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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.
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.
Do you have any garden-related Halloween displays?
Chillier weather is the best time to replenish the garden’s tulips, daffodils and crocuses
Watch the forecast — Keep an eye on the forecast. I see, of this writing, that Tuesday night's low is forecast to drop to 39. You may need to bring tropical houseplants in, as the lows for the week are otherwise forecast to be in the 40s. If you don't have room for the plants, read an option for donating them to the Sedgwick County Zoo below. If you have to leave plants outside until then, you can throw a cotton sheet over them or, if possible, move them under a roof or into the garage, the zoo says.
A report from the Chelsea Garden Show, advice from a noted landscape designer and how to use art in the garden are among the seminars announced for a new event on Oct. 22, the Fall Festival at Botanica sponsored by the Wichita Area Garden Council.
Do you have a favorite business, government or other beauty spot that is shining right now?
When I was at the Kansas 150 Festival last Saturday, covering the sesquicentennial parade, I made a point of checking out the landscaping around what is arguably Wichita's front porch — the Douglas side of Century II, and the environs.
Scaring up a sophisticated Halloween look at home is easy when you use your imagination and have the right tools.
I planted a couple of evergreen shrubs this week — weather, don't turn cold on me now — and, in the process, I dug up what we called "dirt clods" when I was a child.
Do you have a composting trick that makes the process easier for you?
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.
The annual Midtown walking tour of historic homes will have a new twist this year: It will go into historic houses that have been converted to commercial use, and into one of the neighborhood's churches.
Beautiful but dry — The fall weather has been gloriously delightful so far, but the soil is very dry. Coupled with the record heat of the summer, this dryness has some plants at a high stress level, Ward Upham of K-State says. Trees, shrubs and perennials — anything that you hope will be coming back next year — should be watered now and may need a second thorough watering before winter, Upham says.
Smaller houses with more luxurious bathrooms, front doors opening onto family rooms flowing out from kitchens, embroidery on the drapes — these are some of the trends that can be seen on the Fall Parade of Homes that opens next weekend.
How are you planning to plant spring-flowering bulbs this fall?
What fall task do you look forward to doing in the yard?
You've heard of houses being listed on state and national historic registers. But in Newton, there's a whole neighborhood that's been designated a historic district.
Happy autumn! _ We've been enjoying the weather for a little while now, and it's officially fall. Considering the summer we had, that is good news indeed.
Sundials are not just garden ornaments. They can tell time if set up properly. They have been made for centuries, and collectors search for the flat type called "equatorial" or "equinoctial" sundials by experts, and other types such as those made to hang on a wall or those that are spherical or cone-shaped.
