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The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

5 Best Shade Trees for Austin

By The Top Choice Team / March 3, 2026

Best Shade Trees for Austin Texas Here are 5 of the best shade trees in Austin and Central Texas. It is hard to say that one is better than another, it really depends on the micro-climate and your specific needs. This is meant to be a quick overview. If you want more information, we are…

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,…

Trimming Knock Out Roses in Central Texas

By The Top Choice Team / February 17, 2026

Wondering how to trim knock out roses in Central Texas? It is important you ensure you are dealing with knockout roses rather than an antique or climbing rose because they are maintained very differently. What are Knock Out Roses? Knock Out Roses hybrids were developed to resist common rose diseases and produce prolific blooms. Though…

How to Prune Crepe Myrtles in Austin Texas

By The Top Choice Team / February 17, 2026

Holly crepe! Is it that time of year again? A little TLC in the winter will pay off big time with healthy growth and beautiful crepe myrtle (crape myrtle) blooms come spring. How do you prune a crepe myrtle? Pruning crepe myrtles is no big secret. Many smaller trees are perfect candidates for a little…

Common Tree Trimming Mistakes

By The Top Choice Team / February 3, 2026

Tree trimming and pruning is one of the toughest tasks in lawn maintenance, with a high likelihood of mistakes when performed by an inexperienced trimmer or lawn service. Not only do these mistakes make your trees look horrible, they can also cause permanent damage and even kill your trees in some instances. Since tree trimming…

Live Oaks – Water Sprouts and Suckers

By The Top Choice Team / February 3, 2026

If you live in Austin, we guarantee you’ve seen more than a few Live Oak trees. They are native, evergreen, and don’t need too much water to be healthy. However, Live Oaks are notorious for producing small, fast-growing off shoots commonly known as water sprouts or suckers. They can appear for a variety of reasons:…

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 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…