In October the white pines around Gaylord let go of their old needles, and the lawns beneath them turn rust-colored practically overnight. Northern Tree and Landscaping rakes all of that off — cleanups in fall and again in spring, plus the weekly mowing, trimming and edging that carries the summer between them. Turf under conifers is a particular puzzle: less light, more litter, and roots that take their share of the water first. It responds to attention and to almost nothing else. A yard raked bare in November greens up in a hurry once May finally gets here.