Welcome to
The Morning Star Update!
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Though it is still summer, with August here, once again Manhattanites are beginning to get in back-to-school mode. Families are returning from summer vacations, college students are moving into their apartments, and at The Morning Star, we have welcomed several new employees into our family. But let us not rush things ... let us still enjoy what is left of summer!
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Watermelon Dinner Salad
Two of my favorite summer foods are ripe tomatoes and watermelon. So when I came across a recipe for tomato, watermelon and red onion salad in a magazine, it inspired me to create a watermelon dinner salad ... without onions. It is very summery and refreshing. I posted the recipe on my blog. Enjoy! |
 Rudbeckia Triloba and Confusion of the Susans
Recently I had a conversation with someone who complained about a horticulturist using botanical names rather than common names. Granted, this can be frustrating if one doesn't know the Latin names of the plants under discussion. In some instances, however, use of botanical names genuinely helps to avoid confusion.
A case in point is the confusion caused by all the various rudbecia members of the daisy family commonly known as Brown-Eyed Susans or Black-Eyed Susans. Who can ever remember which are which without using the botanical names?
Right now I have several rudbeckia varieties blooming in my garden. The ones (pictured left) in the easement out by the road out front of the house are Rudbeckia triloba. The most common "common name" for R. triloba is Brown-Eyed Susans - but they are also referred to as Branched Coneflower, Thin-Leafed Coneflower, and Trilobed Coneflower. Then there are the R. hirta varieties, commonly referred to as Black-Eyed Susans, Brown Betty, Yellow Daisies, Ox-Eye Daisies, and Yellow Gloriosa Daisies. But even if one can keep all of that straight, then how is one to refer to the members of R. speciosia, R. fulgida (pictured top, in front of house), etc., if not by their botanical names?
If you are interested in growing the whimsical-looking R. triloba, here is some useful information:
* grows zones 4 - 8
* prefers full sun to partial sun
* is drought-tolerant but looks better when it receives some water
* grows to be about 3-feet tall and about 1.5-feet wide
* blooms late July - October
* has smaller flowers than other rudbeckias, but blooms profusely and looks like a wildflower * attracts butterflies
* is a biennial, but reseeds itself and naturalizes easily
* pairs well with Purple Coneflowers |
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Helmet For My Pillow
by Robert Leckie
The day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Robert "Lucky" Leckie volunteered to join the Marines. Helmet For My Pillow traces his journey from training to war in the Pacific: Guadalcanal; New Guinea, Cape Glouster; and Peleliu, from which he was evacuated with wounds. Leckie received numerous commendations. Helmet For My Pillow is a riveting and beautifully written account of an ordinary soldier, his comrades in arms, their antics, and the horrors of war.
Helmet for My Pillow and With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge - which I am currently reading and finding equally fascinating - were the basis for the 2010 HBO Miniseries The Pacific.
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As always, thank you for reading The Morning Star Update! I hope that you enjoy the rest of the summer!
Sincerely,
Laurie Pieper
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McCain Auditorium Events
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One of the great things about living in, or visiting, a college town is getting to attend the performing arts events that the school brings to the community. Here is the McCain schedule for the next few months.
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K-State Home Football Dates
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* v. North Dakota State 8/30, 7:30 p.m.
* v. Louisiana-Lafayete 9/7,5:30 p.m.
* v. Massachusetts 9/14, 6:00 p.m.
* v. Baylor 10/12 time TBA
* v. West Virginia 10/26 time TBA
* v. Iowa State 11/2 time TBA
* v. TCU 11/16 time TBA
* v. Oklahoma 11/23 time TBA
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Other Dates to Remember
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August 24th: Annual Fall Daylily Sale, Downtown Farmers Market
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