The Mill River runs right through the middle of downtown now, past a park with a carousel and a green that fills the moment the weather turns. Stamford Landscaping works the city that grew up around it, from the harbor all the way to the reservoir woods — mowing, edging, trimming, fertilizing, seeding and cleanups from spring through fall, then plowing, shoveling and salting once the year goes cold. A city this size holds a dozen different growing conditions inside its own borders, and half the job is knowing which one you're standing in. We take the plain pleasures seriously: a straight edge, a cleared walk, a lawn that shows someone paid attention. That's what a place looks like when it is being kept.