriscaping techniques can also include grouping plants together with similar watering and sunlight needs so that less water is wasted when caring for these plants. This form of landscape design also groups together plants that tend to require a similar amount of maintenance, which in turn will make landscaping and lawn work overall simpler.

Hardscapes are also used in low-maintenance landscaping to cut back on the resources and energy used for landscape maintenance. A stone walkway or paver pathway can lessen the amount of regular maintenance while also creating an added dimension to your landscape.

Another part of low-maintenance landscape design in Tulsa is preparing the soil well for native plants and shrubs. Making sure the soil is healthy with regular lawn fertilization will help reduce its need for water. Using mulch or compost can also help your soil retain water better in addition to preventing erosion and weeds.

The Tulsa landscape design architects at Oklahoma Landscape would more than glad to help you create a low-maintenance landscape design plan that’s geared to your particular landscape with the perfect plants, shrubs, and hardscapes to complement your home and lifestyle.

How To Use Plants For Edging In Great Tulsa Landscape Design

In landscape design we often find nature combined with artistic expression. Using a variety of plant colors and textures makes a landscape look like a living piece of art and generates the peaceful ambiance where friends and family can have fun and relax.

One aspect of Tulsa landscape design is creating definition to a space with edging. Many different plants and materials can be used to edge a landscape or separate one space from another. Sometimes hardscapes such as brick, stones, or pavers are used as edging around a flower bed or along a pathway. But there are a number of plants that work great for landscape edging.

Better Homes and Gardens highlighted a good amount of flowers and plants that are perfect for edging. Here are a few of their picks for best garden borders:

Known as “nearly the perfect plants” by Better Homes and Gardens, sedums look great from the day they sprout with different varieties hosting pink, red, orange, and white flowers. Varieties such as Matrona, they noted, create a cool edge with taller plants behind them. These plants are also very drought-tolerant and need little care.

Japanese forestgrass is a terrific fit for the shade, it thrives in it and creates “compact mounds of gracefully arching foliage” that makes a nice accent along borders. Lady’s Mantle is great for “softening the edge of a shaded path or creating a groundcover” with its groups of chartreuse flowers and scalloped leaves.

Alyssum, they revealed, is a nice annual edging plant. With its compact design and dense spray of tiny pink, white, or lavender flowers, the alyssum makes quite a colorful bouquet of edging for your flower bed.

The thrift plant, “Covering itself with adorable bobbing pink flowers,”  makes a delightful edging plant or groundcover. This perennial has grassy foliage combined with little clusters of colorful flowers.

Some herbs like English lavender, sage, and thyme also make great edging plants. Other edible plants for edges and borders include strawberries and rhubarb.

 The Tulsa landscape design professionals at Oklahoma Landscape can help you design the perfect garden for your home. We can help you choose the edging plants that are right for your pathway or border to create a crisp, polished look for your Tulsa landscape.

Tulsa Lawn Care - All Stage Weed Control

Every gardener knows just how fast weeds can take over a lawn, stealing water, nutrients, and sunlight from the surrounding grass. So it makes good sense to have an effective Tulsa weed control treatment in place for every stage and season of a weed’s life. With just a few weed control applications throughout the year, your lawn can be healthy and look beautiful and effervescent.

In the early spring, you’ll want to start by controlling broadleaf weeds like dandelions and ragweed as well as annual grassy weeds like crabgrass (all of which will grow rapidly in Oklahoma) by using a pre-emergent weed control herbicide. Use one that is toxic to both types of weeds, broadleaf and grassy weeds. Apply this using a broadcast spreader after you have mowed the lawn a couple times at the beginning of the season. Apply the herbicide also along sidewalks where crabgrass often tends to grow more. This weed control treatment will help to abate these weeds before they even develop and overtake your lawn.

Later in the season, you might still see a few dandelions or crabgrass weeds that don’t want to go. Most of these can quickly be dealt with using a spot-treatment post-emergent weed control herbicide. Concentrated herbicides that you mix with water yourself are commonly a better value. These can be used with a handheld sprayer to spot-treat any weeds or crabgrass. You can find a spot-treatment herbicide that kills both broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds, but you may have to use different weed control spot-treatments for broadleaf and grassy weeds as well. Follow the directions on the package for prepping and when to apply the weed control treatment, usually when temperatures are below 85 degrees F. for a few days.

Interestingly, one of the best ways to keep weeds away doesn’t involve weed control herbicides. Keeping your lawn well-maintained with proper lawn fertilization, irrigation, and mowing will help to crowd out pesky weeds and stop them from overtaking the lawn. Healthy lawns can better defend against weeds so having a good lawn care and maintenance schedule is really key to preventing weeds.

