Landscape Lighting in Tulsa - Bring New Light to Your Outdoor Environment

There are many reasons to add Tulsa landscape lighting to your outdoor environment. From the practical to the aesthetic, outdoor lighting offers a surplus of benefits. What are just a few ways that landscape lighting can help brighten and renew your Tulsa landscape?

Actually, when adding Tulsa outdoor lighting, most, if not all, of the practical advantages can also provide aesthetic benefits as well – if the landscape lighting is created in the right way. Thoughtful and carefully-planned landscape lighting is one key to great lighting. Careful lighting design is balanced and takes into account the effect and tone you want for your entire night outdoor landscape. To be balanced, you’ll want not only to light the exterior of your home, but also extend the visual depth with landscape lighting in trees and shrubs stretching out for a distance in front of your home.

On the other hand, less is sometimes more with outdoor lighting in Tulsa. While pathway lighting can offer both aesthetic and practical benefits, this lighting needs to softly guide visitors along a path and not look like a kind of runway. These gentle pathway lights can also be placed to brighten attention-grabbing and colorful plants along the path, thus adding a little more interest and color to your landscape that otherwise would be lost at night. Using environmentally-friendly and safe low voltage lighting is a great way to light these paths.

With the days getting warmer and longer, many Tulsa homeowners will be spending more time outside enjoying their outdoor environment on the weekends. However, what about during the week? Even though you may not get home until close to dark, there’s no reason you still can’t enjoy your outdoor space. Landscape lighting, including deck, patio, and hardscape lighting, can transform your outdoor environment, creating a brand new nighttime world. Accent and moon lighting can provide soft glow you need to comfortably enjoy your outdoor space.

With accent lighting, you can also illuminate interesting features in your landscape such as a statue or water feature, creating a focal point for your outdoor space.

There’s so many different things that can be done with Tulsa landscape lighting. While creating more function in your outdoor space, lighting can be done in such an artistic way that neighbors have to look twice as they pass by your home and landscape.

Our Tulsa landscape lighting design experts can create a lighting design that will be as functional as it is beautiful so that you can ‘find yourself outside’ any time of the day or night.

Ideas to Brighten Your Tulsa Landscape Design This Spring

Do you want to give your Tulsa landscape a little touch-up for spring? There are many easy ways to spruce up your Tulsa landscape design while adding valuable curb appeal.

A pathway of pavers.
 
Pavers are a great way to give your landscape added charm. Pavers come in a wide array of sizes, shapes, textures, colors, and materials, which makes them a favorite when it comes to Tulsa landscape design. Create an elegant walkway to invite guests to your home’s entrance or a patio in the backyard to entertain or even a distinctive driveway design.

Tulsa pavers are also great for landscaping because they can endure severe weather conditions much better than their asphalt or concrete counterparts. They are also much easier to replace than concrete if they do get damaged.

Add more color to your garden.
 
You can add a dash of color to your Tulsa landscape with an interesting mix of colorful annuals. Do you want to plant brighter hues closer to the home to direct attention there, or do you want to spread the color purposefully throughout your garden landscape? The choice is yours, so have fun with your living paintbrush. Container plants are also an easy and fun way to decorate your landscape and home.

Many are replacing much of their lawn with colorful native plants and ornamental grasses that require less water and maintenance while creating an interesting visual diversity in their yard.
Pruning any overgrown trees or shrubs can also be an easy way to give your landscape a more manicured look.

Renew the mulch.
 
A new layer of mulch added around trees and flowers bring a more polished look to the landscape and provide needed contrast.

Go for organic.

Planting a vegetable garden can give your landscape an added dimension while providing healthy food for your family. You could simply section off a spot for your garden or make a raised garden bed. Organic gardens offer not only great food, but also provide more color and interest for your landscape.

Build an outdoor environment.
 
