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This week's news
briefs from Kansas State University Research and Extension:
1) New Extension Publication For Newcomers to Rural Living And Those Planning to Make That Change MANHATTAN, Kan. – For some it’s a lifelong dream – escaping the traffic and congestion of city life and moving to the country. For others it may be a passion to restore a historic family or purchased home. While the idea of having a pond, woods, a crop field, or cattle herd next door may seem idyllic, there are things that newcomers to country life should consider, said Kansas State University Extension specialist Morgan Powell. To address those topics, Powell, who is an Extension agricultural engineer, and his colleague Kerri Ebert, developed a new K-State Research and Extension publication, “Living in the Country.” The publication includes sections on risks and rewards; government; legal issues; public services; buying or building a home; utilities; agriculture; trash removal, being a good neighbor, and others. The 15-page booklet also contains a list of resources, and common acronyms used in everyday conversation by country dwellers, such as KDA (Kansas Department of Agriculture) and NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service – a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA).
Living in the Country is
available at county and district K-State Research and
Extension offices or can be downloaded from the Web:
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/
and type in MF2798 before pressing “Go.”
MANHATTAN, Kan. – For adults, as little as 30-minutes of moderate physical activity five or more days a week can reduce hypertension, lower cholesterol, improve sleep, reduce anxiety and mild depression, trim pounds, boost energy and contribute to a happier outlook. What sounds like a prescription for health is, however, often ignored, said Elizabeth Fallon, Kansas State University exercise scientist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends physical activity for health, released new data in January 2007 showing that less than five percent of American adults regularly meet current recommendations, she said. Fallon, who is consulting on K-State Research and Extension’s Walk Kansas program March 9-May 3, is enthusiastic about the health benefits of exercise with a buddy -- or team -- approach. Knowing that a friend, neighbor or co-worker is counting on you to exercise with them can increase the health benefits for everyone involved, said Fallon, who encouraged those who are not in the habit of walking or exercising to start counting minutes – three 10-minute walking breaks a day, for example – to build up to miles. One way to try a team approach is to consider Walk Kansas, an eight-week K-State Research and Extension health and fitness program in which teams of six are asked to do something that most team members could not do alone – walk 423 miles, the equivalent of walking across Kansas.
More information on Walk
Kansas, physical activity and healthy living is available at
county and district K-State Research and Extension offices
and on the Walk Kansas Web site:
www.walkkansas.org or Extension Web site:
www.oznet.ksu.edu.
Q: My shrubs and flowers looked a little disjointed last year, even though I repeated colors and organized things by height the way you’re supposed to. Can you suggest something I could try this spring to help unify the look of my plantings? A. Ground covers can be a good choice for helping garden beds transition from one area to another throughout the growing season. They can accent the taller plants, blend with them, border them, add unique foliage colors, and provide texture – your choice. Dependable, attractive groundcovers include: * Lamium masculatum “White Nancy” will grow in any soil and either shade or full sun (if kept moist). It has silvery foliage and produces white flowers in spring and late summer. It’s low-growing and spreads to cover 18 inches. *Berginia cordifolia is a vigorous plant with large, thick, heart-shaped leaves. It produces pink flowers on reddish stems in early spring and spreads 12 to 18 inches. It has multiple seasons of beauty, because the foliage darkens to a deep burgundy for fall and winter. Berginia does best in partial shade. It likes a little morning sun, but burns if exposed in the afternoon. * Huechera – also known as coral bells – offers a wild assortment of outstanding foliage colors, often complemented by contrasting vein colors. It performs best in partial shade, where most varieties will spread 12 to 16 inches. The plant blooms on tall stems rising above the striking foliage in early spring. Lysimachis – creeping Jenny – is a true ground cover. It rapidly spreads up to 24 inches, while remaining low. Its smooth, rounded leaves trail along the ground, which also makes it useful in hanging containers. Full sun helps the leaves retain best color. For a nice contrast with other plants, the Goldilocks and Aurea varieties are bright lime green. - Source: Emily Nolting, K-State Research and Extension horticulturist K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan. For more
information: Contributing
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