Home & Garden

The Grapevine: Looking for Christmas scenes (Dec. 10)

Is there a Christmas sight around town that you think everybody should see?

Help us find the top holiday light displays

We're looking for holiday and Christmas light displays around town and in the area.

A trip to Christmas Past

Three Christmases ago, Leandra Baker won an Eagle contest for most beautiful Christmas tree. Her “big tree” looks even more beautiful in person, reflected in an oval mirror perfectly placed on the wall in Baker’s 102-year-old living room on South Handley Street.

The prettiest poinsettias require persistent care

Poinsettias grow like hedges in their native Mexico, Jerry DeRee of Dutch’s Greenhouse said recently at a lunchtime lecture at Botanica.

The Grapevine: Pretty outdoor holiday pot? (Dec. 3)

The College Hill trolley holiday light tour will be Dec. 11. Tickets will go on sale Monday at Traditions, 3220 E. Douglas.

Christmas trees are another miracle after summer’s heat

I have to admit that, in the midst of the inferno that was summer 2011, when we were trying to keep tomato vines alive and shaking our heads at the unending heat, I did not give a thought to the growers of Christmas trees. The thought of seeing Christmas, or anything approaching cold weather, again seemed as likely as winning the lottery.

Christmas display that used to adorn the Wey Mansion now lights up Brad Short’s home

It’s hard to believe that the Christmas light display that used to draw crowds to the Wey Mansion on Park Place has been successfully transplanted onto a Cape Cod with a pitched roof near 13th and Woodlawn.

Candice Tells All: Making over a ’70s basement

One of the best things about living in a big, dynamic city is the amazing architectural diversity. In one short block it’s not unusual to see 200-year-old Georgian houses sitting beside contemporary glass-and-steel masterpieces: old and new contrasting against one another.

Gardener’s almanac

Free firewood, mulch available at zoo – The public can pick up free firewood and wood chips for use as mulch from the Sedgwick County Zoo through February. The wood is left over from Westar Energy’s tree-trimming for line clearance and the city of Wichita’s tree-pruning and -removal operations, the zoo said.

The Grapevine: Do you have a favorite homemade Christmas decoration?

Three houses in the Delano neighborhood will be decorated for Christmas and open for tours next weekend.

Thanksgiving table traditions

When we asked readers to tell us about their Thanksgiving traditions, we heard about platters and other special objects that make the holiday special tableside. Here are their stories.

The old blue platter

Evergreens not just for Christmas

Jodi Gieser is a master gardener who uses real evergreens in decorating, and not just for Christmas. She put together some Thanksgiving swags and a centerpiece for a recent lunchtime lecture at Botanica. As she told me, “Evergreen is with us 12 months out of the year.”

Good lighting crucial for kitchens

Lighting is often described as the jewelry of the home. But it’s more crucial than that, especially in kitchens, where it’s all about slicing, dicing and reading recipes. So maybe the new catchphrase should be: "Lights are the eyes of the home." Especially when we go off daylight saving time and the days grow shorter into winter.

On the grapevine: Do you have a special Thanksgiving platter?

If you pull out the same platter every year for your Thanksgiving feast, let us know why it’s special for possible inclusion in a Home & Garden story on Nov. 19. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number and e-mail acalovich@wichitaeagle.com or call 316-268-6596 by Monday. If possible, attach a jpeg of the platter to your e-mail.

Moth-proofing clothes

New bridge at Bartlett Arboretum upholds tradition

It’s been three years since Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine won a $25,000 grant from a California winery to clean out the Euphrates Creek that often floods the property and surrounding area. But the work has only now started.

Grapevine (Nov. 5)

Electric fireplaces are becoming more popular. What’s been your experience with them?

Street of treats: College Hill’s Halloween Street puts on annual display

Fans of elaborate Halloween displays don’t have to wait until Monday night to take in the sights.

Untended porches, yards can be frightful

When my sister and I checked out decked-out Broadview Street one Halloween several years ago, one of her feet slipped into a narrow hole in one of the front yards, probably because a cover to some utility access had become dislodged.

Gardener’s Almanac (Oct. 29)

Fertilize the lawn — Studies have shown that if you fertilize a cool-season lawn in November, the grass will green up nicer in the spring, extension agent Rebecca McMahon says. But it’s not necessary. If you do fertilize, make it a quick-release form of nitrogen. If crabgrass is a problem in the spring, you can use Barricade for your November fertilizer. The weed preventer should last through spring.

Wichita Center for Arts’ ‘Holiday Tables’ event is next week.

Right on the heels of Halloween comes the annual Holiday Tables event at the Wichita Center for the Arts, a submersion in various themes and holidays via decorated tabletops as a fundraiser for the center.