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The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

When to trim live oak trees in Austin

By The Top Choice Team / February 3, 2026

Nothing says Central Texas hill country quite like a majestic live oak. These trees have a special place in properties throughout Austin. Larger trees can be 200-300 years old, and with proper care, some can live up to 500 or 600 years! Many of these gentle giants have been around since before we were born,…

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

Why do we winterize? We want to take care of our irrigation systems. Often times there are breaks in our systems after a long hard winter. Everyone knows that water expands when it freezes – we need to take this into consideration when we are preparing for the cold months. Make sure your system is…

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…