Mum’s the word
How to grow the official flower of fall

Seeing mums everywhere you look? Eltzroth & Thompson’s Corann Ley tells us that if you want to add chrysanthemums to your yard, you should look for the garden mum variety—they’re hardy and will reappear next year. At the nursery, pick out the plants with barely-visible buds (not already-exposed flowers) so that you’ll get a full bloom cycle. They can be planted anytime, and bloom from September through the end of November.

Mad for mums? There are reams of them filling garden centers right now, like Eltzroth & Thompson, shown here.

“If you’re using your mums as a garden plant, they like full sun and well-drained soil, so no standing water or hard clay,” Corann says; “the less light they receive, the quicker the blooms will fade.” Mums work in pots, too, but should be planted in the ground before the first freeze if you want them to stick around. They should be watered the average garden amount of about 1" per week, and if they’re in pots, don’t let the soil dry out.

And here’s Corann’s tip for keeping your mums happy year-round: Next year, “cut the plants back by 1/2 to 3/4 the week after the 4th of July and they’ll bloom back much tighter.”—Lee Vanderwerff

Trim time
In limbo about tree care? Here’s how to spot trouble

Ahh, fall, the season that brings crisp mornings, football games, pumpkins…and those endless Saturdays of yard work. If you’ve noticed during your hours of raking that your yard’s trees are looking a little, er, scrubby, then it may be time to call a tree expert.

No surprise that Bart McDowell, an arborist with 17 years under his belt at Bartlett’s Tree Experts, says that homeowners should have trees inspected annually by a certified arborist. But he also shared some warning signs you can look out for yourself that show your trees need attention: premature leaf dropping, large dead branches, branches that are dying from the tips backward toward the trunk, and pockets of decay on the trunk. Also, McDowell says that mushrooms growing in your yard are a red flag that your trees’ roots may be diseased.

Your trees may need a second look this fall—and not just because their leaves are changing.

Tree companies offer services from doing pruning maintenance on large trees and pruning young trees for strength and structure to controlling insects and disease. The cost is going to depend on the size of your property and number of trees, but the average cost of maintenance pruning on a mature tree will run somewhere between $400 and $1,200.—L.V.

By the Numbers

70

(number of homes included on this year’s Parade of Homes)

New housing divisions calling your name, but don’t know where to start? The Blue Ridge Home Builders Association Parade of Homes will give you more options than you can shake an appliance at. Whether you want to snoop around new neighborhoods, collect business cards from local builders, or get ideas for energy-efficient windows for your own home, this four-day expo of everything from $160,000 condos to $2.6 million single-family homes will deliver. This annual event is free to the public, and homes will be open noon-5pm on October 6, 7, 13 and 14.

Brand-new houses are on parade this month. Smell the fresh paint?

If you’re really ambitious about your home-browsing and want to pack in as many granite countertops and crown moldings as possible, then take advantage of a new feature offered with the Parade this year: a comprehensive website with maps and pictures of every home on the tour. At the website (blueridgeparadeofhomes.org), you can stake out a route that works for you, from Old Trail to Spring Creek and back again, while sorting houses by price point (lowest to highest, please…), builder and neighborhood.

And if you like a little eco-consciousness along with your fresh sawdust, look for the four homes on the Parade that are built to EarthCraft standards. These homes are designed with energy efficiency as the top priority; builders of these homes must be EarthCraft-certified and pay attention to everything from efficient building materials to water conservation in the finished home. Plus, they boast lower utility bills than older homes—one detail that might make just about anyone feel the pull of the subdivision.—L.V.

Starting anew
In Staunton, a group of young architects to watch

Hoping to find an architect or designer who’s both free-thinking and high-minded? Keep your eye on Umbau, a two-year-old architecture school in Staunton whose website prolaims, “At Umbau you will set the paradigms…Total departure. Radical…What the world needs.”

An Umbau student works on a project—and breaks a few barriers—in Staunton.

“In 2005 we opened the doors for the first set of risk-takers,” says Kim Moody. “I was one of them.” Two years later, she and five classmates have emerged from a heavily studio-based program to become the school’s volunteer administrative team. The school’s guiding figure is William Tate, a James Madison University professor and Umbau’s founder. As Moody and her classmates learned architecture by means of real-world apprenticeships, she says, “It was under [Tate’s] consistent supervision.” The students worked on projects ranging from an Alabama church to a fine arts center in Southwestern Virginia.

Though it’s not yet accredited, Umbau is aiming for legitimacy: Moody says the team aims to enroll 25 to 30 students in an accredited Master’s of Design program, with paid faculty and staff in place, in 2008. “It’s really similar to how the Bauhaus got started or Black Mountain College got started,” says Moody, citing two famously vibrant, interdisciplinary collections of artists. Taste the excitement at www.umbauschoolofarchitecture.org.—Erika Howsare.

Little mountain living

When we spotted an ad recently for a line of housewares inspired by North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, we felt miffed. Not because our sensibilities couldn’t handle the thought of Vanderbilt-worthy hand towels, but because, hey! We have our own famous, classy ex-resident right here in Charlottesville. Why not a line of Jeffersonian accessories? Call it Monticello Modern:

*Complete set of linens for an alcove bed, available in Lewis and Clark print with images of compasses and rifles. Match with special buffalo-hide coverlet.

*Inspired by Jefferson’s device for writing two copies of
a letter simultaneously, a remote control that channel-surfs on two TVs at once!

*Museum kit. An instant collection of Old Masters paintings, early surveys of the Virginia colony, and the Declaration of Independence. Originals available at extra cost.—E.H.

Bright idea

“1. Wander around your neighborhood and look for things of beauty, things of interest, or things that are unique. 2. Write about these things on a piece of paper. “Notice the single tree to your right,” or “Notice the purple curtains on the third floor.” 3. Post the notices for people to read.”—Keri Smith, The Guerrilla Art Kit