Under Valdosta's old live oaks the light comes down in coins, Spanish moss swings in whatever breeze there is, and the grass grows thin and particular in the shade. Elite Landscapes tends those kinds of yards — the ones near the older streets where the canopy makes every rule about mowing and bed care a little different. Work here is patient: cutting at the right height for shaded turf, shaping shrubs so the house still shows, keeping the beds clear of acorn and leaf litter, holding a clean border between mulch and lawn. In full sun the same yard's far corner is racing, and both halves have to look finished on the same afternoon. Getting a difficult, beautiful old lot to look effortless is the best part of the day.