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Chris Gosselin, Founder of Texan Landscape Group

Chris Gosselin

Founder

Articles by Chris Gosselin, founder of Texan Landscape Group, on landscape design, the planting that survives Gulf Coast clay, and outdoor rooms that get used.

Born and raised in the heart of Spring Branch, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for outdoor spaces and how they bring people together. That passion led me to pursue a degree in Construction Management, which I earned at the University of Arkansas.

About Chris 22 articles

Articles by Chris Gosselin

  • Aerial view of the front of a modern white brick house, with a concrete plank walkway and paver landing set in gravel, clipped hedge rows edging the lawn, and planted beds against the house
    Plants & Planting · 5 min read

    How Much Sun Does Your Yard Really Get?

    A simple way to map light across your yard before choosing plants — and why “full sun” on a plant tag means something different in Houston.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A row of young Eagleston hollies planted along a wood fence above a low clipped shrub border, beside a rectangular pool with a gray tile deck
    Plants & Planting · 6 min read

    Native Texas Plants That Handle Drought

    Native plants that survive a Houston summer without constant irrigation — and why “drought tolerant” still means watering through the first year.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A row of trees uplit at night in a raised planter along a dark fence, with linear lighting washing a stone-paved terrace in the foreground
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    Landscape Lighting Design: Why Layers Beat Floodlights

    One bright floodlight flattens a yard. Three layers of light — path, feature, and ambient — make it usable after dark. Here is how the layers work.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a fenced synthetic turf soccer pitch built by Texan Landscape Group in Houston, with painted white and red markings, goals at both ends, perimeter netting, and benches along one touchline
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 8 min read

    Why Houston Yards Are Being Rebuilt Before Kickoff

    Seven matches at NRG Stadium and an estimated half-million visitors. Why Houston homeowners are calling landscape contractors right now, and what to build.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • The front garden of a large brick house in Houston after a Texan Landscape Group installation, with a clipped lawn, two raised stone planter beds of young shrubs, and a concrete plank walkway set in gravel leading to the door
    Plants & Planting · 5 min read

    Why Boxwoods Fail in Houston, and What We Plant Instead

    Boxwoods look right and die anyway. Why they struggle in Gulf Coast heat and clay, and why Dwarf Yaupon Holly is the swap we now specify in Houston beds.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a freeform pool and raised spa behind a brick house, with a wide concrete deck holding loungers and a white-rock planting bed edged in stone and planted with tropicals
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    Why Pool Decks Crack in Houston Soil

    Houston’s expansive clay swells and shrinks with moisture, and that movement shows up in pool decks. What causes cracks and how to build against it.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A large cedar post-and-beam pergola with open rafters and ceiling fans over a turf and paver checkerboard patio, with wicker seating, planted borders, and a pool to one side
    Landscape Design · 5 min read

    Getting a Houston Yard Ready for Hurricane Season

    What to check on trees, drainage, structures, and loose objects before a Gulf storm — a practical yard checklist for Houston homeowners.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a narrow Houston side yard built by Texan Landscape Group, with a pool and raised spa, a turf and paver grid deck holding loungers, and a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen against the house
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    Coordinating Pool Decking With Your Patio

    How to make pool decking and patio surfaces read as one outdoor room — matching, complementing, and the transitions that give it away.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A freestanding cedar pergola with open rafters and a solid back panel over a bluestone patio, with a wicker sofa and armchairs, planters of climbing vines, and concrete plank steppers set in turf alongside
    Landscape Design · 5 min read

    Best Season to Start an Outdoor Project in Houston

    How Houston’s seasons affect construction, planting, and scheduling — and why the best time to start planning is rarely the best time to build.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A cedar pavilion with a dark metal roof and vines climbing its posts, with striped chaise lounges on the paver deck beside a pool and a folded white umbrella
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    How to Refresh an Aging Pool Deck

    Cracked, dated, or uneven pool decking — when cleaning is enough, when to resurface or pave over, and when the slab has to come out.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • The front garden of a large brick house in Houston after a Texan Landscape Group installation, with a clipped lawn, two raised stone planter beds of young shrubs, and a concrete plank walkway set in gravel leading to the door
    Landscape Design · 5 min read