If weeds have already overtaken your lawn late in the season, you may need to spray the entire weedy area with a post-emergent weed control herbicide using a sprayer attached to a hose, getting the weeds wet. You may need to apply a different herbicide for broadleaf and grassy weeds. Again a concentrated post-emergent herbicide that you mix yourself will be a better value. Apply the herbicide on calm days so that the herbicide is not inadvertently carried to other plants and flowers that it could also harm.

If you would rather not have the hassle of applying weed control treatments, the Tulsa weed control experts at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your lawn care needs. We offer a custom 6-step Tulsa weed control and fertilization program for your lawn that will keep it lush, vibrant, and weed-free all year. Call us today for more details!

Tips for Tulsa Lawn Care - Using Mulch

Mulch may not be the first thing you think of when pondering how to enhance your garden, but it’s actually one of the best things you can add. Mulch can help in many ways; It protects plants and their roots from extreme temperatures and helps them absorb and retain water better. Mulch keeps a garden healthier, more resistant to drought and is great for weed control while improving soil quality. Adding mulch to your garden can save much time and energy and help to simplify your other Tulsa lawn care tasks.

But how much do you need and which type of mulch should you add?

There are various types of inorganic and organic mulch. Inorganics, like stone or gravel can be good to use around areas that are likely to get washed out, and black plastic and landscape fabrics are helpful in vegetable gardens to help warm the soil and hold moisture.Organic mulches like cedar bark, wood chips, shredded leaves, hay, compost, and grass clippings will add nutrients to the soil as they decompose.

Organic mulch is often best because in addition to its other benefits it also adds nutrients to the soil. Different types of organic mulch though can be better for specific areas. For instance, fresh organic mulch will be more effective at controlling weeds than aged mulch, but will take longer to decompose, TheFamilyHandyman.com noted. So fresh mulch won’t add nutrients to the soil as fast as aged mulch to help encourage plant growth, but on the other hand, will last longer. Therefore, fresh mulch may work better around trees and shrubs that need more weed control than nutrients in the soil. Like fresh mulch, large pieces of mulch like wood bark will take longer to decompose and thus will last much longer.

Mulch for your flower bed might consist of shredded leaves from your lawn. Grass clippings can add a great deal of nitrogen to your vegetable garden. These organic and free mulches can help make your gardens healthy and beautiful.

How much mulch should you apply?

A deposit of mulch about 4 inches in depth will often be enough to discourage weed growth and help retain moisture although 2-3 inches may be enough in shadier areas. On slopes, more mulch may be needed to help it stay in place, possibly around 6 inches as it may shift around more frequently.

Before you apply mulch to an area, be sure to weed the soil. Keep about a 6 to 12-inch area around woody stems free from mulch as well as about a 1-inch area around the base of plants and vegetables free from mulch to prevent rapid decay.

While organic mulch helps the soil to retain moisture, it can also prevent the soil from warming in the spring. Thus, mulch will need to be pulled away from around perennials in the spring to allow them to better grow.

The Tulsa lawn care specialists at Oklahoma Landscape can take all the hassle out of lawn and garden maintenance with our custom lawn maintenance, weed control and fertilization programs. Call us today for more information!

Unlock Your Landcape's Full Potential With Tulsa Outdoor Lighting Design

Want to enjoy your backyard past just daylight hours? Carefully positioned landscape lighting for your Tulsa outdoor environment can create an enchanting area to entertain or relax in, well into the evening hours. Here are some Tulsa landscape lighting considerations to get you started.

To begin, decide what you want your outdoor lighting accomplish. That might sound simple…just create more light for at night, right? Well, to have an effective Tulsa outdoor lighting arrangement, you’ll want to consider different spaces of your backyard and what lighting effects are needed for them or what features of your landscape you want to enhance.

For instance, do you want pathway lighting perhaps to help your guests safely navigate to the backyard? Or do you want to showcase a focal point in your landscape like a fountain, pond, or statue? Does your deck or patio need accent lighting to outline the area? What tone or mood do you want your lighting to create for your whole outdoor living space?

Each of these different facets of your landscape can be borne with different types of lighting or different lighting arrangements. Key points like a statue or fountain may need a spotlight. Pathway lighting will of course call for several smaller lights arranged in a row.

Accent lighting needs to be situated so that it highlights but doesn’t overshadow the outdoor living space. This requires a balance of light between the landscape, different hardscape features, and the home itself. Pathway lighting can easily be overdone and begin to look like a runway, so lighting placement is essential.

Tulsa landscape lighting also needs to work well with natural or man-made changes that could occur to the landscape over the course of time like growth of foliage, hardscape additions, and seasonal changes. Outdoor lighting can look very different and out-of-place when these things start to happen if changes were not accounted for in the initial lighting design.