If you really want to liven up your Tulsa landscape design, building an outdoor environment with an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, outdoor fireplace, pool, or simply just an outdoor living area will create an entirely new dimension for your landscape and home. Good planning and preparation is needed though to build a successful and efficient outdoor environment that your family can enjoy for years to come. The Tulsa landscape designers and architects at Oklahoma Landscape can help design and build the perfect outdoor environment for your home.

Sprucing up your landscape can be as simple or extensive as you want, but either route you take, there are plenty of ways to enliven your landscape and give it a fresh start for a new season.

Building a Pet-Friendly Tulsa Landscape

Often, our pets become part of the family. So as our family spends more time outside during summer, we want our pets to also enjoy their outdoor environment as we do ours. How can you create a pet-friendly Tulsa landscape design? Here are a few tips...

The term “dogscaping,” has become more popular. This refers to landscaping with your dog in mind. As we know, dogs love to play, so we can help them get more exercise (and often prevent them from creating their own path), by building a dog run path by the perimeter of your property along a fence using materials like wood chips, wood planks, pavers, or decomposed granite. It’s good to use materials that will not get too hot for your dog’s paws.

Some plants can actually be harmful to animals including aloe, daisies, daffodils, and gardenias. Check with the ASPCA, your veterinarian, or your local Cooperative Extension for a complete list plants that are dangerous to animals. It’s good to avoid using plants with stickers or thorns. Also, be careful with pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to animals. Some types of mulch, like cocoa mulch, can be toxic to dogs if eaten, so check with your local veterinarian before picking out a mulch.

Especially in the heat of summer, dogs will need a place to cool off and relax from the heat. A dog house of course provides a nice shelter, but strategically-placed trees and shrubs can also provide a comfortable area for shade. A nice arbor or pergola can be the shade both you and your pet need to stay out of direct sunlight. A small pond or other water feature designed especially for your pet can be a fun and relaxing way for him to cool off and stay hydrated. However, make sure they can easily get out of the water feature or pond.

A fence is usually a must with dogs and many other pets. Make sure the fence is tall enough so that your dog doesn’t get out and that the space between the slats doesn’t allow room for your dog to get his head stuck in. Planting shrubs and flowers along your fence line can help to decorate the fence and help it complement your landscape.

Planting ornamental grasses and hardy shrubs around the edge of your garden along with a border of rocks can help to prevent rowdy animals from ruining a garden or flower bed. Using a raised garden bed can also be helpful to keep out playful pets. Creating a designated “digging area” for your canine friend can prevent him from digging holes all throughout your landscape. You can fill this area with soft soil and sand or cedar or wood chips for them to dig in.

These are just a few of the many ways you can create a more pet-friendly backyard. Talk with the Tulsa landscape designers at Oklahoma Landscape for more ideas on pet-friendly landscape design or dogscaping. And always talk with your pet’s veterinarian before planting, using mulch, or using chemicals in your outdoor environment to make sure you know exactly what is safe for your animals.

Tulsa Hardscapes - Creating Elegant Outdoor Environments

Often we hear the words “hardscape” and “hardscaping” used by Tulsa landscaping companies, but what are hardscapes and how can they be used in your outdoor environment?

Hardscape materials become the basis of a great Tulsa landscape. They are the inanimate, permanent features in your landscape – those made with pavers, stone, stone, wood, or brick. Used to build permanent structures, they help to stabilize your landscape and frequently provide the foundation for an outdoor environment like an outdoor kitchen or fireplace. In a small outdoor living space, hardscaping can provide the extra seating, dining, and cooking prep space you need to stylishly entertain guests.

With an almost infinite variety of shapes, textures, and colors, Tulsa hardscape materials can really set the tone for your Tulsa outdoor environment – from romantically elegant to modern urban designs. These materials can enhance and change the look of you property.

Tulsa Hardscapes such as pavers can easily expand your outdoor space creating a paver patio. These patios can become an addition of the home itself. That’s why it’s vital to consider the architecture and feel of your home when installing hardscapes so that the feel and tone of the hardscape complements that of the home and the rest of the landscape.

