Spring comes up along the Alcovy first, in the bottomland south of Covington where the willows green before anything else does. Charlotte Green Earth works the yards of South Newton through it — mowing, edging, string trimming, mulching beds and clearing what winter left behind. Newton County soil is heavy red clay that holds water and grows grass hard once March turns warm. Getting out ahead of that first flush sets the tone for the whole year. A lawn brought up out of winter and cut true is the plainest kind of good news.