    Signs Your Yard Has a Drainage Problem

    Standing water, mosquitoes, mulch that washes out, cracks at the slab — the early signs your yard’s drainage is failing, and what each one is telling you.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Plants & Planting · 2 min read

    100 Native Plants for Harris and Adjacent Counties

    One hundred natives picked for two things at once: they grow in Harris County gumbo, and they feed birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. The full list.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A freestanding black aluminum pergola with a wall-mounted television beside a rectangular pool and spa at a modern white house, with dark Adirondack chairs on the deck
    Landscape Design · 5 min read

    Five Questions to Ask Before Any Outdoor Project

    Five questions that settle scope, drainage, permissions, timeline, and responsibility before work starts — and prevent most project disputes.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a freestanding cedar pavilion with a dark solid roof beside a rectangular pool and raised square spa, with loungers on the deck and stepping stones crossing the lawn
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    Slip Resistance Around Pools: What Matters

    Texture, finish, joints, and drainage decide whether a wet pool deck is safe. What to look for, and the finishes to avoid around water.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A Houston house at twilight with its windows lit, a wide concrete plank walkway crossing the lawn from the street, mature live oaks overhead, and lamp posts and uplighting washing the facade
    Landscape Design · 6 min read

    Landscaping Around Big Oak Trees

    How to plant, pave, and light around a mature live oak without damaging the roots that keep it alive — and what to avoid inside the root zone.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • The view out from under a black aluminum louvered pergola attached to a white house in Houston, across a gray porcelain paver patio with charcoal outdoor seating, a horizontal slat screen, and ornamental grasses along the fence
    Landscape Design · 6 min read

    Planning an Outdoor Space in the Right Order

    Drainage, structures, hardscape, then planting and lighting — the sequence that stops finished work from being torn out and redone.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A black steel cantilever cover built by Texan Landscape Group reaching over a travertine pool deck in Houston, with vertical slat screening on one side, ceiling fans overhead, and an in-pool lounger on the shelf below
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 6 min read

    Pool Deck Materials That Stay Cool Underfoot

    Travertine, flagstone, pavers, or concrete — what actually keeps a Houston pool deck walkable barefoot on a hundred-degree afternoon.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A Texan Landscape Group backyard in Houston with a turf lawn under a mature live oak, a treehouse and swing built into the tree, and a circular paver terrace holding a hexagonal gas fire pit ringed by navy Adirondack chairs
    Plants & Planting · 6 min read

    Best Ground Covers for Houston Yards

    The ground covers that hold up in Houston shade, heat, and clay — where each one works, where it fails, and when turf or paving is the better answer.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a Houston backyard where a row of tall columnar Eagleston hollies screens the property line, with a white polycarbonate patio cover over the pool deck and a turf lawn beyond
    Plants & Planting · 4 min read

    Skip the Fence: Privacy From Eagleston Hollies

    A fence needs staining and stops at its own height. Eagleston Hollies keep filling in. Why dense evergreen foliage beats a built screen for Houston privacy.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • A Houston house at twilight with its windows lit, a wide concrete plank walkway crossing the lawn from the street, mature live oaks overhead, and lamp posts and uplighting washing the facade
    Landscape Design · 4 min read

    Which Front Yard Style Fits Your Houston Home

    Front yard style is decided by the house, not by taste. How classic and modern front yard designs compare on curb appeal, upkeep and resale in Houston.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • An outdoor room in Houston lit at dusk under a cedar pavilion with exposed trusses, with pendant lights over an outdoor kitchen and bar stools, a sectional with orange cushions, and a linear gas fire feature along the wall
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 5 min read

    How to Light a Houston Patio Properly

    Most of the year a Houston patio is used after dark, so the lighting decides whether it gets used at all. The types, the light sources and what each costs.

    By Chris Gosselin
  • Aerial view of a freeform pool and raised spa behind a brick house, with a wide concrete deck holding loungers and a white-rock planting bed edged in stone and planted with tropicals
    Pools & Outdoor Living · 4 min read

    Modern Pool Design Ideas That Hold Their Value

    A pool can add value or cap it, depending on the design. Which modern pool features Houston buyers respond to, and which ones date the fastest.

    By Chris Gosselin
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