September is an important month for caring for the cool-season lawn. Seeding, fertilizing, continued mowing and watering need accomplished. There are several grasses that can be used in our landscape that require little care.

Moisture stress on plants is compounded with high temperatures and low humidity. Our plants have been put to the test. Plants not holding up are showing the symptoms. Leaf scorch is the most common indicator.

The recent heat makes some people want to give up on this year’s garden and start dreaming about next year’s,

In my mind, it has been a typical summer for the cool-season lawn. I don’t water very often, but I still have been mowing here in August. Crabgrass and foxtail are blooming. It would be nice to have less weeds, which would take more resources than I choose to use.

Annual weeds like crabgrass and foxtail really like growing in August. These and other summer annual weeds are growing to set seeds for next year. They are harder but not impossible to control now.

Do you like people and plants? You should say yes! Then being a Master Gardener is for you. You get to talk to people about plants. That is a Master Gardener in a nutshell.

Native plants are growing in popularity in the home landscape. Dr. Sharon Ashworth, Douglas County Horticulture & Natural Resources Extension Agent, will discuss the ecological benefits of native plants and how to successfully integrate natives into your landscape.

It seemed appropriate that the headliner at last Friday’s Arts in the Park show was named “Pink Fuzz.” Rock historians among us may remember that Paul Revere’s dance band went pop and then, in 1969, tricked some hip L.A. radio guys into playing their new record by calling themselves, tempora…

Watering is an important part of gardening. Plants will be healthy when sufficient water is available for them. Healthy plants will be able to fend off pests making less work for the gardener. Knowledge of watering practices may be the most important subject for gardening. Don’t overdo it. O…

While mine is likely to be a minority reaction to the new live-action movie “Barbie,” it may suggest something that could weaken the proverbial “legs” of this box-office bonanza. See, I’m troubled that I can’t figure out what “Barbie” is about.

Members of the larger-than-usual crowd at Arts in the Park July 14 learned that Paramount is an ‘80s repro band. We heard them cover about 30 hits from that decade, maybe all of them “anthems” with big, melodramatic arrangements, “shredding” lead guitar, and lyrics known to millions.

Local fairs are in full swing right now. The Riley County fair is Thursday, July 27 through Monday, July 31. Open class events are open to anyone in Riley County and adjoining counties. Gardening and flower exhibits need to be brought to Pottorf Hall between 10 AM and noon on Thursday, July …

Just coincidentally, we showed up nearly half an hour early for last Friday’s Arts in the Park concert. Drifter’s Mile was already playing.

Many vegetables are being harvested in July and it is time to plant some for the fall.

Abilene’s Great Plains Theater (which uses professional and amateur actors) is going on to do long-time fan favorite “Nunsense” and a version of the Percy Jackson novel “The Lightning Thief” this summer. But their production of “Oliver!” is currently running. We saw and enjoyed it.

Insects, diseases, and weather-related problems are always an issue in the landscape and garden. The next K-State Garden Hour zoom program will be on Wednesday, July 5 beginning at noon. Judy O’Mara, Director of the K-State Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, and Dr. Raymond Cloyd, Extension Speci…

The Box Turtles returned to the Norvell Band Shell in City Park to play another likable set and remind us that rock doesn’t ever really go away. The trio we heard was considerably different than the 7/21 band, though.

Gardening is about nurturing living plants. There can be some obstacles along the way. Insects, weeds, wildlife, and diseases are often waiting to cause havoc. Occasionally, we need to kill something to make something else live.

No question about there being an abundance of “live” theatre and serious music available in Europe’s larger cities, as a recent tour of London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Berlin showed me once again. But unlike all my previous visits Over There, which were manageable with “old school” travel sa…

Having missed the first Arts in the Park show of the summer because of Winfield’s sesquicentennial — half the music lovers in Kansas were in Lagonda for that — we were pleased to hear country singer and songwriter Johnny Woods on the City Park stage for the second series event on Friday.

This is one of the best times of the gardening year here in Riley County. The Manhattan Area Garden Tour will be on Saturday, June 10. There are five private gardens and the Gardens at Kansas State University to be showcased. Take in any or all of them from 8 am to noon that morning.

The advantages of warm-season grasses include drought tolerance, shorter mowing height, and a shorter mowing season. Two reasons that they aren’t often used are that they are slow to green up in the spring and won’t grow in the shade. There is not one best lawn grass for all purposes.

“Fast X” is, if I’ve counted correctly, the XIIth movie in the now utterly out-of-control “Fast and Furious” series. These are super-hero films with supercharged engines instead of super powers. This one tries to bring back every recognizable character who has ever been in the series with on…

We have been in the sweetcorn planting season since late April. There are different types that need different soil temperatures for good germination. The super sweet corn varieties that have the Sh-2 or shrunken -2 gene need the warmest soil temperature which we have achieved.

Summer is an exciting time at Manhattan Public Library. As schools close, our reader traffic increases greatly. Kids come to the library for books and entertainment like games, summer clubs, movies and storytimes. There’s an electric surge of discovery as they delve into their interests and …

K-State Research and Extension horticulture agent Matt McKernan says it was certainly a stroke of good luck that organizers of the K-State Garden Hour – held the first Wednesday of each month — began planning for a series on gardening during drought nearly a year ago.

Tall Bearded Iris are and have been one of the most popular groups of perennial flowers to grow in Kansas. They are tough, dependable plants that many of our ancestors grew. This combination makes them still a good choice for today’s landscape.

Summer movie season kicks off this weekend, and while there will be plenty of new streaming options this year, nothing beats heading to the theater for a bucket of popcorn and a loud spectacle to get out of the heat.

Our Riley County area continues to be abnormally dry. This is not great but not a problem for established plants. There are reports here and across Kansas of plant injury and even death due to lingering moisture issues.

The theater wing of K-State’s School of Music, Theater and Dance is currently presenting a play that represents a moment of sociological inquiry that readers may remember. Do you recall a late 20th century flurry of commentary about a late 19th century treatment for female “hysteria”?

The Manhattan Arts Center Theatre’s 2022-23 season ends on a high note with a three-week run of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final collaboration, 1959’s irresistibly tuneful “Alpine” musical, “The Sound of Music.” Final shows in the Center’s Grosh Performance Hall: April 28-May 5-7.

When I was a youngster, the family planted redbud trees on two sides of the property. With each storm, I get to remove more and more of these trees as they have out lived their useful life. Replacing the redbuds with diverse tree species is good management. Spring is a good time to plant trees.

Since 2006 the KSU Library’s Music Series has offered our community a wide array of chamber concerts, mostly in the Library’s hospitable fifth-floor Hemisphere Room, presenting a refreshingly diverse selection of instruments and voices in various combinations.

No doubt you have heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I saw something this past weekend that reminded me of that. When you have a field of lavender henbit, sit down in the middle and have your picture taken. It can make as nice of a picture as a field of clover. A …

A decent sized and enthusiastic crowd showed up for last Thursday’s local performance by The Commodores. This funk band from Tuskegee, Alabama, has the sort of fame that appeals to McCain Auditorium series ticket-buyers — or at least to the slightly older members of that audience.

A popular guide to gardening in Kansas has undergone a major makeover that one of its authors said helps to “better reflect the needs and experiences of a wide range of Kansas gardeners, especially our newest gardeners.”