Philbrook Residence

I was brought into this 1.5 acre residence in the heart of Midtown Tulsa in Spring 2024. Along with Sweetleaf/Native Plants Nursery (Oklahoma City), I procured plants and assisted with installation for Phase 1 of a partial lawn conversion. Amy Henderson, a landscape designer out of Greenville, South Carolina, designed and directed Phase 1, which consisted of about 1500 square feet of naturalistic plantings, converted from lawn.

After the completion of Phase 1, I took over as the local caretaker and lead designer of the gardens at this property. I am involved with the ongoing stewardship of these gardens, transforming the grounds into a serene and eco-friendly hideaway. I visit this property regularly to manage the plantings - everything from new designs and plant health to pruning and irrigation monitoring.

In Fall 2024, Phase 2 more than doubled the area of naturalistic plantings, converting more lawn into a beautiful and beneficial plant community. Most of these plantings are designed open woodlands, situated under mature pistache, pine, and oak trees. Through a matrix of hardy geraniums and sedges emerge a diversity of textures and subtle colors - ferns, heucheras, anemones, hellebores, wood asters, and many more. The vast azalea collection on the western half of the property was also supplemented with a more diverse array of shrubs that will bring more fall and winter interest to the garden. Finally, a layer of bulbs was planted throughout the property to extend the bloom season by several months in the spring. I designed and directed Phase 2 with planting assistance from Martdez Lawn Service.

Phase 3 is scheduled to be installed in Spring 2025, creating additional plantings around the pool and establishing a groundcover layer beneath the western shrubbery.