Blog

How to trim a cactus damaged by cold weather We recently had a sever winter event and many mature cacti were damaged by the cold weather. There was a lot of discussion as to what people should do with their plants. We wrote an article here about assessing plant health, but it didn’t address cacti.  […]

How to Trim a Sago Palm Have you ever wondered how to trim a sago palm? Perhaps you have experienced one of the following: A weather event has damaged the fronds of the palm. They look burned by a cold weather event. The picture attached is just following a sever winter event and all the […]

Is my plant dead?  Is my plant dead? After this record breaking freeze we are getting a lot of these questions: Can you help me assess my landscape? What should I do now? What is the meaning of life? We are going to write in generalizations (we trust that you are smart enough to apply […]

What happens to the Texas Landscape when it gets this cold? Background Information: This was written in mid-February 2021 during a “winter vortex”. You may have heard of the movie – The Perfect Storm – well that was about a different storm. Similar though. Central Texas saw multiple days under snow. While this may be […]

How to trim Knockout Roses in Central Texas Wondering how to trim roses in Central Texas? The first question you should ask: What are knockout roses? They are hybrid roses developed to resist common rose diseases and produce prolific blooms. They are common in landscapes across Central Texas. It is important you ensure you are […]

3 Notable American Christmases At Top Choice, we love America. Sure, we are flawed. Who isn’t? We have our ignominious moments. Who doesn’t? I know I do. But, despite those moments, we have some incredible, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, heart warming, human moments. Here are three that occurred on Christmas or Christmas Eve. As a side note, […]

Central Texas Winter Cut Back How can you be successful in your Texas winter cut back? A little work in mid-late winter will result in a more beautiful and healthy landscape for the rest of the year. Each yard is different, in fact each yard can have its own microclimate where plants should be treated […]

How Does Military Experience Help with Small Business? All I can do is write to my own experience – limited – personal – growing – ever-changing. I understand myself better and differently each year. But I have this conversation pretty regularly, so I thought I would consolidate my thoughts to maybe help someone in the […]

2020 Book Recommendations  Want some 2020 book recommendations? For you? For a gift? I read a lot…actually my wife likes to remind me that I listen a lot. Perhaps the best word is consume. I consume a lot of books – some via the physical page and a lot via the audible app. I love […]

Drunk Birds?! Why is this bird acting so strange? Believe it or not, animals – and especially birds – can get drunk on berries. Occasionally, with the right seasonal conditions, berries will ferment. This generally occurs after a freeze. When a hungry bird runs into a fermented berry, they make friends and odd things can […]