Somewhere in late February a Houston lawn shrugs off its winter tan, and the Texas redbuds break into magenta along the fence lines before their leaves have even arrived. That is when B&D Contractors, Inc. picks up the year's mowing, and in this city the season it opens runs long, carrying well past Halloween. The first cut of spring sets the height for months of growth ahead, and a fresh stripe across a waking yard is a small declaration that the warm half of the year has begun. B&D handles lawn care and grounds maintenance across Houston, keeping pace with grass that rarely takes a real rest. By mid-morning, with the dew burned off and the grackles already loud in the parking lots, the work looks like spring itself.