Low voltage lighting can be used to shape pathways, and it's safe, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly.

For more outdoor lighting design tips, call the Tulsa landscape lighting specialists at Oklahoma Landscape. Our outdoor lighting experts can help you get the right tone and style for your particular landscape and home architecture, creating a custom outdoor lighting system that will help you ‘find yourself outside’ and fully enjoy your outdoor living space both during the day and at night.

We came across some very nice, well-balanced lighting designs as can be seen in these photos from our fellow lighting designers. The first photo is from London-based designers My Landscapes. The second photo is via Portland, Oregon designers: Beautiful Bones and Purple Stones.

Selecting Hydrangeas for Your Tulsa Garden

For good reason hydrangeas are one of the most popular landscape shrubs. These beautiful, blooming shrubs are known for producing ball-shaped clusters of small flowers nice mix of colors like pink, blue, purple, and white. Gardeners in Tulsa often love them for their rich blooms that seem to blanket a garden with color.

But with the sometimes extreme and often inconsistent Oklahoma weather, life can be difficult for hydrangeas here. They commonly need a great deal of care to survive the intense Oklahoma heat. So, which varieties of these gorgeous shrubs seem do best in Oklahoma you ask?


There is a reblooming kind hydrangea that blossoms every few weeks in the summer and fall; known as The Endless Summer hydrangea, it can endure the winter weather in Oklahoma better than other varieties and can bloom on both new and old wood. These do best in a partly-shaded area that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. These hydrangeas, like other varieties, need  rich, moist soil that drains well. While they need a lot of water, they don’t do well in soggy or constantly wet areas.

Another kind of hydrangea known as, The Annabelle hydrangea is said to be one of the hardiest with some of the longest blooms.

Examiner.com tells us, “With adequate moisture, ‘Annabelle’ laughs at the Oklahoma summertime,” “Further, because ‘Annabelle’ flowers on new growth, she is never badly hurt by late freezes.”

Annabelles generally bloom from early June through September in Oklahoma. These beautiful landscape shrubs bloom to a bright white before they turn to light green again. The Annabelle is seen to be more drought-tolerant than others and has great disease resistance.
The Oakleaf hydrangeas is also said to be an easier hydrangea to cultivate. Instead of the ball-shaped or “mophead” flower type, the Oakleaf has a unique cone-shaped clusters of white flowers and oak-like leaves that turn a beautiful reddish-purple in the fall.

Because all of these hydrangeas require moist, rich soil, Englishgardens.com recommended adding fertilizer to them during summer while they’re growing. And the vast majority, if not all hydrangeas, will do better planted in the shade or partial-shade, out of the hot afternoon sun.

For more assistance in landscaping your garden, please contact the Tulsa landscape design specialists at Oklahoma Landscape. We can design and build a landscape with the perfect flowers and shrubs for your home’s architecture and that will thrive in the Oklahoma climate.

Tulsa Landscape Ideas - Adding Edible Plants

Do you desire a beautiful landscape to complement our home? Elegant landscape design creates a peaceful place where we can enjoy summer evenings with family, unwind on the weekends,or hospitality entertain friends. But more homeowners are choosing, not just beautiful landscapes, but delicious, edible landscapes elements as well.

With the trend toward organic gardening, homeowners are seeing the many benefits of Tulsa landscape design that includes edible plants, which are as pretty as they are tasty. Edible landscaping is not just about planting a garden in your backyard, but more about including a variety of edible trees, plants, and shrubs throughout your landscape to provide cost-effective, healthy food right at home.

In fact, Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) wrote an article online about how to include edible plants in your landscaping. Here are some of the tips they gave:

A pretty plant that fits well in the flower bed or along the border is Rhubarb, especially when paired with purple-leaved Ajuga or a similar low-growing groundcover. Strawberries are another good groundcover or edging plant for a flowerbed or even planted on a sunny slope as a groundcover.

Miniature and dwarf fruit trees are available that grow about 4 or 5 feet tall and even grow well in pots. These are great for use in smaller yards. Raspberries, the article noted, do great in light to medium shade, making them easy to grow at home.Currant bushes and blueberry make great decorative (and delicious) shrubs.

Instead of traditional vines to grow over an arbor or trellis, the article suggested grapevines or short vining-type vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, and melons. Gorgeous grapevines will grow well over an arbor, plus you can use the leaves for decoration on platters or to top cheeses and salads, BHG said.

Vegetables often do well in containers, the article mentioned. Lettuces come in a different colors, making them ideal for window boxes and along edges of flower beds. Hot peppers also add rich color variety to the landscape, especially when paired with marigolds and vinca. Swiss chard is another vegetable that comes in a “rainbow of colors” that can be paired with other vibrant flowers to create a beautiful Tulsa landscape design.

