Bellaire calls itself the City of Homes, a small city of its own set inside Houston's sprawl, its streets shaded by oaks that have grown taller than the rooftops. Here the yard is the first thing a neighbor sees, and lots are often tight, so every bed and border has to earn its place. Gail Hartz & Associates works at that intimate scale, bringing landscaping and lawn care to Bellaire homes where one well-chosen planting can change the whole look of a house. Winter is gentle on the Gulf plain, and a cool December morning under the oaks is a fine time to see a garden's bones. When the planting is right, the front walk feels like a welcome and the house looks as though it was always meant for its street.