North of Ann Arbor the land breaks into kettle ponds and oak ridges, and every property in Northfield Township carries some piece of that shape. Flourish Land Designs reads it before touching it — mowing and trimming, bed shaping and planting, and the October cleanups that carry off the oak leaves out toward Independence Lake. Beds cut against a slope hold their line for years if the first pass is right, and that first pass is the whole job. There is a particular pleasure in standing back at dusk and finding the border exactly where the eye expects it. Yards around Whitmore Lake and the surrounding townships come out looking like they grew that way.