Topic: Home & Garden

Karen Pywell tells us about her home at 201 Borders Road in Beaver Creek. Among the more notable features are the artwork, the shire, and some very naughty gargoyles. Her home was one of the beautiful specimens on the 2008 Vail Mountain School Home Tour.

Parent volunteer Sherri Wharton stopped by the MorningNoon&Night Show to talk about the Vail Mountain School Home Tour, taking place Sunday, September 21. The tour has taken place annually for 34 years and has grown from a humble kitchen tour into an event with over 400 volunteers. Seven homes in Beaver Creek and Bachelor Gulch will be featured on this year's tour, including the Beaver Creek home formerly owned by President Gerald Ford. All proceeds of the tour support Vail Mountain School's tuition assistance program.

Susan Rapson, owner of A Secret Garden in Vail Village, demonstrates the essentials for a fall floral arrangement, introduces us to a number of exotic and beautiful flowers including the ring of Fire sunflower, and offers advice for maintaining flowers at altitude. Remember to re-cut your stems and keep your flowers well-hydrated.

Shawn Greenfield of Wildflower Farm describes xeriscaping, a more sustainable form of gardening which uses native plants and flowers that require little water. Shawn takes us through a number of local xeric plants including the Sea Holly, Colorado Mountain Holly, Zauschneria and Common Sage.

Greenspark Biofuels offers a modern solution for renewable resources. Converting vegetable oil into clean, pure diesel fuel, restaurant and home owners can save money and resources. Mike Lakritz explains the process during the Healthy Homes Tour.

More Healthy Homes: Organic housekeeping and water conservation.

Say no to chemicals. Organic Housekeeper Tim Szurgot shows us how to make a natural cleaner out of baking soda, borax, water, lemons and eucalyptus during a stop at the 2008 Healthy Homes Tour.

Also at Healthy Homes: Water Conservation and biofuels.

It could all be in the shower head. Sarah Fleury of Eagle River Water and Sanitation outlines all kinds of ways to save water with shower timers, toilet flapper valves and low flow shower heads. We learned a lot at the 2008 Healthy Homes Tour.

More Healthy Homes: Using biofuels.

Chris Green from Ago Studios reflects on ways to better conserve energy in Vail homes.

Also see: Green Architecture.

Kalie Palmer highlights the good that comes from work with Habitat For Humanity and the donations that have helped the cause.

Ago Studios in Vail specializes in architecture, design and strategy. Plum sat down with owner Chris Green to hear his thoughts on design.