The mill pond gives up its ice in pieces, and by April the ground behind it is soft enough to rake without tearing. That is when DMG Horticultural Services starts its year, pulling winter out of the beds and the turf before settling into mowing, trimming and edging for the long green stretch ahead. Grass in this part of Genesee County grows hard through June and slows in the August heat, and the schedule bends to that rather than fighting it. When cold circles back the trucks change over — blades on, drives scraped down, walks opened and salt spread across the aprons that glaze first. One season hands off to the next, and the yard is never left to fend for itself.