Clarkston in April is the sound of the millrace behind Depot Park running full and the Mill Pond throwing light up under the maples. Emerald Gardens Landscaping works the village and the streets that climb away from it, mowing, trimming, edging and turning beds over as the ground thaws. Village lots are small and closely watched — every line shows from the sidewalk — so the work is done to be seen up close. Once the ponds skin over, the same attention goes into plowing drives, clearing walks and salting the short steep approaches this hilly country is full of. A year's worth of care spent on a handful of blocks that deserve it.