Nolan Gore

The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

Central Texas Winter Weeds: Identification and Control

By Nolan Gore / February 24, 2026

If you’ve looked out at your lawn lately and thought, “Where did all that come from?” — you’re not alone. Winter in Austin is weird. One week it’s 38 degrees and damp. The next it’s 74 and sunny. Your Bermuda is asleep, but the weeds? Wide awake. While your turf is taking a well-earned nap,…

Central Texas Winter Pruning & Cutback Guide

By Nolan Gore / January 27, 2026

How do you succeed with winter cutbacks in Central Texas? A little intentional work in mid to late winter pays off all year long. Done right, winter cutbacks lead to healthier plants, stronger spring growth, and a landscape that looks good sooner — not scraggly until April. That said, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach here. Every…

Landscaping in December: The 8 Things Every Austin Homeowner Should Know (Plus a Bonus)

By Nolan Gore / December 9, 2025

Your Guide to Winter Roots, Watering, Weeds, Mulch, Trees & More — Austin, Texas Edition What You’ll Learn in This Guide This December guide will help you understand: If you understand these principles, you’ll prevent 80% of the issues Austin homeowners face each spring. 1. Soil Temps > Air Temps If you only remember one…

This Week in Landscaping

By Nolan Gore / November 3, 2025

Hello, hello! 👋 It’s This Week in Landscaping for November 3rd, and we’ve finally hit that beautiful, confusing time of year in Central Texas — cool mornings, warm afternoons, and a forecast that looks perfect… until it doesn’t. Weather: Perfectly Unpredictable We’re looking at highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s, with mild…

Top 10 Plants for Xeriscaping in Central Texas

By Nolan Gore / October 7, 2025

1. Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) Type: ShrubSun Requirements: Full sunWatering Requirements: Drought-tolerant once established; requires minimal wateringMature Size: Typically reaches a height of 3-8 feet with a similar spread Fun Facts: 2. Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) Type: PerennialSun Requirements: Full sunWatering Requirements: Highly drought-tolerant; minimal watering once establishedMature Size: Typically grows to a height of 2-3 feet with a…

Drip Irrigation: The Smarter Way to Water in Central Texas

By Nolan Gore / September 11, 2025

Short Version: Drip irrigation delivers water underground — right to the roots — saving water and boosting plant health. It’s perfect for Central Texas landscapes, especially in mulched beds, slopes, and even those narrow lawn strips by the street. What Is Drip Irrigation? Drip irrigation (also called subsurface drip) uses a network of tubing buried…

The Shaded Retreat: Designing a Lush and Low-Maintenance Shade Garden in Austin

By Nolan Gore / September 9, 2025

As a residential landscape company in Austin, Texas, we understand that not all garden spaces receive direct sunlight throughout the day. Whether you have towering trees or a north-facing yard, creating a lush and low-maintenance shade garden is achievable with the right approach. In this post, we’ll share our top secrets to designing an attractive…

What is a Native Plant in Central Texas? A Real Talk Recap

By Nolan Gore / August 21, 2025

A couple of weeks ago, I sat through a full day of landscaping classes at a Texas Nursery and Landscape Association (TNLA) expo. One of the most thought-provoking sessions was about native plants—a topic we all think we understand… until we start defining it out loud. The presenter was sharp. She lives in Fort Worth,…

The State of Lawn Robots in Austin, Texas: A 2025 Reality Check

By Nolan Gore / August 20, 2025

Last time I wrote about lawn robots, I opened with “Robots coming through!” That was back in 2018 when we introduced Willie, a Husqvarna Automower we named because Willie Nelson means grass, which we thought was hilarious. Well, spoiler alert: they’re still not good enough to use in most yards. They have reached a point…

How to choose the right plants

By Nolan Gore / May 6, 2025

Don’t put a plant in the ground until you’ve thought through these. Seriously. We plant thousands of plants every year—and we’ve seen just about everything. Over time, we’ve developed a go-to list of questions we ask ourselves before putting any plant into the ground. It helps us avoid the most common mistakes we see from…