Relaxing Getaways At Home - Tulsa In-ground Spas

What do you think of having an in-ground spa in your own Tulsa home? You may have enjoyed using a spa or hot tub at a resort, watching the kids play in the swimming pool while you enjoyed the soothing relaxation of pulsating hydrotherapy jets, but imagine enjoying the same relaxation in your own backyard.

What are the perks of having an in-ground spa for your Tulsa outdoor environment?

Whereas a pool in Tulsa can only be enjoyed for a limited amount of time during the year, in-ground spas offer relaxation year-round. Spas can be built by themselves or in conjunction with a pool. These spas can extend the use of your outdoor environment. Picture a charming evening relaxing in your spa as snow falls all around you.

Besides providing a relaxing escape from the day’s stresses, the warm water and gentle massage of a spa can help to alleviate  pain in achy joints and muscles. Hydrotherapy has been shown to help with circulation, arthritis, metabolism, immune function, skin problems, detoxification, and overall health.

Many people also use spas to help improve their sleep. The overall stress reduction and massage benefits of a spa motivate many to go to a professional spa center each year. Having your own custom spa at home is a convenient and fun way to enjoy a more healthful, relaxed life.

  

Custom in-ground spas also add an elegant style and create a unique focal point for your outdoor living space. These distinctive spas can be a focal point for your patio or deck. They come in an almost endless array of shapes - from the traditional circle to square,oval, rectangular, or even a custom shape and design.

In-ground spas can be crafted to perfectly complement your home and landscape design. They can have decorative features including tile mosaics and water features like cascading waterfalls and bubbling fountains that flow into a connecting pool below.  The design options for an in-ground spa are virtually limitless. .

Tulsa in-ground spas can be designed using a variety of materials like concrete, tile, gunite, and fiberglass with decorative elements added like stone and tile to create a delightfully inviting outdoor retreat.

Adding an in-ground spa when you’re building your custom pool or as its own water element will bring years of fun and relaxation to your outdoor space.

Adding Charm and Functionality - Tulsa Retaining Walls

Is your landscape having some erosion problems? Or do you have an uneven spot on your Tulsa landscape that makes it more difficult to use or creates unsightly dirt piles? These landscaping issues can often be fixed with a retaining wall. There are many benefits to these hardscape structures. Adding a retaining wall to your Tulsa property not only can protect it, but also create a beautiful landscape design.

Retaining walls hold back soil that might otherwise erode or move downhill on a landscape. These structures act as barriers, preventing erosion or a landslide that would cause significant damage to your home. Thus, for a sloped area, retaining walls provide the vital support your landscape needs.
These hardscapes help to mimimize flooding by reducing the flow of runoff water from rushing through your landscape to your home, garden, or the connecting city street. An effectively-designed retaining wall will complement your drainage and irrigation system to divert rainwater to the right places.

Tulsa retaining walls add functional value to your property by creating level areas where previously there were hills or slopes that made the land difficult to use and maintain. By adding a retaining wall, these problematic areas become usable space, perfect for a garden or a complete outdoor environment with a patio, pool, outdoor kitchen, and more. Tulsa homeowners can thus utilize more of their property by implementing these hardscapes. These walls can be used to divide areas of the property, adding dimension to the landscape.

This added dimension to a landscape is part of another benefit retaining walls offer – that of creating a sophisticated, polished look for the landscape. Organization often gives objects a sophisticated look. Having an organized landscape can do the same. Retaining walls not only help to “organize” your landscape, dividing areas, even having different layers of walls with different purposes and keeping things in place, but they do all of this in style. Retaining walls add a decorative architecture to your landscape, creating a contrast between nature and hardscape.  When done effectively, they can add beauty and charm to your landscape. These hardscapes can coordinate with the architecture of your home and outdoor living space to provide character.

Retaining walls can be made using a variety of decorative materials, each with their own look and feel. This artful variety of hardscape materials and the skillful and purposeful building of these walls is what adds character to the landscape. These materials can include natural stones, interlocking blocks, concrete, wood, bricks, and cinder blocks. When they are textured and aged, retaining wall materials can have an alluring Old World feel. They can also be smooth and symmetrical to have a more urban look.

