Winter is a tough time for houseplants, even when they are kept in the temperature-controlled environment of a home or office. Short days, reduced light intensity, dry air, exposure to drafts and other seasonal factors reduce the rate at which plants photosynthesize and create a less favorable ...

For several years overgrown trees hid most of the house at 1051 Wellington Drive. Built back in 1960 by Dwight Burnham, a University of Kansas art instructor, the house fell into disrepair before Burnham died in 2013. When the property came up for auction in 2015, Gordie Sailors and Paula ...

Trees and shrubs release oxygen into the atmosphere, provide habitat and food for beneficial insects and wildlife and increase property values, among other things. Early spring is a great time to plant, and late fall is the best time to be thinking about what spaces in your yard could use more ...

Eastern red cedar is a common tree in landscape plantings and in the wild with its evergreen nature making it most noticeable in the winter months. The tree is the only evergreen native to Kansas, but it is problematic in unmanaged grasslands where it can displace native plants and affect the ...

Bald cypress trees usually draw extra attention during this time of year because their needles are changing colors and dropping to the ground like the leaves of many broadleaf trees. Since most needled trees keep their green needles year-round, this behavior seems unusual, but it’s completely ...

Last week, the Kansas Department of Agriculture announced that they had confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer in Spring Hill. The finding of this invasive exotic pest will lead to expansion of a federal quarantine and is a reminder to area residents with ash trees on their property to ...

The arrival of freezing temperatures is a good time to give attention to garden tools and equipment. Garden hoses should be drained, tools such as shovels should be cleaned to prevent the onset of rust, and mowers and other pieces of power equipment need to have fuel drained or treated. The ...

After moving from a west Lawrence apartment to an East Lawrence bungalow, Kristen Allen and Jake Bellucci felt they had relocated to a different state. There was that much of a difference going from a contemporary apartment complex to a tree-lined, neighborhood just a block from Lawrence’s ...

This week’s frosty overnight temperatures have had gardeners and plant enthusiasts scrambling to move tropical plants and tender annuals indoors for the winter. Protection from the cold may seem like the most important thing for keeping sensitive plants alive for the winter, but you should ...

Flowerpots and other containers are a great way to add vertical interest and color to an entryway, porch, patio or other outdoor area. Gardeners often use annual flowers in containers to get the most blooms throughout the summer, but these plantings fade quickly with the arrival of cool fall ...

The 15th annual Kaw Valley Farm Tour is next weekend, Oct. 5 and 6. The farm tour is a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the diversity of agriculture in the region, meet area farmers, and learn about the practices of raising various crops and animals. This year, the tour ...

There was one question Vicki Weseman and her daughter Leah Wisdom needed to answer before they bought a house together in Lawrence. “We had to decide: Could we live together?” Weseman said. After giving the idea some thought, they agreed that if they found the right house they could do ...

Mulch is commonly used in landscapes and gardens because of the many benefits it provides to plants and soil. Fall is an especially good time to apply it. Gardeners often ask what materials are best for mulching and how much to use. The answers depend on how and where the mulch will be used, ...

Root rot diseases are common among all kinds of plants, and this year’s excessive rainfall is making it easier for many of the causal organisms of these diseases to proliferate. Because root rot diseases often kill the plants they infect and control after infection is difficult, prevention ...

When the leaves of tomato plants and other vegetables are stripped very quickly in late summer, the most likely culprit is an infestation of blister beetles. Blister beetles are about one-half inch long with narrow, cylindrical bodies. They may be gray, black or striped depending on the ...

For years, nobody seemed interested in the house at 646 Rhode Island St., except the pigeons who roosted inside. The house — with its wraparound front porch, just a block from downtown — sat empty and on the market for years. Pipes had burst in a second-floor bathroom and soaked the ...

Marvin and Kathy Pine have become curators of what appears to be a living history museum. It's also their home. In a time when more people are moving toward a minimalist lifestyle, the home at 1741 East 1500 Road on the edge of North Lawrence tells the story of the Pine family through a ...

The owner of the Queen Anne cottage at 1042 Rhode Island St. admits that sometimes the house has been tough to love. Anne Underwood’s 1893 house gets a lot of compliments, but it in turn requires a lot of nurturing from her and her partner, Rodney Troth. On a recent morning, the doors of ...

Recent rains and cloudy days in the Lawrence area have resulted in standing water and wet soil in many yards and gardens. Excess water fills air space in the soil and suffocates plant roots, causing stress and making plants more susceptible to disease. This is a good time to identify areas ...

Two new sleek and minimalist homes built in eastern Lawrence's Brook Creek neighborhood are ready to join a long list of homes designed by University of Kansas students. Since August, 15 KU architecture students participating in the Studio 804 program have been building the two new homes and ...