Eleven years ago when we moved here, the light company trimmed my big palm out front to where there was only one frond left. I was so upset, but it came back, and it is now taller than the electric lines. And just to let you know, it really isn't necessary to trim up palms twice a year. I have around 20 palms which I get trimmed only every 2 to 3 years. Many of those brown fronds that look dead are still supplying nourishment to the tree, so it is beneficial to keep them on for some time rather than cutting them everytime a brown frond shows up. Remember the palm is a monocot, basically a big blade of grass, so the constant trimming is not recommended. Before you let them cut down your palms, you might want to contact the Texas Forest Service to see if they can tell you what your legal rights are. Also you might want to contact the City of Spring along with your power provider to see if you can get some additional information. When you call, ask for someone in management that can give you correct information. Good luck.

To lizbest1: Thank you again for your help. I'm going to take a picture of what I see and post it tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they're buds! I'm in Long Island, New York (zone 7, I think) and our weather wasn't all that cold this winter, but it was pretty cold. I see my lilacs are budding, so I think that's a good sign. I'm so excited about my peonies (the one I'm going to post is the biggest one I have) as my late husband was not fond of them--he called them "ant flowers" and mowed down all the ones that were here when we bought this house (needless to say, I was very upset)--but since he passed away in 2015, I'm back to planting peonies. I remember them because of my mother having them. I have 4 other ones--not nearly as big or expensive as this one--and I don't see any buds on them yet. They are much smaller, though. The big one (an Itoh) is in a prime location in my garden. It is in a raised bed--so no standing water and great drainage--and sun almost all of the day. I remember from last year that it was very fragrant. When I transplanted it, I cut the plastic pot off so to not disturb it too much. Luckily, I have a pair of Cutco scissors that can cut through most anything. Again, I am so excited!

In evaluating crape myrtles, I have a personal dislike for the form that most of them end up being. They start as skinny 4-prong multi-trunk trees growing almost vertically. (They are staked this way by the commercial grower.) They are then beheaded somewhere around waist or chest height, purely for the convenience of the one maintaining, as no ladder is required. If later allowed to grow out some more, they end up looking like this: I think a much better shape is this: Sizewise, where the canopy clears a human head by a couple of feet. The good news is that it is possible to convert the the former into latter, but it requires a complete rejuvenation, i.e., cutting to the ground and regrowing, this time paying attention to the form, which is not in the least difficult. It only takes a year or two to establish the new trunk arrangement, and another 3 or 4 years for the canopy to become full. But in the in end it's totally worth it for having a much better looking tree from then on.

Mseamm - yes. That was one of my very favorite seasons in my garden. Most everything had been newly planted - it was 10 years ago. So nothing at that time was overgrown. And we had to change the numbers on the house for solar ones that could be seen at night as per city recommendation. (But, we did move the original numbers and put them by the side door, so they are still on the house). I especially loved the jasmine growing up around the flagpole. The jasmine suddenly died last summer. I have planted more, and hopefully it will catch on. I will say that in person, the garden now does still look really lush. The photos don’t do it justice.