For more great edible gardening tips, check out the Edible Landscaping article on BHG. If you’d like help to incorporate more edible plants into your landscape, call the Tulsa gardening and landscape design/build experts at Oklahoma Landscape.

Getting Kids to Help with Lawn Care

It's easy to see yard work as a bit laborious, but children can often get excited about helping out with lawn care. Having them help with the yard work is a good activity to do as a family, and helps kids get more exercise, gets them away from electronics, and can help teach them responsibility. So how can you get your children involved with your residential lawn care?

Idealhomegarden.com listed ways to help encourage kids to join you in caring for the lawn. Getting children involved with yard work at an early age (even if they can’t do much) could help them to want to do it as they grow up. Young children especially, as the article said, always want to help their parents, so simply spending time with you while you do yard work can help you draw closer as a family. And as the children grow older, yard work will be associated with good times as family.

Even though young children can’t use lawn care equipment yet, giving children little chores that make them feel needed can go a long way to helping them enjoy lawn care when they get older. Children could possibly be put on weed control, helping to pull weeds in the garden, picking up sticks or any trash in the yard, or even planting or broadcasting seeds. As children get to be around school age, they may be able to help with raking and bagging leaves.

As children get older they can begin to help more with mowing the law and even trimming shrubs, under supervision. Teenagers who are eagerly waiting for their license may be especially excited to get behind the wheel of a riding lawnmower. This can give them some initial training and practice at driving and shifting gears.

Seeing your positive attitude about yard work as parents, as the article noted, can greatly affect how children think of yard work as they grow up. If you have several children, making lawn care into a simple game or contest can help them enjoy it more (and possibly get things done faster).
And while teaching children to get involved with yard work and manage chores is essential, they will also need some playtime, and of course, they need to stay well-hydrated.

“It’s important that any fun that goes on also includes Mom or Dad. You need to have some fun just as much as the children do, and the kids will love every minute of it,” the article noted.
So when you go outside to take care of your Tulsa residential lawn care chores, take your kids along too. The whole family can have an enjoyable time doing yard work together.

Tulsa Lawn Care - How to Choose the Right Lawn Mower

Some Tulsa landscaping companies like Oklahoma Landscape offer residential lawn care and maintenance, yet some homeowners like to mow their lawns themselves. If this is true in your case, a reliable lawn mower is a necessity. But there are many options when it comes to lawn mowers in Tulsa. Which one is the best? Well, it may depend on your particular lawn, how much time you want to devote to lawn care, and other ecological concerns.

Gas, Electric, or Reel Mowers. Lawn mowers come with a variety of power choices. Manual reel mowers, of course, are great for the environment and are good exercise; however, they don’t cut off as much of the blade (1/8” – 1/4”) in one mowing. Thus, with a reel mower, you will probably have to mow more often. There are several kinds of electric mowers, which can be ideal for smaller yards. Some electric mowers are battery-powered and some come with a cord. Some gas-powered mowers have both an electric start and a pull cord making them easier to start if the battery is charged. However, with a battery-powered or electric start mower, you’ll need to keep track of the charger to make sure you can recharge, and it recharges enough to mow the whole lawn. And of course gas mowers will be more powerful than electric or reel mowers and may be a wiser choice for larger or hillier landscapes.

Bag or Mulch mower. You will also need to consider whether you want to collect your grass in a bag or use a mower that mulches the grass and leaves it. Mulching can help to protect the lawn from heat in the summer, retaining more moisture, and provide the lawn with nutrients. However too much mulch, usually from cutting too much grass at one time, can cause large clumps of mulch to accumulate on the lawn. These large clumps of grass can spread disease and fungus which causes the lawn to have yellow areas. With any mower, it’s best to remove no more than 1/3 of the blade during one mowing. If you choose a bag to collect the grass clippings, a rear bag will be easier to maneuver and mow using.

Size and Landscaping of your Lawn. Do you have a large, medium, or small yard? Are there a number of trees and hills in your landscape? Of course, a riding mower or even lawn tractor would be good if you have a large or maybe even a medium-sized lawn with few trees. But for many medium or small lawns, a self-propelled walk-behind mower works well. These mowers may be front or rear-wheel-drive. Front-wheel-drive mowers are easier for mowing around objects like trees or shrubs, whereas a rear-wheel-drive mowers do better at mowing uphill but are not as nimble around obstacles. A walk-behind push mower with a gas engine will mow down taller grass than electric or reel mowers, but they’ll still need to be pushed, so these may be best for smaller, more flat areas.

Also, when choosing a mower, think about where you will be able to have it maintained. Thus, choosing the right lawn mower for your Tulsa landscape will depend on the amount of time and energy you want to put into your yard as well as the size and topography of the lawn itself.

