Trees for Austin Yards
Austin is tough on trees: long, hot summers, stretches of drought, and shallow, alkaline soils over limestone, especially west of I-35 in the Hill Country. Trees that are native or well adapted to Central Texas handle these conditions far better than most imports. Here are trees from our catalog that are good fits for the Austin area.
Shade trees
- Live Oak – the classic Texas shade tree. Evergreen, long-lived and very drought tolerant once established; handles alkaline and rocky soils.
- Cedar Elm – a tough Texas native that tolerates heat, drought and poor, limestone or clay soils. Great for street-side and yard shade.
- Burr Oak – big leaves, big acorns and a broad canopy; adapts well to alkaline soils and dry summers.
- Chinkapin Oak – a native oak that does well in shallow, limestone-based soils.
- Lacey Oak – a smaller Hill Country native oak with blue-green leaves; well suited to rocky, alkaline sites.
- Mexican White Oak (Quercus polymorpha, listed as Mexican Oak) – fast-growing for an oak and semi-evergreen, with good heat and drought tolerance.
Flowering and ornamental trees
- Texas Mountain Laurel – an evergreen native with fragrant purple, grape-scented blooms in early spring. Very drought tolerant and at home in limestone soils.
- Texas Redbud – pink-purple blossoms in late winter to early spring; a well-adapted native for alkaline soils. (We also carry Mexican Redbud.)
- Crape Myrtles – long summer bloom in white, pink and red, and they thrive in Austin heat. We carry several varieties, including Natchez (White), Tuscarora (Red) and Basham (Pink).
- Vitex (Agnus-castus) – lavender-blue flower spikes through the heat of summer, drought tolerant and loved by pollinators.
Planting tips
Plant in fall through early spring when possible so roots establish before summer heat. Dig wide rather than deep, set the root ball at or slightly above grade, and water deeply and regularly through the first one to two summers, even for drought-tolerant trees.
Sizes, planting service and delivery
Our trees are container-grown and offered in 15, 30 and 45 gallon sizes. Need it planted? We offer planting for $165 per 30 gallon tree and $190 per 45 gallon tree (call for 15 gallon planting). We serve Austin, TX and the surrounding areas, including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Kyle, Buda and Dripping Springs. Volume discounts start at 5 plants.
Shop Trees Request an Order or call 512-971-2788.