$100,000–$150,000 · 7 weeks
Hill Country terrace, Boerne
Cibolo Creek area, Boerne · finished 2024 · led by Danny Ochoa
Landscaping · from $450–$3,000
Tree and shrub planting in Boerne and the Hill Country
A tree is the one thing in your yard that gets more valuable every year, if it's planted right. Most young trees that die in Hill Country yards die from avoidable mistakes: planted too deep, left in a circling root ball, staked too tight, or watered by a lawn sprinkler that never soaks the root zone.
We plant trees and shrubs the way an arborist would. We pick the species for your soil depth and space, check the root ball at the nursery, set the root flare at grade, loosen circling roots, backfill with native soil, mulch a wide ring, stake loosely only if needed and set up a deep-watering plan for the first two summers.
Who it's for
Who this is for
New homes with no shade. Older yards that lost trees to oak wilt, drought or storms. Anyone who needs screening from a neighbor's second story, or wants a privacy hedge that doesn't need shearing every month.
It's also part of most of our full landscape projects, where trees go in early so they get a head start on the beds around them.
Materials and options
Trees and shrubs we plant most, by job
| Job | Species | Mature size | Why we use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shade tree | Cedar elm | 40–50 ft | Takes clay and caliche, drought-hardy, oak-wilt free |
| Shade tree | Chinquapin oak | 40–50 ft | Native, handles alkaline soil, white oak group |
| Small tree | Texas mountain laurel | 10–15 ft | Evergreen, purple spring flowers, deer rarely eat it |
| Small tree | Mexican plum | 15–20 ft | White spring bloom, takes part shade |
| Screen | Yaupon holly (upright) | 12–20 ft | Native evergreen, narrow, no shearing needed |
| Shrub | Cenizo | 5–6 ft | Silver leaves, purple bloom after rain |
What it costs
What tree and shrub planting costs
$450–$3,000
per tree installed; shrubs $65–$110 each in 5-gallon
A 30-gallon tree, about 8 to 10 feet tall, costs $450 to $750 installed. A 65-gallon tree runs $900 to $1,600, and a 100-gallon tree, often 14 feet or more, $1,800 to $3,000 including equipment to set it. Five-gallon shrubs are $65 to $110 each installed with bed prep.
Bigger isn't always better. A 30-gallon tree often catches up with a 100-gallon one within five years because it establishes faster. We'll tell you which size makes sense for your goal and budget.
Timeline
How long it takes
Most tree and shrub plantings take one to three days.
- Site walk and species selection1 visit
- Nursery selection and taggingWithin 1–2 weeks
- Planting and mulching1–3 days
- Deep watering set-upSame day
- First-summer checkJune or July
Oak wilt and what we plant near it
Oak wilt is a fungal disease that kills live oaks and red oaks across Central Texas and spreads through connected roots and beetles drawn to fresh wounds. In neighborhoods with active oak wilt, we avoid planting red oaks, paint every oak wound, and never prune oaks from February through June. Cedar elm and Chinquapin oak are our usual replacements.
Case study
Hill Country terrace, Boerne
A backyard that fell 14 feet from the house, turned into two limestone terraces with a flagstone patio, a cedar pergola and native planting.
Read the case study“Danny walked us through every stake before they dug. Two summers in, the walls haven't moved, the mud is gone, and we eat dinner under the pergola most nights from April to October.”
Questions
Tree and shrub planting questions
When is the best time to plant trees here?
October through February. Cool weather lets roots grow before summer heat. We plant year-round, but summer-planted trees need more water and more attention from you.
How often should I water a new tree?
For the first summer, a slow deep soak of about 10 to 15 gallons per inch of trunk diameter once or twice a week. Lawn sprinklers don't do it. We leave a written schedule and, on larger jobs, install a separate drip ring.
Will deer eat my new trees?
Bucks rub young trunks in the fall even on species deer don't eat. In Boerne, Helotes and Fair Oaks Ranch we install trunk guards or cages for the first two years.
Is tree planting covered by the 3-year warranty?
Yes. If a tree we planted dies within three years and it was watered on our schedule, we replace it with the same size and species.
Where we build this most
Free · 45 minutes · no obligation
Start with a free site walk
Forty-five minutes on your property with a designer. You'll leave with honest numbers and a clear next step. A fixed-price proposal with a 3D render follows within two weeks.