The soil in Alamo township is sand under a thin skin of green, which is why the oaks do so well and the lawns need watching. HD Lawncare mows through the Kalamazoo County summer, when heat pools in the low spots and the afternoon light comes down through the leaves in coins. Weekly cutting, trimming around posts and tree trunks, edging along walks and drives — the routine that keeps a yard from getting away from anybody. The oaks hold their leaves late into fall, so cleanup runs deep into the season, long after the maples up the road have finished. Between Kalamazoo, Otsego and the gravel roads in between, the aim is the same: leave a place looking looked-after.