Late October in Aiken means pecans dropping on Kalmia Hill and the hardwoods along the old streets finally letting go, and every yard in town becomes a leaf problem overnight. Emerson Landscaping Services meets it head-on — blowing, raking and hauling, alongside the mowing and trimming that carry on right through a mild fall. Cool mornings make this the finest working weather of the year: boots wet, breath showing for the first hour. Beds get cleared and re-mulched while the ground is still soft enough to take it. Few things beat the moment a leaf-buried lawn comes back green in a single afternoon.