When October turns the foothills above Silver City — maples going red along the ridges, Sawnee Mountain hazy off to the west — the yards below begin their long shed of leaves. EarthCare Landscape Management works that stretch of the calendar hard, mowing while there is still growth and then moving into leaf removal and seasonal cleanup as the hardwoods let go. Beds are cleared and re-edged, shrubs trimmed back for the cold, and mulch laid down to hold the ground through winter rain. Walks and drives get swept clear, and the leaves leave with the crew instead of blowing back on the first north wind. Come the first hard frost, the property is already settled and ready.