Wichita gardener’s almanac for Nov. 7

Inching down — We’ve had a glorious week, and the fall color has been spectacular, but the temperatures are inexorably inching down toward winter. There’s a frost advisory this weekend, so pick tomatoes and lightly cover or move tender plants into shelter Saturday night. And drink in the fall foliage while you can.

Ladybug invasion — People are surprised this time of year to see ladybug swarms trying to get indoors; the Asian lady beetles are trying to keep warm, too, extension agent Matthew McKernan says. They can be a nuisance if they congregate inside a building, says entomologist Raymond Cloyd of K-State says on the school’s turfgrass blog. The usual caulking and sealing of cracks can help to keep them out, he says, but if they do get in, they can be swept up or vacuumed (be sure to toss or thoroughly empty the bag). Indoor insecticides are not recommended for them, Cloyd says.

Draining hoses and lines — It can be hard to put the hose away for the winter, but it and shallow irrigation lines can be damaged otherwise, Ward Upham of K-State says. So at some point they should be drained. You can stretch out the hose and then coil it, which will send the water trickling out. UV light can eventually make hoses brittle, so they should be stored in a protected place, Upham says.

For an irrigation system, close the main shut-off valve if there is one and then run through the zones to make sure any pressure bleeds off, he says. If there are some drains that are manual rather than self-draining, they should be opened, he says. Map the manual drains so they can be closed next spring before the system is pressurized, Upham says.

Garden events

Food drive for roses — The annual Rio Roses food drive is being conducted at two floral shops this weekend. In exchange for a donation of six food pantry items or $5 to the Kansas Food Bank, donors receive six free Rio Roses. You can make your donation at Dean’s Designs, 3555 E. Douglas, on Friday and Saturday, and at Susan’s, 4737 E. Douglas, Friday through Sunday. Wholesaler Valley Floral sponsors the food drive.

Program on preparing roses for winter — The Wichita Rose Society will have a program on preparing roses for winter during its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. The meeting is free and open to the public, who can get their rose questions answered by experts. Social time starts at 6:30 p.m.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for Nov. 7."