If you decide mowing isn’t for you or it’s taking up too much of your weekend, the Tulsa lawn care experts at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your residential or commercial lawn maintenance.

Lawn Care - Heat Safety Tips

The Oklahoma heat and humidity can be hard on us at times. So when it comes to taking care of weekly residential lawn care chores, what can Tulsa homeowners do to protect themselves from the heat’s ill effects?

Mow early or late. The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) advise residents to limit their outdoor activity to morning or evening hours in the hot days of summer. Often, you’ll see Tulsa homeowners gardening or mowing in the early hours of the day when the temperatures are lowest. In Oklahoma, it can still be pretty hot in the evening, so early mornings are often the best .

Take Breaks Often. Although it may take you a little longer to mow, breaks are so important. Take a 5 minute rest when you stop to drink water. Working with these breaks not only will help you maintain your energy but will also give your mower engine a much needed break.

Hydrate Regularly. It may not be in your best interest to wait until you’re thirsty to drink water, the OSDH reports. They said no matter your activity level, you should drink more fluids during summer, so imagine how much you’ll need to drink doing yard work? Drink water before you start and every 15 minutes while you’re doing lawn work, experts advise. You could also spray yourself with a light mist of water to help you keep from overheating.

It's good to wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes and a wide-brimmed hat when mowing during the day. Apply a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher. Also use an insect repellent to keep away mosquitoes. Also wear goggles, gloves, and ear protection. You may at times also consider wearing light long sleeve shirts and long pants to protect yourself from bugs and debris.

“If you experience signs of heat stress such as dizziness, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, nausea, cramps, throbbing headache, dry skin (no sweating), chest pain, great weakness, mental changes, breathing problems, or vomiting,” contact your health care provider immediately,” the OSDH says.

If you don’t want to have to worry about residential or commercial lawn care in the Tulsa heat this summer, contact Oklahoma Landscape about their regular lawn maintenance programs. We would be glad to help.

Advantages of Organic Tulsa Lawn Care

We hear about “going green,” often. The benefits of organic foods and using organic products are often highly regarded. We may visit the many local farmer’s markets on the weekends. We may love Tulsa’s organic grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods. We realize that these green foods and products are often better for us. We know too, organic is also beneficial for the environment.

So, of course there’s also a growing trend toward organic lawn care and gardening. More and more commercial property owners and Tulsa residents are using natural lawn care products and methods in their landscapes. What are some of the perks of using organic lawn care?

Soil and Root Improvement. Organic fertilizers nurture natural microbial and fungi activity in the soil by giving microorganisms in the soil organic material to feed themselves on. Thus, they decompose the organic material. In this process, more nutrients are made readily available for the soil over time. Because these nutrients are released, the soil and roots of grass and plants are strengthened, an ecological balance takes place, soil retains more moisture, and the soil’s texture and composition are of better health. And because the nutrients are released into the soil more slowly with organic fertilizers, the chance of over fertilization or “burning” is greatly reduced.

However, organic fertilizers may cost more than inorganic ones, and it may take longer to see the results because the nutrients are broken down over time in the soil.

Lush, Green Grass. Because the root system has more vitality through organic fertilizers, the grass itself is green and lush. Organic fertilizers also aid in photosynthetic process by releasing carbon dioxide into the soil. This healthy root and soil system also helps grass be better able to ward off weeds, fungus, disease and even cope with drought.

Biodegradable and Safe. Organic lawn care products are non-toxic and biodegradable, meaning they are safe humans, pets, and other wildlife. They also do not harm the water or air supply. Thus, natural fertilizers reduce the amount of chemicals released into the environment.

While it may take longer to see the results of your organic Tulsa lawn care, overall organic lawn fertilization provides many benefits for both the lawn, the environment,  and your family.

Mosquito Prevention Options for Your Tulsa Landscape

Summer has arrived here in Tulsa, and with that comes the universally unwelcomed mosquito. It's wise to include mosquito prevention as part of your regular Tulsa lawn care program during the summer. So how can you prevent these dreaded insects from ruining your outdoor living fun?

Mosquito misting systems. A growing way of getting rid of mosquitoes, these systems spray a mist of insecticide to eliminate mosquitoes throughout your outdoor living space. These systems can automatically disperse the mist during high-risk times or can be managed with a simple hand-held control. This is good for when you’re getting ready for a cook-out or some other special outdoor event. The automatic misting units are available with either a traditional drum-top system or tankless system, both of which can evenly dispense the insecticide throughout the outdoor living space.

Misting systems from MistAway offer enhanced features like automatic leak detection and shut-off, wind sensors, and an agitation cycle that provides consistent insecticide concentration.
Oklahoma landscape can help you keep your Tulsa outdoor living space free from pests with these  mosquito misting systems.