However, for retaining walls to be effective, they must be skillfully built. Otherwise, these hardscapes could succumb to the pressures of weather, time, and other natural elements.

Retaining walls are an important part of artful and practical Tulsa landscape design. These add definition and charm while creating functional space and vital stability to a landscape.

2013 Tulsa Landscape Design Trends - Low-Maintenance Landscapes, Outdoor Fireplaces

When the year comes to an end, we start to think of how the year went. What were some of the highlights? What did we accomplished? What were some of the trends? As for outdoor environments in Tulsa, let’s look at some of the biggest landscape design trends of 2013. Many of these trends will remain important in the 2014 landscaping scene, so Tulsa homeowners can also get ideas for how to renovate their landscapes in the coming year.

Low-Maintenance Landscapes
With green, sustainable living becoming more popular, low-maintenance landscape design is a huge landscaping trend now. Requiring less maintenance and often less water to remain healthy, these landscapes are great for homeowners with a busy schedule. But less maintenance doesn’t have to mean less color. Using native plants can create a more hardy landscape. Native and drought-resistant plants can often reduce your landscape’s need for water and maintenance. Ornamental grasses and succulents are popular, low-maintenance plants that are perfect for adding texture and style to a landscape. Part of low-maintenance landscaping is knowing how to group these plants together in way that will require less maintenance and maximize water conservation. With these landscapes, you can have a beautiful, vibrant Tulsa landscape with minimal upkeep.

Outdoor Environments
Outdoor living areas that become an really extension of your home are continuing to be a popular landscape design element. With stylish and comfortable dining areas and outdoor seating areas like outdoor sofas and tables, Tulsa outdoor environments are becoming more functional, more chic, and more of a complete outdoor living area where homeowners can relax or entertain much like they would in their indoor living room. Durable and trendy outdoor fabrics are making outdoor living much simpler. State-of-the-art outdoor kitchens are making entertaining outside a lot easier and a lot more fun. These outdoor kitchens look much like indoor kitchens with built-in sinks, grills, refrigerators, counter-tops, and more.

Fireplaces and Fire Pits
A popular aspect of many outdoor living areas are fireplaces and fire pits. These stylish outdoor elements are becoming very popular for homeowners, creating a fun and relaxing outdoor space. They can be designed in a variety of shapes and styles to complement almost any landscape. Installed seating adjacent to an outdoor fireplace creates a perfect spot for talking with friends. Lately, adding fire to a water feature has also become more popular, creating a stunning backdrop at night.

Water Features
Speaking of water, adding fire to a water feature is one element of this popular landscaping group. The relaxing sound of trickling water amid a garden can help soothe away the stresses of the day. That’s why decorative water features, whether portable or complete fountains, grottos, or waterfalls have risen in popularity in the landscape design world. These features add to the “green living” movement that has spread around the world, encouraging us to stay healthy in body and mind.

Edible Gardens
With an increased focused on healthy, organic living, many are now choosing to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Whether in complete organic gardens or in container gardens sporadically placed in their outdoor environment, homeowners are growing a feast in their own backyards. Many of these edibles are being used as decorative plants alongside other gardening features, mixing them in with the rest of their garden foliage to produce a beautiful and healthful landscape.

Other landscaping and outdoor trends include adding splashes of vibrant color to outdoor environment elements, moving technology outside with complete entertainment centers, WiFi, and surround sound, as well as living walls of foliage and green roofs.

Tulsa homeowners want to get the most from their outdoor environments and these trendy landscape design elements furnish the practical and aesthetic value needed for the perfect "staycation," while also increasing your property value.

Tulsa Christmas Lighting Safety Tips

Many use Christmas lighting during the winter to light up the night and brighten the season. But while holiday lighting and decorations can create a beautiful winter scene for your Tulsa home or business, these lights can also create a fire hazard if not used properly.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) noted that between 2007-2011 holiday lighting and decorative lights with line voltage were involved in an average 150 home structure fires per year.
To protect your loved ones as well as your home or business, take these safety precautions from the National Safety Council and the NFPA when decorating your home or commercial property.

