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PrintYard duty for Tulsa gardens this spring
Experts weigh in on what to do.
Not everyone is born with a green thumb. Whether they ask a master gardener, landscaper, designer or architect, people sometimes need a helping hand when it comes to achieving their lawn’s potential.
David Land, president of the Oklahoma Nursery & Landscape Association, recommends that consumers follow these tips when hiring a professional landscape contractor, designer or architect to ensure both parties are satisfied with the completed work.
Clients need “to protect themselves and they need to do their research,” Land says. “If you don’t do your homework, then you are going to have a misunderstanding possibly.”
He also suggests taking the scope of the project into consideration. Homeowners who just want to update their flowerbeds probably don’t need to follow every rule mentioned, although they should take many into account.
1. Research the project before making the first call.
2. Ask whether the professional is a hardscape or landscape specialist.
3. Does he/she belong to a professional association? Some of the more prominent ones include the Oklahoma Nursery & Landscape Association, Professional Landcare Network, American Nursery & Landscape Association, American Society of Landscape Architects and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
4. Ask whether he/she holds any industry certifications.
5. Ask how long he/she has been in business. A good rule of (green) thumb is at least three years, but the longer, the better.
6. Is the professional fully insured for general liability and workman’s comp insurance? Be sure to acquire a copy of the person’s insurance certificate.
7. Ask for references and call them. Also, ask your friends which professionals they would and would not recommend.
8. Review his/her portfolio.
9. If you are undertaking a larger project, ask for a plan or sketch of what the contractor can do. Consider the person’s professionalism, too. Is the proposal on letterhead or just written on the back of a business card?
10. Sign a contract or detailed proposal with payment details clearly stated. Any changes should be approved and signed by both parties.
11. Any down payments should be paid with a credit card or not until the first day of work begins.
12. Once work is completed and before the final payment, ask for a lien release.
Perennial favorites
Tulsa’s top colorful plants.
Color makes a garden. Tulsa’s hot, muggy summers make some flowers wilt.Here is a short list of some top Tulsa plants that pros say can beat the heat.
- Knock-out roses such as the “Julia Child” should be superior this year, says Steve Welch, manager of the landscape department at Southwood Landscape and Nursery. This warm yellow flower is matched with its licorice scent and was chosen by the chef herself to bear her name.
- Crape myrtles are an Oklahoma favorite, and Welch recommends checking out the new dwarf series called “Filli’” from Tahlequah’s Greenleaf Nursery. Welch says the plant will bloom toward July if kept in a hot, sunny spot.
A new dahlia named “Mystic Illusion” was featured at this year’s annual plant sale hosted by the Tulsa Master Gardeners. The dahlia’s bright-yellow blooms pop against the dark purple, nearly black foliage, Master Gardener Karen Watkins says.- The variegated pink false vervain (Stachytarpheta mutabilis “Variegata”) will attract butterflies and hummingbirds, if so desired. The plant has marbled leaves that are set off by pinkish, salmon flower spikes, Watkins says.
- Abelia, a summer blooming shrub, has a number of varieties, with Welch advising that the variegated foliage of “Kaleidoscope” “should be better than ever this season.”
A closer look
Try it before you buy it.
Throughout the growing season, the Linnaeus Teaching Gardens, a project of the Tulsa Garden Center, is a great place to see plants in an actual growing environment.
“When you go to the nursery, you see rows and rows of plants in pots, but in our gardens you can see plants as they mature,” says Julie Almohandis, horticulture assistant at Linnaeus.
Then you can decide whether the plant will work in your landscape.
While the garden provides a number of settings for plants, Almohandis notes that the garden is ever-changing. Whether a new batch of trial varieties is being planted to see how they stand up to the Tulsa climate or a plant is not performing as best it should, the garden is constantly being updated and re-worked.
“We have a few things that will always be here, but nothing is permanent,” she says.
A trendy garden
How to create a sustainable landscape.
You can “go green” in your garden.
Sustainable landscapes are a growing trend and lifestyle.
“Sustainability is currently a trend but, we feel, will not be trendy,” says Steve Welch, of Southwood Landscape and Nursery.
Sustainability can mean many different things to many different people — the design of gardens, proper plant selection for the conditions, gardens that require less irrigation and fertilizers, ones that create less waste and those that require less fossil fuel to maintain, Welch says.
“Gardens can be a lot of work and our population is getting older and less willing, or less capable, of being slaves to the yard,” he says. “They are not, however, tired of beautiful gardens or public open spaces and parks.”
Use more turf grasses. Sustainable gardens can mean using more drought-tolerant turf grasses, or in some cases not using turf grasses at all. It can also affect plant selection and whether plants fit the soil, light and moisture conditions available in the space, Welch says.
Wise water usage. The sustainable trend also lends itself to determining wise water usage for the garden. Tulsans overwater their yards and gardens, he says, and can solve this problem by evaluating their watering pattern, especially those with a sprinkler system.
If using a sprinkler system, he suggests using water-wise sprinkler nozzles, better controllers and rain and freeze sensors to better account for water usage. He urges people to pay attention to plants’ water needs by following a simple watering philosophy.
“Water as long as it takes to get things good and wet — or until more water is being lost to run-off than is soaking in — and then don’t water again until the plants tell you they need it,” Welch advises.
Smaller gardens. Another trend that has arisen in the past growing seasons has been the move to a smaller, more compact and more intimate garden space, Watkins says.
“With the use of colorful containers, small patio spaces can be utilized to their fullest with color and even vegetables,” Master Gardener Karen Watkins says, adding that edibles such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant do well in containers.
Southwood has worked with Oklahoma State University and its Extension Office to find edibles that lend themsleves to the sustainable landscape.
“Some items, such as lavender and rosemary, have been used as ornamentals for many years, but now we are working things such as blueberries, basil and fruit trees into the landscape,” Welch says.
60th Anniversary Garden Tour
Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, April 25, noon-5 p.m.
Want to see real Tulsa gardens? This year’s Garden Tour will feature four lovely south Tulsa gardens privately and professionally designed and maintained. Tickets are $10 in advance at the Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S. Peoria Ave., or at any garden on the tour. Patron tickets are $65 each and include the Patron party from 6:30-8:30 p.m., on Friday, April 23, plus a garden tour ticket and private bus tour on Saturday morning before the public tour. Other patron opportunities are available. For more information, call 746-5125.
Linnaeus Teaching Gardens
Opens March 2. 2435 S. Peoria Ave. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday; 1-4 p.m., Sunday (Mother’s Day-Labor Day); closed Monday. Free.
A yearlong calendar of to-do lists is available on the Tulsa Master Gardeners Web site, www.tulsamastergardeners.org.
