First — wait 4–6 weeks after the drought breaks.
When the rain comes back, the temptation is to rush in and replant. Don't. Here's why:
Many plants that look dead after a Hill Country drought are dormant, not dead. Live oaks, Texas red oaks, Mexican plum, and most native shrubs will green back up 2–6 weeks after consistent rainfall returns. Replanting too early means you might be paying to replace plants that were going to recover anyway.
The 4–6 week wait also lets you see drainage clearly. Dry-soil drainage problems don't show. Wet-soil drainage problems show within a week of consistent rain. You want the drainage problems exposed before you sign a proposal.
What to assess first (you, walking the property).
Soil hardness and crusting. Drought-baked Hill Country soil develops a hard crust that sheds water instead of absorbing it. If you can't push a screwdriver in 4" with hand pressure, your soil needs reset before anything else.
Tree canopy stress. Look at mature trees — especially live oaks. Brown leaves on otherwise healthy branches is normal post-drought. Whole-canopy bronzing or branch dieback is a tree-health issue requiring an arborist, not a landscape proposal.
Standing water locations. After the first big rain, walk the property and mark any spot where water sits more than 24 hours. Those are drainage problems that were hidden by drought.
Fire ant mounds. Droughts crash ant populations temporarily. The first 60 days of rain after a drought usually produces an explosion of fresh mounds. Quantity matters — 5+ fresh mounds per acre indicates infrastructure-level pressure that needs scope, not just spot treatment.
Bed mulch. Drought-degraded mulch is dust-fine and hydrophobic — it actively sheds water. If your bed mulch crumbles to powder in your hand, it needs full replacement (not topping-up).
When to call.
Call within 4–6 weeks of drought-end if:
- You have plants you're sure are dead (not dormant) — leaves crisp at first touch, branches snap dry, no green at the cambium when you score the bark
- You have new standing-water zones the drought hid
- You have visible foundation moisture problems
- Mature trees are showing significant canopy loss (call an arborist first, landscaper second)
- Your irrigation system was hand-modified during drought restrictions and is no longer balanced
Wait 8–12 weeks if:
- You only want to replace front-yard color plants (give natives a chance to come back first)
- The property is on caliche shelf — soil needs to fully rehydrate before you can read drainage accurately
- You're planning a full overhaul (the longer the soil has to recover, the cheaper the soil reset)
What an honest post-drought scope looks like.
Property walk + drainage map — free, takes 30–60 minutes
Soil reset (compost + biochar + microbial activator) for the worst-hit beds — usually $2,400–$6,000 depending on coverage
Mulch full replacement (don't top-up; full replace) — by the cubic yard, usually $400–$1,400 per bed area
Plant replacement — by the plant, with crew confirming the loss isn't just dormancy first
Irrigation audit + rebalance — usually $250–$700
Drainage correction if drought-exposed issues found — see the drainage-cost article for ranges
Total typical post-drought recovery scope on a half-acre property: $3,500–$12,000 depending on plant losses and drainage state.
What to NOT do after a drought.
Don't replant the same plants that just died. If a non-native ornamental couldn't survive this drought, it won't survive the next one. Use the recovery as an opportunity to shift toward natives that actually fit the climate.
Don't skip the soil reset. Replanting into degraded, crusted, compacted post-drought soil is throwing money in the ground. Reset the soil first, then plant.
Don't trust a phone quote on post-drought work. Every property's drought damage is different. The walk is free.