• Before you hang your lights, check for any broken or cracked sockets, loose bulb connections, and frayed or bare wires. Do not use lights with damaged parts.
• Lights should be unplugged before replacing bulbs and fuses.
• Use clips to hang lights instead of nails, tacks, or staples so that the wires are not damaged.
• Only use lighting that is tested by an independent testing and rating laboratory like the Underwriters Laboratories (UL Label).
• Use the correct type of holiday lighting for the environment – whether for indoor or outdoor use – following the manufacture’s guidelines.
• Connect a maximum of three stands of miniature light sets and 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for connecting LED strands.
• Do not overload extension cords.
• Do not close windows or doors on extension cords.
• Turn off all lights and decorations before going to bed or leaving your home or business.
• Holiday lighting is meant to be used temporarily, up to 90 days, so take down and properly store all lighting after the holidays.
• When hanging outdoor lighting, be sure your ladder is on level ground and never stand on the top three rungs of the ladder. When laying against a roof, the ladder should reach at least three feet above the edge of the roof. Use a wooden or fiberglass ladder.
• Avoid hanging lights near combustible materials and do not hang or cover lighting with combustible materials like cloth or paper.
• Check with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for recalled holiday lights sets that could pose a greater fire or shock hazard.
• Do not use electric lights on metal Christmas trees.

For more information on winter and holiday fire safety, visit the NFPA at www.nfpa.org. The twinkling lights of holiday decorations can brighten up your neighborhood or business, but keep in mind these safety tips to protect yourself this season.

Tips to Keeping Your Tulsa Home Safe While Traveling

Are you going out of town this holiday season? Many Tulsa homeowners may be planning to travel to visit family or friends this time of year, but before you go, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your Tulsa home safe while you’re away.

The objective is to not give the appearance that you’re gone. Thus, while you may have a home security system, you can also do little things to make your home less appealing to burglars.

1. Keep up the lawn care. – Interestingly, having regular Tulsa lawn maintenance and landscaping will help your home look like you never left. We’ve all seen houses where the lawn is not mowed, and we may think that there’s either no one living there or they’re on vacation. Thus, when you’re gone, keeping your lawn mowed, your leaves raked, and your snow shoveled will give the appearance that you’re home while also making your property tidier and much nicer to come home to.
2. Keep trees and shrubs trimmed. – Burglars love things to hide behind, so an overgrown tree or shrub next to a window creates the perfect hiding spot. Thus, try to keep windows and doors visible by regularly trimming trees, shrubs, and hedges.
3. Put your lights on timers. – Programming your interior lights to turn on and off using a timer is another good way to make your home look like everything’s normal. Having your home lights come on for a few hours in the evening will keep up the appearance of a normal routine. Motion sensor lights for your outdoor landscape can also help deter thieves.
4. Stop your mail and newspapers. – Having a pile of mail or periodicals by your door is of course going to make your home look vacant. You can put your mail on hold at the post office for up to 30 days. Have your newspaper put on hold as well. But there may still be other packages that are delivered to your home, so have a neighbor or friend stop by regularly while you’re gone to pick these up.
5. Hire a house sitter. – The simplest way to give the appearance that your home isn’t vacant is to have a friend or neighbor stay there while you’re on vacation. If you have pets, a pet sitter can also be useful, not only in taking care of your pets while you’re gone, but also by checking on your house.
6. Tell a trusted neighbor you’ll be gone. – If you don’t have a house or pet sitter staying, let a trusted neighbor or two know when you’ll be gone and ask them to stop by periodically to check on your home and pick up any flyers or items left at your home. You may even leave a copy of your house key with them for emergencies. They may also be able to pull your garbage or recycling receptacles out on trash day to make everything look normal.
7. Unplug electronics. – Turning off and unplugging electronics and appliances like your home computer, television, coffee pot and even your garage door can save you money, prevent a house fire, and, by turning off your garage door, prevent thieves from breaking in.
8. Keep valuables away from windows. – Make sure your big screen television or computer isn’t plainly visible from outside your home. You may want to walk around your house to see what is visible from outside.
9. Make sure everything is locked. – In the hustle and bustle of vacation packing, you may forget to lock all the windows and doors. Make sure every entrance to your home is secure, including sliding glass doors to your patio. You can help secure these further by placing dowel rods or poles in the slats when you leave.  Advertise and activate your home security and surveillance system. Walter T. Shaw, a former master thief, told MSN Money that alarm system warning signs and decals should be placed in the backyard where thieves are most likely to case out and try to break-in your home. These warning signs can prevent thieves from thinking your home is an easy target.
10. Be careful about what you share. – While today’s world shares everything online, sharing when you will be on vacation may not be the best thing to post on Facebook. Thieves can check up on you on social media platforms and may easily be able to find out when you will be gone just from what you post. Shaw also noted that many people often casually talk about their vacation plans with people they come across at the grocery store or mechanic shop. Be careful about what sensitive information you share online as well as what you share with strangers or people you may not know well.

