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Fresh plantings filling decomposed granite beds around a deck and fire pit in a Riverplace, Austin landscape
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Plant Installation in Austin, TX

Trees, shrubs, perennials, and sod planted right the first time. We size every hole for Austin caliche, set root flares above grade, and leave you a watering schedule that works under Stage 2 restrictions.

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Plant installation in Austin is its own craft. The soil is shallow, the caliche is hard, the summers run 100 days over 95 degrees, and the city updates watering rules every season. Thrive Landscape and Design has been planting trees, shrubs, perennials, and sod across the greater Austin area for more than 20 years. We hand-pick stock from local growers, plant on the calendar Texas plants actually want, and back the install with care instructions that match your specific yard, irrigation zones, and sun exposure. The result is a yard that fills in instead of fading out.

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  • 500+ Projects Completed
  • 19+ Years Experience
  • 5/5 Average Rating
What We Do

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    Tree & Shrub Planting

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    Garden Bed Installation

    Shaped, edged, and amended planting beds that give your new Austin plantings clean lines and healthy soil.

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  • Mulched flower beds along a flagstone walkway in a Fayetteville landscape

    Mulching

    Fresh mulch that locks in moisture, suppresses weeds, and protects new roots through hot Austin summers.

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    All Landscape Design Services

    Browse the full menu of design, planning, and installation services for Austin properties.

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Our Process

  1. Hand-selected palo verde and shrubs set into a gravel planter bed

    Plant Selection

    We start with your light, soil, slope, and water budget, then build a plant list rated for USDA zone 8b or 9a. For full sun we lean on live oak, Texas red oak, Mexican white oak, possumhaw, salvia greggii, blackfoot daisy, and gulf muhly. For shade we use Texas mountain laurel, yaupon, autumn sage, and Mexican feathergrass. Trees are tagged at the nursery so you see them before they hit the truck.

  2. Site & Bed Prep

    Caliche gets broken with an auger or rock bar, holes are dug two to three times the root ball width, and beds get a 50/50 mix of native soil and screened compost. We cut clean edges, lay 3 inches of hardwood mulch, and protect any existing live oaks. In west Austin we plan around deer pressure and pick species deer rarely browse.

    Freshly prepped steel-edged planter bed with gravel and ornamental plants in Westlake Hills
  3. Planting a new tree in a Dripping Springs xeriscape bed

    Plant & Water-In

    Container-grown plants are loosened to prevent circling roots. Balled-and-burlapped trees are set with the root flare an inch above finished grade so they never settle into a bathtub. Every plant gets a deep water-in the day it goes in. Sod is laid tight, rolled, and soaked, with Bermuda, Zoysia, or St. Augustine matched to your sun and water plan.

  4. Establishment Care

    You get a printed watering schedule sized for Stage 2 restrictions, with hand-water targets for the first four weeks and a taper for months two and three. We check back at the four-week mark, top off mulch, and adjust the schedule before summer. Trees and shrubs we supply are warrantied for one year when the schedule is followed.

    Established landscape with full flower beds along a flagstone walkway
Driveway planter beds ready for fresh native plantings at Smithville-Ranch
Refreshed beds with flowers around a water fountain at Smithville-Ranch
When To Replant

Signs You Need Replanting

Plant Installation in Austin, TX

Yards in Austin do not fail all at once. They thin out one summer at a time. If you are seeing any of the patterns below, it is usually time to replace tired plants with species sized for caliche, heat, and current watering rules.

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  • If half a bed is brown by August and you are watering more each year, the species are wrong for your sun and soil. Replanting with salvia greggii, blackfoot daisy, and lantana fixes this for most full-sun beds.

  • St. Augustine fades fast once tree canopies fill in. We replace deep-shade lawn with beds of dwarf yaupon, Texas sedge, and Mexican feathergrass, or run the bed line out and switch to mulch.

  • Bark splitting on a young tree usually means it was planted too deep or in full west sun without protection. We replant with a properly set root flare, a temporary trunk wrap, and a watering ring sized for your soil.