Hardscape materials help you visually divide a landscape. A pergola or other outdoor structure can aid in separating an outdoor kitchen or dining area from the rest of the outdoor living space while providing some much-needed shade. Permanent outdoor seating can be built to encircle an outdoor fireplace. Retaining walls can divide various sections of a property, even creating different levels for a landscape. Stone walls add charm and character while providing privacy.


Water features help to create a beautiful focal point for your landscape. Built using a variety of textured hardscape materials, water features bring color and interest to your Tulsa outdoor environment.

And, of course, a walkway or path of hardscape materials like stone or concrete pads kindly welcomes guests to your home or guides them to your backyard.

The Tulsa hardscape experts at Oklahoma Landscape are adept at designing and building the right hardscapes for your landscape to perfectly complement your home, the topography of your land, and how you want to use your outdoor environment.

Lawn Care and Mowing Tips for Tulsa Landscapes - Aerating and Weed Control

Proper Tulsa lawn care is the foundation for a gorgeous landscape. As grass starts to grow in the spring, fertilizer and water are vital. Proper mowing techniques can also support your lawn in staying beautiful.  What are some Tulsa lawn care tips to help your landscape look lush and green this year?

Fertilization and Weed Control Tulsa

Weed seeds will have been inactive during the winter months, so spring is a good time to start a Tulsa weed control and fertilization program to cut weeds off at before they start. Pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control systems will help prevent weeds from taking over your lawn.  When the grass has a strong fertilization program, the grass can grow robust and have a better opportunity of crowding out any emerging weeds. Slow-release fertilizers will be best. Healthy grass is ultimately the way to hinder weed growth by blocking out sunlight and nutrients from those irritating weeds.

Aerating and Overseeding 

There may be areas of turf that have become compressed because of winter resulting in patches of thatch or dead grass. Because of the harsh winter weather, the soil may also have become compacted. Core aeration can help to relieve compacted soil and remove dead grass that can stop proper drainage and nutrients from reaching the soil. Raking the grass in the spring can also help to remove thatch.
As the soil is warming up and more rain falls, spring is also a good time to overseed your lawn with new varieties of grass to fill in any bare or brown spots in the lawn. The new grass seeds you plant will have a higher resistance to disease than the grass in your lawn already, thus making your entire lawn stronger and healthier.

As a full-service Tulsa lawn care company, Oklahoma Landscape can take care of all your weed control, fertilization, mowing, aeration, and overseeding needs and keep your lawn looking green and vibrant this year.

Lawn Mowing Tips

On the weekend, many dislike mowing their lawn, so they often mow the grass at the lowest possible level. However, mowing grass this short can damage the grass in the long run by putting more stress on the turf. When the grass is too short, the soil can dry out faster while weed seeds have more sunlight to grow.

To prevent this, mow your lawn at the highest level – removing only about the top one-third of the blade. This will help your turf stay thick and lush, thus choking out weeds and really requiring less maintenance overall.

Regular mowing can help to encourage new growth and make the turf stronger. Each time you mow, change the direction in which you cut the lawn to prevent ridges and grooves from forming. In addition, mowing the lawn diagonally creates a professional look for your landscape. Try not to mow in the heat of the day to reduce the stress on the turf.  Always keep the mower blades sharp.

Oklahoma Landscape can take the hassle and stress out of lawn mowing with our professional lawn maintenance services. Keeping in mind these few Tulsa lawn care reminders can help you create a green, lush, and beautiful turf to serve as the foundation for your perfect outdoor living space.

Details of the Jenks Outdoor Classroom Shared By Tulsa Landscaping Company

In one of our earlier blog posts, we discussed how a “living classroom” is being created for Jenks Public Schools by Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape.

More than a simple garden, this Tulsa landscape design will be an interactive outdoor space with a variety of features including rain barrels, butterfly gardens, Chimney Swift towers, granite trails, composts bins, a water feature, and more. Called the “Flycatcher Trail,” this outdoor classroom will help students learn how to manage a garden, plant vegetables, manage a landscape, and more. 