Other Mosquito Repellants. Mosquito traps, citronella candles, and various other personal mosquito repellants like those made picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, or DEET. Make sure you use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellent.

Mosquito netting and air curtains can also help keep mosquitoes away from you and your visitors. Air curtains, which are often used at businesses in entrances and drive-up windows, send a continual blast of air across an entrance opening to separate the outside from the inside while the entrance is open. The constant stream of air prevents many kinds of flying insects from entering an area. These can be used in outdoor environments and homes to prevent these insects from intruding. Air curtains are also helpful in preventing warm or cold air from escaping a certain area, which can save on costs for energy.

Mosquito Prevention. It’s important to drain or dispose of items in which mosquitoes would be likely to breed such as unused jars, ceramic pots, old tires, buckets, and other items that can hold standing water. It helps to turn these items over when not in use.

The Oklahoma City County Health Department gave this checklist:

Change water and scrub the containers holding outdoor plants twice a week.
Drain sagging swimming pool covers.

Change water in birdbaths at least once a week.

Stock ornamental pools with mosquito-eating fish and aerate the water.

Empty pet’s watering pans daily.

Keep swimming pools cleaned and chlorinated.

Fill any tree holes or stumps to prevent accumulation of water.

Clean clogged gutters. Remove any standing water on flat roofs.
Repair leaking faucets and air conditioners that cause puddles for several days.

Be careful to irrigate lawns so as to prevent water from standing for several days.

Eliminate weeds and tall grass.

Mosquitoes are not only irritating but can also transmit the West Nile virus.

 Contact the Tulsa outdoor living space professionals for help in preventing and eliminating these outdoor pests.

How to Give Your Tulsa Home Curb Appeal for Potential Buyers

Dick Gaylord, who has sold real estate for 27 years, told HGTV “If people drive by your home and are not impressed, they’re not going to walk inside,” in an article about “Which Home Improvements Pay Off?”

So you’re putting your house on the market…just need put a “For Sale” sign out front, right? We could only wish it were that easy, first you do well to make sure your home has good curb appeal. Why? Because, without exaggeration, first impressions can make or break your sell.

So when you’re making sure you property has curb appeal, keep these pointers in mind…

Landscaping. A healthy and well-maintained landscape is not only appealing to buyers in its own right, but also indicates to buyers how you’ve taken care of the actual home as well. So, it might be said regular Tulsa lawn maintenance is one of the most important keys of curb appeal.

The Chapel Valley Landscaping Company of Maryland noted, “Residential landscape maintenance can add as much as 14% to the resale of the home and speed up the selling process by as much as six weeks when it is time to sell,”. Landscaping can also help to keep up the property value of the entire neighbourhood, the article said.

What can you do? Regular lawn care includes not only mowing but also managing weed control and overgrowth, trimming of trees and shrubs, as well as irrigation. In addition to keeping your landscape well-manicured, you add more plants to your yard. A simple way to add curb appeal is to add mulch to your flower bed, and plant colorful new plants of various sizes in your landscape to create interest and as a way to gracefully lead buyers to your front door.

Hardscapes. An inviting walkway and driveway is major to curb appeal. Make sure your walkway and driveway are in nice condition or replace an old walkway with pavers to create a elegant path to your home. Driveways can also be stained or stamped to create more appeal and interest. The Tulsa landscaping contractors at Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your hardscaping needs.

Outdoor Lighting. While most potential buyers will see your home during the day, it’s possible some may not. And at night, it will look much more inviting with even basic landscape lighting. Even during the day,  outdoor light fixtures and landscape lighting elements add character and charm to the home, as well as a feeling of security.

Little Touches. There are other minor enhancements you can do to dress up your home. Repainting or refinishing your front door (maybe in a bright color like yellow, or red, green) can give your whole house a fresh look and create a focal point. Replace worn hardware, trim, and fixtures. Adding decorative hardware or even a trellis to your garage door is also a pretty decorative feature. Also, adding decorative house numbers can be a nice, inexpensive touch.

For help with your regular Tulsa lawn maintenance or if you want to renovate your landscape to add greater curb appeal, call the Tulsa landscaping contractors at Oklahoma Landscape.

For more information on ways to add curb appeal, look at http://www.diyncrafts.com/5415/home/150-remarkable-projects-ideas-improve-your-homes-curb-appeal/5.

Increase The Resale Value of Your Tulsa Home with Outdoor Upgrades

The key is to make livable space that’s flexible, something not too personal, but something buyers can see themselves using like their Tulsa outdoor environment.

