West of the village the land around Techny flattens out and opens up, old market-garden country where April smells like wet soil the moment the frost lets go. Joe & Tony Landscaping Inc starts the year out there and works back into Northbrook's neighborhoods as the season turns on — raking out winter, cutting beds, taking the first mow of the year. Mowing, edging, trimming, landscape bed care and spring and fall cleanups keep the calendar full from thaw to the last leaf. Spring is the most satisfying stretch of the whole year: a yard goes from grey and matted to sharp and green in a single visit. After that it's just a matter of keeping the promise, week after week.