Celebrate Earth Day, Everyday in Your Taber Home

With the winter chill slowly ebbing away and the sunshine reaching out across the Greater Oklahoma City area, the spring season always brings with it a sense of joy and gratitude for the natural beauty that surrounds us. On April 22, individuals all over the country will be observing Earth Day, and it’s a day to celebrate the natural world and all the benefits it provides us. It reminds us of the intrinsic value of nature and the need to preserve it for future generations, and by celebrating Earth Day this year, we can show our appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our planet and commit ourselves to protecting it for years to come. 

One of the easiest and best ways to celebrate Earth Day this year is by planting trees, flowers and other plants around your new Taber home. While the immediate benefits of adding greenery to your surroundings are clear, such as improving air quality and providing a beautiful landscape, the long-term advantages are just as significant. Read on to learn more about the best plants to add to your landscaping this year around the Greater Oklahoma City area and about how your new home from Homes by Taber ® is contributing to a sustainable future for generations to come. 

Best plants for your Oklahoma City home

Adding trees, flowers and other plants in your backyard is not only a great way to add beauty and color to your property, but it can also provide numerous benefits for both you and the environment. Planting trees around your home is one of the best ways to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and provide fresh air for you to breathe. Having more plants around your home can also help prevent soil erosion by holding the soil together and preventing it from being washed away by rainwater or blown away by the wind. This helps maintain the integrity of soil, which is crucial for plant growth and biodiversity. In the Greater Oklahoma City area, there are many native and adapted plants that thrive in the region’s unique climate and soil conditions that you will definitely want to consider when designing your backyard garden this year. 

Trees are a key component of your landscaping, providing shade, beauty and numerous environmental benefits, and in the Greater OKC area there are a few trees in particular that are perfect to add into your backyard garden. The redbud, a tree native to Oklahoma, is well-known for its beautiful flowers in early spring. These small, delicate flowers bloom in clusters along the branches and trunk of the tree, creating a breathtaking display of color. The flowers’ vivid pink and purple hues contrast beautifully with the tree’s smooth, gray bark, making the redbud a standout in your garden. If you’re looking for another stunning and unique addition to your garden, you’ll also want to consider the bald cypress. One of the most unique features of this tree is its distinctive “knees”. These raised root structures protrude from the ground at the tree’s base, creating a striking visual effect that adds an extra dimension of interest to your landscaping. 

While adding more to your landscaping is always great for the environment, it’s also a great way to add color and showcase your unique personality throughout your backyard garden, and in the Greater OKC area, there are quite a few flowers that are perfect to plant. The black-eyed Susan is one wildflower that is known for its bright yellow petals and dark centers. These vibrant flowers bloom in mid-summer and continue to bloom throughout the fall months as well, providing a long-lasting source of color and beauty to your garden, and the flower is relatively easy to care for, making it an attractive option for gardeners of all skill levels. When you’re looking to add a variety of colors to your garden, though, few flowers are quite as vibrant as zinnias. From deep reds and oranges to pale pinks and yellows, zinnias come in a rainbow of hues that can add depth and dimension to any garden, and their unique flower shapes, ranging from single blooms to large, fluffy pom-poms, add extra interest to these already beautiful plants.

If you’re looking for something both beautiful and practical, there are a number of different plants you can also include this Earth Day around your Taber home. One of the most striking features of agave plants is their distinct rosette shape, which adds a sculptural element to any garden. They're also highly functional plants, known for their ability to thrive in arid climates and poor soil conditions, and they work well in a variety of garden settings, from rock gardens and succulent gardens to container gardens or even as indoor plants. Wherever you choose to add these plants to your garden, they are sure to add texture and visual interest to any space. Incorporating fragrant herbs to your garden is another great way to add beauty and functionality to your landscaping, and lavender and rosemary are two of the most popular fragrant herbs to include. Lavender has long, narrow leaves that range from silvery-gray to green and flowers that come in shades of purple, blue, pink and white. The herb is known for its calming and soothing properties, and planting lavender in your garden can help create a peaceful and relaxing environment that can help you unwind after a long day. Rosemary, on the other hand, is a popular herb used in cooking, and its fragrant leaves can add a unique flavor to your dishes.   

Energy Efficiency features in your Taber home

At Homes by Taber, our team is always working to ensure that we are doing our part each day to help reduce our carbon footprint, and we are committed to building homes that are not only beautiful and functional but also environmentally responsible. 

The HERS index is a well-established scoring system created by the Residential Energy Services Network (RENSET), which serves as a useful tool for evaluating the energy efficiency of different homes. A typical existing home has a HERS score of 130, while the average score for a Homes by Taber home is an impressive 41.1. This means that our Proudly Overbuilt ® homes are significantly more energy efficient than the average home, saving our homeowners on their energy bills each year. At Homes by Taber, we prioritize energy efficiency and strive to exceed the RESNET standards when building our homes, ensuring that our customers can enjoy even greater energy savings and a more comfortable living environment.

Throughout our homes, one feature we include is blown-in R-15 wall insulation made up of 20-30% recycled glass which reduces waste in landfills and promotes sustainability. Additionally, its unique installation process completely fills all areas around pipes, wires and other objects inside the wall cavity, eliminating costly voids and air gaps that may otherwise compromise the insulation’s effectiveness. It’s also non-flammable, providing an added layer of safety to your home and is effective in absorbing moisture, preventing potential mold and mildew growth and preserving indoor air quality. 

Another feature we’re incredibly proud of is our High Efficient Air Conditioner. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of this HVAC system is designed to provide greater indoor comfort without overusing electricity. This system is especially helpful during the summer months in warmer climates like the Greater Oklahoma City area, where temperatures can soar. The high SEER rating ensures that the system can efficiently cool your home, even during the hottest months of the year, without straining the electrical grid or your wallet. By reducing energy consumption, you’ll be reducing your home’s carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future, and with regular maintenance and filter replacement, this HVAC system can have a longer lifespan than lower SEER rated systems, saving you money on future replacement costs. 

Homes built for the future