At the end of the day, I'd prefer to keep it simple with Bermuda where the sun can get to it and then a simple decorative grass or rock treatment in the shaded areas. But there are other higher maintenance and more expensive options as well listed below.  

Bermuda is the best warm-season turf grass and the most commonly planted grass in Oklahoma. It is by far the the best-adapted grass for full-sun areas. It has excellent heat and drought tolerance during the summer and is sufficiently winter hardy. It is an aggressive, species that spreads rapidly by above-ground stolons and below-ground rhizomes. Its readily available and inexpensive to install. 
 
However, Bermuda doesn't tolerate shaded areas, so a cool-season turf grass such as tall fescue, can be seeded (ideally in the fall) if a permanent turf is desired. Certain fescues have been created for the Oklahoma climate but they will still need to be watered much more frequently. 

You can select a cool-season grass to provide a green cover the entire year in a properly watered and fertilized shaded and irrigated area.

If high maintenance is your think then, tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass can be grown in full sun, but requires more frequent watering during the summer than bermuda grass to prevent wilting, thinning, and a loss of turf density. 
 
Zoysia grass is another type of warm-season grass that can be suitable for a shade grass in Oklahoma. However its greatest liability is that it takes a long time to establish. Zoysia grass requires more frequent watering than bermuda to prevent wilting but has lower annual fertilizer requirements. Zoysia is also not a low maintenance grass. Its winter hardiness and its ability to grow under light shade are its desirable features. Its considerably more expensive to install. 
 
 Perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass can also be utilized for overseeding into dormant warm-season turfgrasses or for soil stabilization during the fall and spring when a turf cover is rapidly needed. Perennial ryegrass is commonly seeded into an established bermuda turf when a fine-textured, green turf cover is desired from October through April. Annual ryegrass is less expensive and is also successfully used for the same purpose, although it provides an inferior quality winter turf. Annual ryegrass is also commonly used for temporary soil stabilization on construction sites that are completed during the fall and winter, when conditions are unfavorable for establishment of warm-season turf grasses.
 
Buffalo grass is a warm-season, sod-forming, native prairie grass that spreads by stolons. It has a fine texture and a grayish-green color. It has excellent tolerance for the heat, drought, and cold conditions found in Oklahoma. Buffalo grass is best suited to full-sun sites in areas of Oklahoma receiving 12 to 25 inches of rainfall per year. (Oklahoma City MSA receives an average 36 inches of rainfall per year). It grows best on heavy-textured soils and has some tolerance of alkaline soils. Buffalo grass is another option for unirrigated smaller lawns and main choice in western Oklahoma. Buffalo grass can be established from seed or from sod (preferably female sod) and like Zoysia grass, it is also much more expensive to install. 
 
At the end of the day, I'd prefer to keep it simple with Bermuda where the sun can get to it and then a simple grass or rock treatment where the sun is covered.  
 

Since 1992, Oklahoma City-based Landscapes Plus has provided full service landscape solutions to commercial property managers and owners. Contact Steve at 405-613-2933 or James at 405-410-3084 to see how our experience can bring benefit to your property. 
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Turn your colorful garden Into your property's star.   

Color is only one of the landscape design elements and should not be the only thing you consider when creating your overall landscape theme. However for this specific purpose we’ll use an individual flower garden bed located at the entrance of your property, the offices, common areas or marquee as an example where the principles of design and color apply. The primary difference is that color is even more important in these garden areas, since this is the place where we usually want color to be the star.

The Color-Wheel Categories
The spectrum of colors is divided into four categories:
·       Primary colors: reds, yellows, and blues
·       Secondary colors: greens, violets (purples), and oranges
·       Tertiary colors: Blends of the primary and secondary categories
·       Neutral colors: White, grays, and silvers.
      The secondary colors are produced by blending two primary colors in equal proportions. Thus, red and yellow combine to produce orange, yellow and blue produce green, and red and blue yield purple.
       Combining Colors. 
        Cool Colors vs. Warm Colors.   One way is to divide them into warm colors and cool colors. Blue, purple and green are considered "cool colors" and their impact on viewers tend to be relaxing and calming. Thus, for a meditation garden, blue and/or purple flowers are logical choices. Red, yellow, and orange are considered "warm colors," and they tend to excite and invigorate the viewer.
 
·       Also, combining warm and cool colors can change the perception of depth. Place flowers with warm colors in the foreground. Behind them, position flowers with cool colors, starting with darker shades (such as purple), followed by shades that are successively lighter. This will create an illusion of depth. You can also create this illusion by placing larger plant material in the foreground, then tapering off the size of your plants as you work your way in deeper. The effect is to make the garden seem much larger and deeper than it actually is.
  
·       Warm colors like red can make overly large spaces seem smaller and more intimate. The warm colors appear to come forward in the landscape and seem closer than they are in reality—thereby scaling down the whole landscape in the process.
       
·       The warm colors are naturally born attention-grabbers since they bring a mood that arouses rather than relaxes. To draw visitors into a space, create a focal point using red, yellow, or orange—or all three.

We have access to about 70 different types of color flowers and bushes but they will go fast. This is the time to plan your spring color before they are gone!

Since 1992, Oklahoma City-based Landscapes Plus has provided full service landscape solutions to commercial property managers and owners. Contact Steve at 405-613-2933 or James at 405-410-3084 to see how our experience can bring benefit to your property.