As a Tulsa landscaping company, we know how inspiring working with nature can be, so this project will help students increase their creativity and discover the sense of pride that comes from caring for gardens. 

What are some of the many details of the Jenks landscaping project?

The entrance of the classroom will have rain barrels for capturing run-off storm water and compost bins for creating organic-rich compost to use for vegetables and plantings.

Granite trails will be made using decomposed granite. This abundant, permeable material makes a pleasant, natural trail. The decomposed granite adds color and compacts very well while not breaking down like mulch. 

Chimney Swifts, which are a bird species that often nests and roosts in chimneys, are often identified by their gray silhouette, tiny body, and curving wings, but they also have a distinctive style of flight and a chattering call, one author noted. They can quickly maneuver over rooftops and rivers to catch insects. Chimney Swifts spend most of their time in the air. When they do land, they can’t perch. They cling to vertical walls such as those in chimneys and those in hollow trees or caves. So, with the decline of chimney use in North America, also came a drop in the Chimney Swift population. 

They were abundant in North America, but by the late 1980s, the amount of swifts migrating to North American from the Amazon River Basin had declined. A growing number of people across North America are now building nesting towers and are leading Chimney Swift conservation projects in their own communities. Bird conservationists have a step-by-step guide to making more habitats for the beneficial, insect-eating Chimney Swift.  This living classroom will not only give Chimney Swifts a habitat, but will also give students a great opportunity to study these amazing birds. 

Other features of the classroom will include a water feature, a butterfly garden, and split rail fencing. The butterfly garden is a specific space that utilizes butterfly-attracting plants, which yield flowers the butterflies are attracted to. These types of plants, like the butterfly bush, will attract a wide assortment of butterflies to the garden that the teachers and students can use to view and study. The split rail fencing is a cedar post and rail project that will give a rustic, open, and natural appeal to the space. 

This outdoor classroom will certainly give students a chance to take a closer look at nature and study all the splendor it holds. While the weather may have slightly delayed the project’s progress, Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape - with the help of many other sub-contractors and suppliers who have also donated time, labor, and materials - will continue to plan and build this unique and exciting living classroom.  

Tulsa Landscape Design Ideas for Beautiful Spring Makeovers

Is your Tulsa landscape needing a little makeover? Even if winter left your landscape looking a little dreary, you can get your lawn looking amazing by summer. A few makeover tips can give your Tulsa landscape and your home itself a brand new look.

To revitalize and renew your lawn, a good Tulsa lawn fertilization and weed control program will give your grass the nutrients it needs to flourish. This Tulsa weed control program provides turf with the foundation needed to create a beautiful lawn and ultimately an attractive landscape. Along with these Tulsa weed control programs, mulch is an ideal, simple addition for gardens to give the area a more polished look while also helping to control weeds. 

Other homeowners may choose to remove the majority of their lawn in favor of a more low-maintenance Tulsa landscape design. These landscapes employ native plants and more hardscaping in order to use less water and thus need less maintenance. 

Building a pathway to your home’s entrance with stained concrete pads or stone pavers creates an inviting visual line to your home. Pavers come in a wide array of colors, styles, and textures to easily and quickly add sophistication and character to your front-yard. 

Lining this pathway with a garden of colorful, native plants, shrubs, and trees will enhance your entire landscape. In fact, you could almost fill your front landscape area with colorful foliage and plants – varying their size, color, and shape to create a lively mosaic that will welcome your guests.

Building an ornamental fence from wood panels or lattice that doesn’t necessarily block out all of the view but rather visually divides your landscape can create privacy and structure for your front-yard. This can also be accomplished with decorative walls or retaining walls of varying levels that will ornately create sections for your Tulsa landscape design. 

Adding a small decorative water feature such as a fountain can also help to transform your landscape.

These are just a few of the numerous ways to spruce up your front-yard this spring. Talk to the Tulsa landscape design specialists at Oklahoma Landscape to see how they can help renovate your landscape.

