September in New London turns the light sideways, and the ridge where the arboretum stands goes copper an hour before sunset. Millers PCA Landscaping does its lawn work in that changing light — mowing, edging, trimming and the seasonal cleanups that carry a yard from summer's last growth spurt into leaf season. The city's yards vary block by block: shallow front strips near downtown, wider back lawns up the hill, each one wanting a different pass of the mower. Getting that right is the craft — reading the grass, cutting to its height, finishing the border by hand where the machine cannot reach. What's left is a yard that looks cared for even in failing light.