Mature landscape with garden beds along a flagstone path and stone urn
Refreshed beds with ornamental grasses framing a turf lawn

Why Choose Thrive Landscape and Design?

  • Austin-Native Plant Lists

    We plant species rated for zone 8b and 9a, sourced from local growers, so they show up acclimated and ready for Hill Country soil.

  • Caliche-Tested Methods

    Augered holes, oversized backfill mix, and root flares set above grade. The reason most Austin trees die in year two is bad planting, not bad weather.

  • Oak Wilt Aware

    We follow Texas A&M Forest Service guidance, schedule around the Feb 1 to June 30 high-risk window, and seal every oak cut within 15 minutes.

  • Written Care & Warranty

    Every install leaves with a printed water plan sized for Stage 2 rules and a one-year warranty on trees and shrubs we supply.

Our Service Areas

Plant Installation Across The Greater Austin Area

We install plants from Lakeway and Bee Cave to Pflugerville and Cedar Park. Every yard gets a soil and sun walk before we order stock, so your plant list matches your block, not a generic Austin spec.

  • Lakeway
  • Driftwood
  • Westlake Hills
  • Round Rock
  • Lake Point
  • Bee Cave
  • Shoal Creek
  • River Place
  • Cedar Park
  • Steiner Ranch
  • Pflugerville
  • & more
Our Portfolio

View Our Gallery

Plant installs across the greater Austin area, from caliche slopes in west Austin to shaded lots in central neighborhoods. Browse recent projects to see species, bed shapes, and finished beds in real yards.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Fall and early winter, roughly October through February, are the best months to plant in Austin. Soil is still warm enough for roots to grow, the air is cooler, and plants have months to settle in before the first 100-degree day. Spring installs work too, but you will need more hand-watering through the first summer.

  • Yes, if they go in healthy, get watered in deeply, and stick to a soak-don’t-sprinkle schedule for the first 12 weeks. We pick species rated for USDA zone 8b or 9a, plant at the right depth, and mulch heavily to keep roots cool. New trees and shrubs usually need 5 to 10 gallons per week through summer one, then taper from there.

  • We use an auger or a rock bar to break through the caliche layer, then widen the hole two to three times the root ball width. Backfill is a 50/50 mix of native soil and screened compost, never pure potting soil, so roots learn to push into the surrounding ground. For trees in tight caliche, we sometimes drill a drainage chimney to keep the root ball from sitting in a bathtub.

  • Texas A&M Forest Service recommends not pruning red oaks or live oaks from February 1 through June 30 because that is peak transmission season for oak wilt. We schedule oak planting around that window and only make pruning cuts in mid-summer or winter, sealing every cut within 15 minutes.

  • Yes. City of Austin Stage 2 allows hand-watering of new plantings any day with a hose, bucket, or drip on a soaker hose. Automatic irrigation is capped to one assigned day per week. We hand-water new trees and shrubs deeply during the establishment window, then transition them to your zoned drip once roots are set.

  • We back our installs with a one-year warranty on trees and shrubs we supply, provided you follow the watering schedule we leave on site. Perennials, sod, and annuals are not warrantied because their survival depends on day-to-day care, but we will walk you through what each plant needs and check in at four weeks.

  • Sod almost always wins in Austin. Seed struggles with our clay-caliche soils, summer heat, and watering limits. Common sod choices are Bermuda for full sun and low water, Zoysia for medium water and a softer feel, and St. Augustine for shaded lawns under live oaks. St. Augustine drinks the most, so we usually steer water-conscious clients toward Bermuda or Zoysia. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center plant database is a great cross-check for understory and bed choices.

  • Call (512) 503-1935 or fill out our contact form. We schedule a free on-site walk in Austin within one business day, measure beds, talk through plant choices, and send a written quote with each tree, shrub, and flat of sod priced out.

Ready To Replant Your Austin Yard?

Tell us about your beds, your trees, and your trouble spots. We will price the plants you need and schedule the install in the right season.

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