Posts

The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

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…

How to Winterize Your Backflow Preventer

By The Top Choice Team / January 6, 2026

Folks around the country will often shut off and drain their irrigation systems entirely before the winter, but because we rarely get deep freezes, that’s not really necessary in Central Texas. However, we still need to protect any above-ground exposed equipment: pipes, pumps, filters, and backflow preventers! Proper insulation and winterization are especially important this…

How to Winterize your Irrigation System in Austin

By The Top Choice Team / January 6, 2026

ONLY THROUGH JANUARY 23: HALF OFF IRRIGATION WINTERIZATION! Sign up for either the 2x or the 4x irrigation maintenance plan and we can do this irrigation winterization visit for $62.50! Any parts required are an additional cost.  CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.  (It’s a cool program where you pay a little monthly and we come take care…

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…

Washers and Horseshoes

By The Top Choice Team / October 13, 2025

Let’s talk about yard games. I love them. Obsessed.  If I’m at a wedding reception and there’s cornhole or washers out… my wife knows she’s pretty much on her own for the rest of the night. (I know this is not good…sometimes I am actually a good husband).  And now for the fun part: Top…

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…

Lawn Fertilization in Austin: Why, When, and How to Do It Right

By The Top Choice Team / October 1, 2025

In Austin, fertilizing your lawn isn’t really that optional (unless you don’t want to have a nice yard).  Think of it as feeding your grass the right diet with the proper micro nutrients. Timing, product selection, and application matter a lot more than most people realize. Get it wrong, and you’re wasting money (or worse,…

What to do about winter weeds in Austin Texas

By The Top Choice Team / September 30, 2025

Many people associate weeds with spring or summer when it seems like everything is coming to life. In fact, there are plenty of winter weeds in Texas that deserve our attention while temperatures are cool. Let’s look into what these weeds are and what you can do about them. Step 1: Identification Most weeds fall…

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…