Liveable Space. Everyone could use more space, so if you add areas where people can entertain and enjoy themselves more fully, then you have a good thing. But you may think, “Shouldn’t I just covert my garage into a room?” And true, converting a garage may afford more space, but then you also don’t have a garage, which many homeowners want. Whereas, adding a deck, patio, or outdoor kitchen extends the confines of your home, creating more living space that’s even more practical. For instance, if you have an outdoor kitchen and decide to put your house up for sale in the spring, buyers can envision themselves having their own cookouts. Or if you added a deck or patio to your Tulsa home, prospective homeowners will imagine a variety of different entertaining ideas and nights enjoyed with their family.

Perhaps you’ve been thinking of adding an outdoor kitchen, pool, or outdoor fireplace to your home in Tulsa, besides the obvious, there’s good reason to do so – the added resale value that these upgrades can bring. Even if you’re not thinking of selling your home right away, making it more “sellable” is always a good thing, just in case you want to sell in the future.

How do outdoor living improvements add value to your home? Two general principles come to mind...1. The more liveable space you give to your home, the more the value of your home goes up. 2. The greater your curb appeal, the quicker you’ll sell or greater your value will be.

Sandy Koepke, Interior and garden designer in Southern California, was quoted in the New York Times as saying that there’s many reasons for building an outdoor kitchen. “You’re getting a lot of bang for your buck because you’re basically creating a very usable room for a lot less money than if you were adding on to the house,” she said in the article.


Curb Appeal. Consider this, if you’ve made major renovations inside, buyers may never see them if their first impression of the house scares them away.

“If I were going to spend money on a property, I would really work on making sure the curb appeal was strong” realtor Ron Phipps told HGTV in an article. “You really want to convey a sense of welcome. If all your remodeling is on the inside but the outside of the house is challenging, you’ll never have a chance to even show the inside,” he said.

Don’t underestimate how landscape maintenance can add resale value to your home by increasing its curb appeal. Having a professional landscape design and maintenance plan can greatly increase the curb appeal of your home while taking away the hassle of regular lawn care while you live there.

Regular landscaping and lawn care can update the look of your home and keep it looking beutiful and well-cared for overall.

Also you might consider putting in a walkway to the front door or a path to the side of the house to add interest.

 So if you are wanting to add much resale value to your property while at the same time make your home more enjoyable for your own family, the Tulsa landscaping contractors at Oklahoma Landscape can help you in every way.

Tulsa Landscapers Offer Beautiful Backyard Makeover Ideas

Deck and patio. If you’re looking to add liveable space to your home consider a custom deck or patio. A multi-level deck brings not only more room but also much style to the outdoor environment. A patio created with stone pavers gives a unique and fresh touch to your patio area, and comes in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures. Often these become the foundation of your entire outdoor living space and can provide ample room for cooking and dining, or relaxing.

Is your backyard looking a little uneventful or even depressing? Would you like to get more out of your landscape? Here are a few ideas on changing your landscape into the perfect Tulsa outdoor living area. And remember, at Oklahoma Landscape the Tulsa landscape contractors can take your backyard from barren to breath-taking!

Outdoor fire pits and fireplaces. Nearly any Tulsa landscape can be enhanced by an outdoor fireplace or fire pit for those chilly spring and fall Oklahoma nights. An outdoor fireplace turns your backyard into a private haven for your family. With comfortable built-in seating around the fireplace, you can entertain friends gathered around the fire talking or enjoy a night underneath the stars with your loved ones. If you want to esthetically highlight the outdoor fireplace, add a pergola to cover it and you’ll have an visually amazing outdoor space.

Outdoor kitchens. Not just simply an outdoor grill, these sophisticated Tulsa outdoor kitchens can  come complete with pizza ovens, stainless steel appliances, sinks, granite countertops,wine coolers, mini refrigerators, and more. Tulsa homeowners are building complete outdoor kitchens in their backyard. You can have the ultimate outdoor dinner party with a complete outdoor kitchen.

Landscape lighting. If you want a stylish Tulsa outdoor living space you’re going to need well-designed landscape lighting to go with the décor and purpose of the outdoor space. It can be subtly used to guide guests to the backyard or as a way to accent your deck or patio, landscape lighting can help beautify your outdoor environment while creating more functionality, safety, and security.

Custom pool. With an increasing array of  accessories and features that can be built-in to a custom pool, there’s seems to be no end to the possibilities for a luxurious backyard. Entertain guests or have a relaxing day in your own custom swimming pool or spa, or both. The Tulsa landscape contractors Oklahoma Landscape can design and build a one-of-a-kind pool as a beautiful counterpart your home and your lifestyle.

So, if these ideas have you thinking about creating an amazing outdoor environment. Let the Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape take your outdoor living space dreams and turn them a reality.

