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The Top Choice Austin Landscaping Blog

Our Top Evergreen Shrubs for Texas Lawns

By The Top Choice Team / March 3, 2026

Spring is when most landscapes wake up. It’s also when gaps become obvious. If you’re looking for structure and consistent color, evergreen shrubs do the heavy lifting. Many perform well in Central Texas—if you choose the right ones. Heat tolerance, drought resistance, and soil adaptability matter here. Below are ten evergreen shrubs that consistently perform…

Top 10 Drought-Tolerant Plants for Gardening in Austin

By The Top Choice Team / March 3, 2026

Gardening in Austin isn’t easy. The past few years have brought freezes, ice storms, and long stretches of extreme heat and drought. If your lawn or planting beds look stressed, you’re not alone. We’ve seen plenty of “hardy” plants fail under real Central Texas conditions. A zone label doesn’t tell the whole story. The real…

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…

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…

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…

Silkworms in Central Texas

By Nolan Gore / April 10, 2025

Silkworms in Central Texas: What Are Those Worms Crawling on You? Have you ever been in a serious conversation—maybe even a meeting—only to feel something crawling on your neck? You do the jump-and-slap combo, thinking it’s a spider, and it turns out to be a tiny, green worm. Welcome to springtime in Central Texas. Those…

What to Know About June Bugs in Austin Yards

By Nolan Gore / April 2, 2025

TL;DR: • June bugs = no big deal (unless there’s a lot) • Their babies = turf-killing grubs • Now’s a good time to keep an eye out • We’ve got grub control if you need it What to Know About June Bugs in Austin Yards (And why they’re crashing your porch light party) It’s…

What to know about xeriscaping

By Nolan Gore / August 27, 2024

What is it? Why would you xeriscape part/all of your yard? What are the best plants for xeriscaping in Central Texas? What are common mistakes and misconceptions What are some common landscaping materials used in xeriscaping? What are several areas I should consider xeriscaping in my yard? What should I consider with xeriscaping? Some of our…

Is rain water better for our landscape than irrigation water?

By Nolan Gore / July 30, 2024

It is all just water, right? Turns out – not all water is created equal. Rainwater is actually better for your landscape than irrigation water. Yes – you heard me correctly. Water from the sky is better for your lawn, plants, lawn gnomes and trees than the water from your pipes. Before I explain why…irrigation…

How to retain water in your landscape

By Nolan Gore / June 27, 2024

Despite consistent watering, your grass and plants are likely showing the strain of a long, hot Austin summer. What can you do? Luckily we’ve still got a few tricks up our sleeves to retain water — saving whatever moisture we can so your ground and plants don’t dry up. 1. Don’t waste water: inspect your irrigation…