Late spring on the road toward Armada is all new hay and blossom, and the yards along it come back green almost overnight. That first stretch of the season is our favorite: grass thick enough to leave stripes, and light that holds long enough to finish a last lot at seven in the evening. We mow on a set rotation, trim the fence lines and tree rings by hand, and edge the drive so the concrete has a real border again. Beds get opened up in April and put down in November, leaves and all. It is straightforward work, and a New Haven yard that gets it looks looked-after every week of the summer.