How to Have a Great Summer Party in Your Tulsa Outdoor Living Space

Tulsa residents will have fun firing up the grill in their outdoor kitchen this summer and entertaining friends and relatives as they celebrate goodtimes. But planning a party can get stressful, so we’ve got some great tips to getting your Tulsa outdoor living space all ready for the event.

Here are some tips from Real Simple on outdoor entertaining:


Outdoor lighting is a must. A little ambient lighting is enough to keep your guests safe out the dark. Globe string lights that are elegant and give off a warm glow, the article reported, are great for outdoor dinner parties as well as hurricane lanterns and tealights along with string lights.  The landscape lighting experts at Oklahoma Landscape can also install the right accent and pathway lighting to complement your home and landscape during anytime of the year.

Make sure there are enough seats. If you anticipate running low on seating, you might think about using some of your indoor furniture or even renting folding chairs. Another option the magazine mentioned could be to spread out quilts on the ground for picnic-style seating, if it’s a very casual party.

Repel flying pests. If you don’t have a mosquito misting system already in place, you might try adding some fans to your outdoor living space. “Mosquitos are weak flyers, so even if a fan is set on low, it can create enough airflow to keep them away,” Laura Harrington, an associate professor of entomology at Cornell University told Real Simple. This works best in small areas like a deck, she said. Also she recommended emptying anything with standing water in it, and giving guests bug wipes that contain repellent picaridin in place of DEET, which could damage clothing.

Keep the kids entertained. Many Tulsa homeowners have a custom swimming pool area where kids can have fun during the party. But some other kid diversions, Real Simple suggested were blowing bubbles, a Slip ‘n Slide or sprinkler, and even some inexpensive disposable cameras to let them capture the event, “say cheese”.

Make the music memorable, not just loud. Don’t make guests have to cover their ears with blaring music. “If you’re using a boom box or an iPod dock, place it above ear level so it’s not blasting directly at guests’ heads,” Michael Antonia, owner of the Flashdance, a Los Angles production company said. “And turn it toward the side of the house – you can make it a little louder and the sound will spread out better.” For the best music setup, the article noted that using four or more speakers, spread out and set at a lower volume work best.

Remember these outdoor entertaining tips to have a fun and be safe! For more ideas on designing and building the perfect outdoor living space, contact the Tulsa landscape contractors at Oklahoma Landscape.

Top Pool Features - By the Builders

The Tulsa pool builders at Oklahoma Landscape want to design and build the custom pool of your dreams. What features would you like your pool to have? And if you need know some possibilities, here are some of the latest (and coolest) swimming pool designs elements…

Infinity edge pools. Mimicicking  how the edge of a waterfall looks from the top of the waterfall. This type of pool feature creates the visual effect that water in the pool is extending out to the horizon or to “infinity” with no edge to hold the water in. This feature is also called a zero edge, vanishing edge, negative edge, or disappearing edge pool. Infinity pools are often a common feature at luxury resort hotel pools, and give the pool a dreamy, “romantic” look that is easy fall in love with.

Zero entry pool. Rather than steps leading into the pool, a zero entry pool has a gradual slope entry that  gets deeper as you go farther into the pool. This is another elegant pool feature that pairs nicely with your infinity edge pool. This gives you the feeling of being at the beach and simply walking gradually into the ocean. Like being at the beach, this feature allows you to sit comfortably in a shallow pool of water maybe with a drink in-hand, just without sitting in wet sand of course.

Volleyball net.  This pool accessory equals fun for the whole family, and a great way to entertain friends. It's sure to take your pool games to the next level.

Rock climbing walls. Add a climbing wall to your custom Tulsa pool design? And have tons of fun rock climbing without the bulky ropes and harnesses. These exciting and athletic custom climbing walls offer a great way to enjoy the sport of rock climbing while also enjoying the pool.

Jumping platforms. If you want to add even more excitement to your Tulsa pool design, installing a jumping platform or a fun slide will be sure to do the trick. Whether a slab diving rock or a wooden platform, these jumping platforms offer a fun area for kids or adults alike. These platforms or diving boards (if your pool is designed to be deep enough to be safe for diving or jumping in) afford greater functionality for your pool area. Stone pavers or boulders surrounding the jumping platform can add a natural decor to the pool.

Built-in hot tub. A classic and coveted Tulsa pool design accessories, in-ground hot tubs and spas are the quintessential poolside luxury. Create a romantic night at home with a built-in hot tub in your Tulsa outdoor environment. With a variety of designs and options available, a hot tub or spa would complete the look and function of your custom pool area.

The Tulsa pool builders at Oklahoma Landscape can design and build a custom pool for your Tulsa outdoor living space with all the latest trends in pool accessories. Call us today to discuss features for your dream pool!