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Spicewood front xeriscape with gravel, mulch, and planters in a drought-tolerant Austin landscape design
5.0

Landscape Design Services in Austin, TX

Thrive Landscape and Design is a veteran-owned, locally based landscape design firm building site-specific plans for homes across the greater Austin area. For more than 20 years, we’ve designed yards that work with our clay, caliche, and limestone soils — not against them — using native, drought-tolerant planting that holds up through Stage 2 watering restrictions and Hill Country heat.

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Design Services

Every Landscape Design Service We Offer

From a one-room courtyard refresh to a full master plan for a Hill Country acreage, every design starts with a site walk, a soil read, and an honest conversation about how you actually want to live in the yard. Browse the services below or explore the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center plant database for inspiration before your consultation.

  • Aerial overview of a Driftwood estate landscape design with raised limestone beds and a paver driveway

    3D Design

    See your yard before a single plant goes in the ground. We build to-scale 3D models so you can walk the layout, test materials, and tweak the plan before we break ground.

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  • Bee Cave backyard design with a flagstone pathway, planting beds, privacy screen, and turf

    Backyard Design

    Privacy planting, shade strategy, lawn-to-bed ratios, and a clear flow from house to patio to play space. Backyards that work for kids, dogs, and entertaining all at once.

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  • Front yard landscape design in Spicewood with a paver driveway, gravel, and ornamental grasses

    Front Yard Design

    Curb appeal that holds up to street view, HOA review, and afternoon sun. Foundation planting, entry walks, and feature beds that read clean from the curb and from the porch.

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  • Driftwood estate landscape with raised limestone beds, stone pavers, and a formal walkway

    Landscape Architecture

    Structural site work, grading, drainage, and master plans for larger properties and Hill Country acreage. The bones of the project, drawn right and built to last.

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  • Aerial site plan of a Spicewood property with a paver driveway and gravel layout

    Site Planning

    Driveway placement, drainage routing, tree preservation, and outdoor zone layout for new builds and major remodels. Get the bones right before the foundation goes in.

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Recent Designs

Built Around Austin Yards

Every design we draw is shaped by the property in front of us — the soil, the slope, the sun, the deer, and the way the family wants to use the yard. Browse a few recent projects from Lost Creek, Westlake, Cedar Park, Driftwood, La Grange, and Bastrop, and see how site-specific design plays out across the greater Austin area.

FAQ

Landscape Design Questions, Answered

  • For most Austin residential properties, the design phase runs three to six weeks from the initial site visit to a finished plan you can build from. Larger Hill Country lots, HOA-reviewed properties in Lakeway or Steiner Ranch, and master plans with phased builds can take eight to twelve weeks. We'll give you a written timeline at the consultation.

  • A current survey helps but isn't always required. For small refresh projects we can work from measured site notes. For master plans, drainage work, retaining walls, or any HOA-reviewed build in Westlake, Barton Creek, or the Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone, a survey saves time and prevents costly setback issues.

  • We test soil on-site and design around what's actually under your yard. Blackland clay east of MoPac needs raised beds and aggressive drainage. Caliche and limestone in west Austin call for pocket planting, native species, and shallow-root selections like Texas sage, blackfoot daisy, and live oak that don't fight the rock.

  • Yes. We've submitted plans to architectural review committees in Lakeway, Westlake, Steiner Ranch, Circle C, and Avery Ranch. We'll format the drawings to match HOA requirements, include the plant lists and material specs they ask for, and revise once if the board kicks anything back.

  • Every plan is built to survive Stage 2 and Stage 3 restrictions, not just thrive in a wet spring. That means drought-tolerant species, drip irrigation zoned by water need, deep mulch, and grouping plants by hydrozone so you can keep beds alive on one watering day per week. See the City of Austin watering schedule for current stage rules.

  • A landscape architect is a state-licensed professional required for projects involving structural site work, grading plans stamped for permit, or commercial sites over a certain size. A landscape designer creates planting plans, hardscape layouts, and outdoor living designs for residential properties. For most Austin homes, a designer is the right fit. For large grading, drainage, or commercial work, we'll tell you when an architect's stamp is needed.

  • Yes, and it matters. Properties in Lakeway, Westlake, Lost Creek, Spicewood, and most Hill Country neighborhoods see heavy deer browsing. We default to deer-resistant species like cenizo, salvia greggii, agarita, and yaupon holly, and we plan tender plants inside fenced courtyards or raised beds where deer can't reach. For deeper plant research, Texas A&M AgriLife's Earth-Kind program is a strong reference.

  • Call us at (512) 503-1935 or fill out the contact form. We'll schedule a free on-site walk-through, ask about how you want to use the space, and follow up with a written scope and design fee. You're never locked in until you sign off on the plan.

Let’s Design Your Austin Yard

Veteran-owned, 5.0-rated, and based right here in Austin. Tell us about your property and we'll walk it with you, free of charge, and put together a clear scope for your design.

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