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The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

Tree Removal

By The Top Choice Team / November 11, 2020

Tree removal We love trees, but sometimes the best thing for a landscape is a tree removal. One of my personal pet peeves is when new neighborhoods require 2, 3 or even 4 trees installed in a yard that should really only have one tree. It is short sighted. Why would you remove a tree?…

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Why are there mushrooms in my yard?

By The Top Choice Team / October 14, 2020

Why are there mushrooms in my yard?! A could times a year we hear the question, “Why are there mushrooms in my yard? Should I be worried? Should we treat them?”. Sometimes mushrooms show up in the turf and sometimes they are in beds. What does this mean and what should I do about it? …

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7 Landscaping Ideas for your small backyard

By The Top Choice Team / October 13, 2020

  No matter how small your backyard may be, there are plenty of ways to create the perfect outdoor oasis at home with some backyard landscaping. A small plot doesn’t necessarily mean that the landscaping options are limited! There are plenty of landscaping designs and gardening fixes that you can do on your own or…

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Plants die in my yard every winter. How can I keep everything alive in the winter?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer: Mulch – One of the many benefits of mulch is that it helps regulate the soil temperature.  It acts like a blanket over the soil.  It will protect the delicate root systems of plants over the winter months.  If you have a hard time keeping plants alive over winter, make sure you have…

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Grass is growing all over my planting beds. How do I get rid of it and stop it from growing back?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer:  Common Bermuda and Weed Grasses – Most weed grasses, and common Bermuda, spread through seeds.  If your lawn has common Bermuda, make sure you mow weekly to keep the grass from going to seed.  (Most Bermuda lawns are Hybrid Bermuda and do not seed.)  The best solution is to pull the grass out…

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My grass isn’t as green as I would like, what do I do?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer: Fertilization – This is the first thing to do if you think your lawn should be greener.  Austin area lawns have almost no Nitrogen and little organic matter in the soil.  Supplementing the existing nutrients in the soil with a solid professional fertilization program will solve a big chunk of the issues with…

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Why is there a part of my yard that is always swampy and wet?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer: Broken Irrigation – If a portion of the yard is swampy and wet, the first thing to check is the Irrigation system.  Run the sprinklers for a few minutes per zone and walk around and check things out.  Sometimes there is an obvious problem that isn’t noticed because your irrigation runs early in…

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Why do I have a large brown spot in my yard when it gets hot?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer: Too Little Water – As our heat increases, the grass needs more and more water to stay healthy.  If only a single portion of the yard is struggling simply turning up the water may not be enough.  Something could be wrong with the irrigation system. A common problem is bad sprinkler head coverage. …

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My lawn is getting thin and fading. What is wrong?

By The Top Choice Team / September 17, 2020

Possible Answer: Shade – Shade is an incredibly common problem in our area.  Our wonderful Live Oaks and other native trees generally make our lives better, but they can literally murder a lawn.  The tree canopies spread and capture as much of the sunlight as possible, often leaving little light under the tree.  The canopy…

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Plants for Hummingbirds in Austin

By The Top Choice Team / August 25, 2020

Hummingbirds – Facts and Plants Let’s start with some facts about hummingbirds.  10 Hummingbird facts If you grew up in Austin or Central Texas, you may take hummingbirds for granted, but interestingly there are no native species in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or Antarctica.  You think you have a high heart rate? The little hearts…

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