Tulsa Pool Builders Oklahoma Landscape Create Luxury Backyard Retreats

A swimming pool for your Tulsa home may be one of the first things on your list for summer. Especially since Oklahoma summer weather can get pretty extreme, Tulsa homeowners often choose a custom swimming pool to relax and cool off in during the summer heat. Children gather around pools during the summer, and parents who give their child a pool party will unquestionably win ‘the coolest parent’ award. 

But more than simply a way to entertain friends or keep children busy during the summer months, custom-designed pools and spas give added value to Tulsa homes and property, providing Tulsa homeowners with a great investment for the future. 

What are some choices when it comes to designing and building a pool for your Tulsa home?

Swimming pools in Tulsa become the center of a complete backyard retreat for your family. Imagine going to a luxury resort in Hawaii, lying by a magnificently-designed pool with waterfalls, fountains, swim-up bars, slides, and other elegant amenities. All of these can be designed and built in your custom Tulsa backyard pool area. Nearly, the only limit is your imagination. 

Baja steps allow for cool relaxing as chairs can be placed in the water on the Baja step, giving sunbathers a way to easily put their feet in the water to cool off.

A poolside fountain with dramatic lighting can create a romantic atmosphere to relax by at night. Waterfalls and spillways also create that soothing and elegant environment that differentiates a simple pool from a resort spa. The variety of styles of these water features can range from soft and peaceful flowing water as a small accent to the pool to surrounding the pool with chic columns and rushing waterfalls. 

 

A variety of materials can be used to create your custom Tulsa swimming pool and surrounding patio area including natural stones, tiles, stamped concrete, gunite, and other materials that give your pool area the sophisticated look and feel you want.

And of course, pool areas can also be combined with other elegant outdoor environment features like outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and fire pits to create a total outdoor entertaining area. 

Relax in style this summer with a custom-designed and built swimming pool. Create a luxury resort in your very own backyard with landscape designs from Tulsa’s Oklahoma Landscape.

Add Privacy to Your Outdoor Space with Expert Tulsa Landscape Design

While enjoying your Tulsa outdoor living space, would like to have more privacy? Although we love people and our neighbors, there are times when we just like to be alone and want to block out noise pollution, especially when we’re relaxing in an outdoor environment.  How can landscape design help to create a more secluded luxury retreat? How can the Tulsa landscape designers at Oklahoma Landscape help in creating that longed-for privacy? 

There are many ways to add privacy to your outdoor living space. For those who would like more natural privacy, countless types of hedges like evergreen arborvitaes and deciduous privet shrubs can make a living privacy screen that can also protect your home against harsh Oklahoma winds and reduce noise. Many Tulsa homeowners are now mingling their privacy plantings together to produce a layered effect with numerous trees, shrubs, annuals, and ornamental grasses planted in a staggered height pattern. This creates not only a mixture of heights but also a mixture of colors and textures that can stylishly hide your backyard. Thus, much can be done to add privacy to a Tulsa home simply by effectively using landscape design to provide a natural screen to your outdoor living space. 

Retaining walls and freestanding walls can also add privacy as well as character to your Tulsa landscape. These can be built using a diversity of materials from stone to concrete, wood, or other materials. These walls can be designed to match the style of your outdoor environment and home. Wall materials can be aged and textured to resemble Old English cottages, or they can be more symmetrical and smooth to give the landscape a modern feel. Not only do these stone and concrete walls add privacy, but retaining walls can also be used to elegantly divide areas of your outdoor living space, creating more definition for the landscape, and help to prevent erosion. 

A trellis can also be used to support growing vines or flowers and will help to create privacy for an outdoor space. These may not provide thorough privacy, and they allow more sunlight, but they also provide the visual separation many homeowners need to feel that they have a more isolated space. Adding a fountain or other water feature can help to lessen noise pollution and create a soothing effect in your outdoor environment. 

The landscape architects at Tulsa’s Oklahoma Landscape can design and build the ideal privacy elements to complement the style and purpose of your outdoor living space. So find solitude in your outdoor environment with effective Tulsa landscape design that has privacy in mind.