To have the best vacation this year, make sure your home is secure and still gives the appearance that you’re home even if you’re far away.

Winter is the Best Time to Prune Many Trees in Tulsa

You may be thinking that there’s not a lot of landscaping to try to do for your Tulsa property in the winter, but actually this season is truly a great time for pruning several species of trees and shrubs.

Trees and shrubs that are pruned and well-maintained often produce more flowers and are typically healthier. Once the diseased, dead, or overgrown branches are removed, the tree can grow stronger and healthier and often is more resistant to disease and insects. Trees pruned in the winter will be able to grow quicker and more lush in the spring. Thus, practical pruning efforts really helps to promote the long-term strength and health of the tree.

Why is late winter a great time for pruning trees in Tulsa?

Many deciduous trees are dormant throughout the winter, which may reduce the damage done to the tree. This dormancy stops the trees from bleeding sticky sap when they are cut. These winter cuts won’t expose the dormant tree to as much chance of disease or insect damage because these are also dormant throughout the winter.

On a sensible note, with the leaves gone, you’ll be able to see the structure of the tree more. This could enable you to more clearly see where there are broken or dead branches that need to be removed.

When should you begin pruning trees and shrubs?

Late winter or once the coldest part of winter has passed is generally said to be the most effective time to prune most trees. There are some species, though, that should not be cropped during winter. Talk with the horticulturists at Oklahoma Landscape to find out specifically when your landscape’s trees should be pruned.

“A good rule to follow is to prune the latest blooming trees first and therefore the earliest blooming last,” North Carolina Cooperative Extension noted.

Prune trees on a dry, mild day to prevent the spread of disease by water. Branches rubbing together can cause wounds that increase the chances of disease and insect damage. Removing one of the rubbing or crossing branches to help the tree remain strong. Cut off dead, damaged, or diseased branches with sharp pruning tools. When there are diseased limbs, cut well below the diseased part of the branch.

Pruning trees and shrubs in Tulsa during the winter months not only helps them to look better but can do much to keep them healthy and prepared for spring.

Winter - A Great Time to Design your Dream Tulsa Outdoor Environment

While there may not be as much to do outside this time of year (unless you have an outdoor fireplace or fire pit), there are some things you can work on even inside to fully enjoy your Tulsa outdoor space in the future.

Winter is a good time for Tulsa homeowners to consider landscape renovation plans for the coming year. After all, we update our houses. Shouldn’t we also update our landscapes and outdoor living areas? Tastes and styles change over time and that’s true also in regard to our Tulsa outdoor environment. These renovations could range from full-scale, complete outdoor environment additions to simple changes in flowers, plants, or shrubs.

Whatever renovations you may be thinking for your outdoor space, winter is a great time to start planning. The Tulsa landscape designers at Oklahoma Landscape can help you evaluate your existing space, give you options on how to improve your landscape based on how you want to use the space, and begin planning and designing the renovations.

Beautiful outdoor spaces not only add to your outdoor enjoyment, but they also add to the value of your property and home.  Landscape renovations can provide you with a gorgeous outdoor living area while also correcting other landscaping issues like erosion or poor drainage. A professional Tulsa landscape designer can help you prevent costly mistakes and offer innovative design solutions so you get the most from your landscape. They can also assist you with zone laws and other concerns that could arise in projects like these.

In planning a landscape renovation, consider how you will want to most often use your landscape. Do you like to have friends over and cook out? An outdoor kitchen would help you be the host of the neighborhood. Would you like to enjoy romantic evenings with your spouse? An outdoor fireplace creates a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. Do you have kids that need a place to hang out and get out of the house during the summer? A custom, kid-friendly pool will be a perfect way for them to spend the summer. Or do all these outdoor living plans fit your lifestyle? A landscape design professional can help you blend all these elements together seamlessly to create one unique and functional outdoor living space.

