The Grapevine: Do you have a composting trick?

Do you have a composting trick that makes the process easier for you?

E-mail acalovich@wichitaeagle.com or answer at Kansas.com/garden. For more, subscribe to How the Garden Grows, The Eagle's garden e-newsletter. Go to kansas.com/newsletters to sign up.

Autumn clematis in its fullness

Pat Huffman planted an autumn clematis 21 years ago on a section of fence in her side yard in west Wichita, and now it's a show-stopper late in the growing season. Chicken wire has been added to the fence to give the plant something to grow on. And, as anyone who's had an aggressive autumn clematis knows, it swallows up the other clematis planted alongside it. But in its confined area in Huffman's yard, it's a natural, fragrant cloud of beauty.

Paul James to speak at Wichita State

Former HGTV "Gardener Guy" Paul James will be at Wichita State University on Tuesday to give a talk.

James' talk will be at 6 p.m. at the WSU Campus Activities Center Theater, 1845 Fairmount, and is free.

Landmark house in Benton up for auction

A house in Benton built for Lord Alfred Harrison, who came to the United States from England in the early 1800s and owned much of the land in Milton Township in Butler County, will be auctioned Oct. 15 by Newcom Auction.

The house, at 2893 N.W. Meadowlark Road, was a landmark in its time and still has the original stamped tin ceilings, auctioneer Jack Newcom and his father, Rex, said. For more information and photos, go to the website www.newcomauction.com or call 316-742-3311. The auction will be at 10 a.m.

In bloom at Botanica

The roses are gorgeous now, including this hybrid tea, Double Delight, in the Jessie Wooldridge Brosius Rose Garden.