Your answer from the pro at Escapes Landscaping:
The #1 offender is the oak. Crepe myrtle, Wax Myrtle, Many Holly trees, all can become sucker issues.
Over pruning the tree allows more sunlight under the canopy, better for the grass, but better for the suckers as well.
It also causes the tree to grow back as much greenery as it can to balance the number of leaves to root system ratio.
So, 1st off... stop keeping that tree pruned way back and let it grow.
This is how the problem is best handled commercially & at home:
Use No-dig border in (at least) a circle around the worst of the suckers. Plant as many 1 gallon Asiatic jasmine minima (only use the green) as you can inside the circle.
Keep using the weed eater just above the jasmine on the suckers that jump up higher.
The Jasmine will fill in densely, helping slow the arrival of new suckers, and camouflaging the persistent ones as the leaves are similar.
There is no "perfect" cure, without spending a ton of $$ (removing the tree, ENTIRE stump and all roots). You can look good from curbside, but if you want to walk around the tree looking down at the ground searching out little baby suckers, they will be there.... don't be mad about the suckers, just be thankful for the shade.
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