Print edition: 
Has it rained yet? _ Wouldn't you know that the weather would be dry as a bone until there was a sesquicentennial parade to rain on? (This morning at 11 in downtown Wichita.) Well, I hope we get rain, but I hope it waits until the celebratory parade and encampment following it are over.
Wood chips as mulch — If you're chipping wood or otherwise considering using wood chips for mulch, Ward Upham of K-State has some thoughts for you. The chips make a good mulch on top of the soil, there's no problem. But if they are mixed with the soil, they will take nitrogen from the soil as they break down, leaving less for any plants planted there. However, when the raw organic material has been digested, the nitrogen is returned to the soil.
But there is one danger if the chips are used as a mulch. If their depth is 3 inches or more, termites may use them as a bridge to nearby structures. So keep the depth at less than 3 inches around buildings, and leave a bare area several inches wide next to the house so that you can see any termite activity, Upham says.
When to fertilize bulbs _ Beds of spring-flowering bulbs should be fertilized in October if they need it. If they've been fertilized in the past, it's likely the soil has enough phosphorus and potassium, Upham says. A soil test is the way to find out for sure. If the soil does need them, use 2 1/2 pounds of a complete fertilizer (10-10-10, 9-9-6, etc.) per 100 square feet, or 1 rounded teaspoon per square foot, Upham says.
If phosphorus and potassium are not needed, blood meal is a good choice, Upham says. Apply 2 pounds per 100 square feet or 1 teaspoon per square foot. You can also use a turf fertilizer such as a 27-3-3 or 30-3-3, and cut the rate to 1 pound per 100 square feet or 1 teaspoon per 2 square feet, Upham says.
Plant _ Garlic, spring-flowering bulbs, grass seed, lettuce, spinach and fall flowers such as mums and pansies.
Daylily doings _ The last meeting of the Wichita Daylily Club for 2011 will feature a program by daylily fans Richard and Jackie Longberg about their daylily trip to South Carolina in June. The meeting is free and will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Botanica, and visitors are welcome. There will be lots of daylily door prizes.
Project Beauty luncheon _ Visitors are welcome to attend a Project Beauty luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Wichita Country Club, 8501 E. 13th St. Mardella Freund will give a program called "My Mother Was on the Orphan Train." The cost is $17. Make reservations by Oct. 17 by calling Mary Lee at 316-681-0382.
Rose rosette talk _ Extension agent Bob Neier will be at the next meeting of the Wichita Rose Society to talk about rose rosette disease in roses. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica, and visitors are welcome.
Terrarium talk _ Patty Daniel will be at Botanica on Wednesday to show how to build a terrarium. She'll talk about plants that work well in terrariums, as well as the care and maintenance of the miniature gardens. The lunchtime lecture will be from 12:15 to 1 p.m. and is included in Botanica admission. Truffles will have lunch for sale for $7 a person from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Local Food Connections Workshop _ People who want to use local food in their homes or businesses can learn how to make the necessary connections at a workshop Nov. 1 sponsored by the Kansas Rural Center and Sedgwick County Extension.
The Local Food Connections Workshop will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. Chef Tanya Tandoc will be among those on a panel who will talk about how they make local food connections, and a local-food dinner will be served by Lotus Leaf Cafe & Creperie. The cost will be $10 for members of the Our Local Food program and $20 for non-members.
J.J. Jones, marketing and trade coordinator for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, will give a keynote talk entitled "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food: What Does This Mean to Kansas?"
Other elements of the program will be presentations on social media and learning what lingo such as organic vs. natural means.
Registration deadline is Oct. 28. Register online at ourlocalfoodsouthcentral.blogspot.com or contact Natalie Fullerton at 402-310-0177 or e-mail southcentral.olf@gmail.com.
Bootanica at Botanica _ Botanica's Halloween-themed event will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 15. The cost is $7; costumes are optional.
Daffodil sale _ The Wichita Daffodil Society will have its annual sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 15 at Botanica. Admission to the sale is free.
Outdoor Rudy Love concert _ Rudy Love and the Love Family will put on a fall concert outdoors at Botanica at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15. Tickets will be $10.
