Landscaping Ideas for Oklahoma
When selecting garden and landscape plants specific to Oklahoma, it is best to select plants that are native to the area. The benefit to landscaping with native plant is that it allows homeowners to maintain flowers, trees, shrubs or ground cover plants easily. The chosen plants are adapted to the climate, soil and weather conditions of Oklahoma. Native plants come in a wide number of varieties, allowing Oklahoma gardeners to create interesting landscaping areas, such as a wooded garden, annual flower garden or a hillside planted with ground covers.
Wooded Landscape
To create a wooded landscape in Oklahoma, you need to understand which plants qualify as woody plants. Woody plants are defined as those that maintain woody material at or above the soil level throughout the dormant season, according to the Oklahoma Biological Survey. The most common woody plants include trees, shrubs and vines. A wooded landscape is ideal for the Oklahoma gardener wishing to establish a manicured lawn complete with border hedges, large shade trees and trailing vines. Some recommended native woody plants include rough leaved dogwood, skunkbush, supple-jack and the moonseed vine.
Annual Flower Gardens
Add ever-changing color, texture and drama to the landscape by planting an annual flower garden. While annual plants require replanting each year, many also feature long growing seasons, filling the garden with colorful, fragrant blooms from early spring through early autumn. Annual flowers can be used to create homemade meadows full of wildflowers. For a more structured look, plant annuals in a raised bed or organized flower bed. Some annuals are appropriate for shaded areas, making them an ideal addition to a landscape with large trees and shaded spots. For a sunny, wildflower meadow, plant annuals such as Texas bluebonnet, firewheel, Missouri violet, black eyed Susans and stiff greenthread, suggests the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. These plants can also be adapted to raised or planned bed gardening.
- To create a wooded landscape in Oklahoma, you need to understand which plants qualify as woody plants.
- Some annuals are appropriate for shaded areas, making them an ideal addition to a landscape with large trees and shaded spots.
Landscaping with Ground Covers
Hillsides and bare areas are difficult to landscape, primarily because these areas are difficult to maintain, mow and prune. Plants known as ground covers are ideal for hillside landscaping because these plants spread quickly and rarely require special maintenance. Many ground cover plants also help prevent soil erosion by helping hold soil in place during the rainy season. In addition to planting ground cover plants on the hillside, these plants are also well adapted for bare areas of the yard where plants do not seem to grow well. Ground covers work well under large shade trees and throughout the yard space where you require plants that spread quickly and cover large areas. For Oklahoma, recommended ground covers include Canada wildrye, straggler daisy, wild blue phlox and roundleaf ragwort, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