Developing a plan, budget, and schedule during the winter months can ensure you’ll enjoy your renovated landscape next year. So while you may not get to enjoy your landscape as much as you’d like to this winter, dreaming of and planning that perfect outdoor environment can keep you entertained until the warm weather arrives.

Bring Color and Life to Your Tulsa Landscape This Winter With Dogwoods and Hollies

Have you wondered if there’s any way to liven up your Tulsa landscape design during winter? Actually, there are ways to bring color and life to your outdoor environment in Tulsa even when the weather is less than perfect.

Many plants have colorful and interesting bark and shapes that stand out amid the dreary winter weather. Dogwoods have yellow, red, and green stems that can bring a jolt of color to your landscape throughout the winter. Redosier and Yellow-twig Dogwood have a nice, showy bark that are good for Oklahoma landscapes.

Harry Lauder’s Walkingstick has unusual branches that make an interesting landscape piece for the winter. Other plants with interesting branches perfect for a snowy winterland include Euonymus and Japanese Kerria.

Shrubs that produce berries can add a lot color to the landscape during the winter while they also attract birds to watch from the comfort of your Tulsa home. Berry shrubs include a wide array of holly plants like American Holly, Blue Holly, and Yaupon Holly, as well as other shrubs like the red chokeberry with its vivid red fruit that stands out beautifully against the contrast of evergreens. Evergreen plants of course provide nice background foliage for winter.

Flowering plants that look great during the Oklahoma winters include Camellias that have white and pink blooms, as well as Forsythia, Witch Hazel, and Jasmine.

But if you want a quicker way to dress up your landscape this winter, planting miniature conifers in container gardens in different areas of your outdoor space as well as other potted plants like poinsettias can quickly spice up your landscape. Carefully-planned landscape lighting can also brighten up the winter months and creates an inviting atmosphere to guests.

Oklahoma Landscape’s horticulturists and Tulsa landscape designers can help you choose the best plants and shrubs to help brighten up your Tulsa landscape and keep it healthy all winter.

Commercial Landscape Design in Tulsa - Increase Productivity and Relieve Stress

We've probably all taken a walk through a  relaxing city park or left our cubicle to sit outside next to trees and plants that provide a refreshing break on a hectic workday. These are all part of Tulsa commercial landscape design that artistically blends nature and greenery into the architecture of commercial properties.
Why is commercial landscape design in Tulsa important? Being around nature is vital for our mental and physical health. Studies that were published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology noted that “being outside in nature for just 20 minutes in a day was enough to significantly boost vitality levels.” Thus, incorporating landscape design into a commercial campus or office park can help to increase productivity in employees.

“The quality of a person’s physical surroundings has a real and profound impact on their attitude and performance as well as their enjoyment of a place,” the American Society of Landscape Architects said regarding the PepsiCo World Headquarters commercial landscape design project. In this project landscape architects created a sustainable, quality environment with accessibility to nature, formal landscapes as well as sculptures. “The quality environment created at PepsiCo resulted in lower turnover, less absenteeism, shorter lunch hours and greater productivity,” the article noted.

This improved outlook and increased energy in relation to being in nature can also translate to clients. Many retail environments and corporate office parks have brought thoughtful landscape design to their Tulsa commercial properties to create a more welcoming atmosphere for customers. Well-manicured and beautifully-captivating commercial properties provide a curb appeal that greatly enhances the image of a company and can attract more business.

Many cities are incorporating more landscape design and water conservation into their streetscapes, giving a more natural, sustainable appeal to their city and creating a more enjoyable place for residents and customers. Students can learn more studying outside on a beautifully-manicured college campus. Tenants are attracted more to apartment communities with nature parks and stylish greenery areas.

All of these commercial spaces are benefiting from landscape design. Commercial lawn maintenance also relieves stress from Tulsa businesses. Landscape design and lawn maintenance can be one less thing a property manager has to worry about with professional landscape design for his or her company. Not only increasing the curb appeal and beauty of the property, commercial landscape design in Tulsa can also increase productivity and even sales by creating a more positive, refreshing environment for everyone.