At Home Living 042818

ATHOME

homes.cjonline.com

LANDMARK HOMES

Fleming Mansion

Renovated historic home on the market, Page 6

[THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

RHUBARB PLANTING, PAGE 2

MASTER GARDENERS PLANT SALE, PAGE 3

PARENTS AS LENDERS, PAGE 8

2 Saturday, April 28, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

There’s still time to plant rhubarb

Tart vegetable stems used for jams and jellies

MARK YOUR CALENDAR “Raised Bed Gardens” will be presented

by Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners member Terry Cobb at 7 p.m.

May 3 in Marvin Auditorium 101C at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. Cobb will discuss how raised bed gardens are an accessible, fun way to garden for all ages and abilities.

The program is free.

For more information, call the Extension office at (785) 232-0062.

Ariel Whitely-Noll

F

or those who like a tart taste, the perennial vegetable rhubarb is a juicy addition to your garden. A native of Asia, rhubarb does well in our cool Kansas springs.

Like celery and asparagus, it’s the stem of the rhubarb plant that is eaten.

Unlike the onion, where every portion of the plant is edible, rhubarb leaves aren’t fit for consumption.

Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid and can cause lesions of the mouth, as well as nausea. Fortunately, the leaves are easily removed, leaving a fleshy stem perfect for jams and pies.

As with all perennials, site preparation is key to a healthy plant. Rhubarb plants tolerate a variety of soils but prefer a well-drained loamy soil.

Incorporate a large amount of organic material — compost, for example — and fertilize well before you plant.

Soil test recommendations will give you exact fertilizer rates. In lieu of a test, you can apply 3/4 to 1 pound of 5-10-5, or equivalent, per 100 square feet of garden space and then plow into the garden plot before planting.

Make sure the site you select for rhubarb is removed from your other vegetables, which will require more soil disturbance — tilling, planting — than these perennials.

March to mid-April is the best time for planting rhubarb. This year, with our unusually cool spring, there is still time to plant. Rhubarb is propagated by crown, which can be purchased from a nursery or divided from a 3-year-old crown. If you’re digging up rhubarb to divide, make sure you do it during the plant’s dormancy.

Crowns can be planted in a trench, and should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. Buds should be no deeper than 1 inch below the soil.

Mulching new and established plants offers weed control, as well

The tart stems of rhubarb are most often used to make jams and pies. The leaves of the rhubarb plant, however, shouldn’t be eaten because they contain oxalic acid, which can cause lesions of the mouth and nausea. [METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

as cold protection and prevention of water loss. In early spring, mulch should be moved back to help warm the soil for early growth. Snails and slugs can be a rhubarb pest. If they are detected, removing the mulch will reduce their feeding.

An established planting should be fertilized every year using 4 to 5 pounds of 1-10-5, or the equivalent, per 1,000 square feet, broadcast over the plot and worked into the soil early in the season before growth begins.

Adding 2 to 3 pounds of ammonium nitrate per 1,000 square feet over the plot after the spring harvest season will provide nitrogen for vigorous summer foliage growth.

Harvest practices are key to the home gardener’s success with rhubarb.

The first year after planting, rhubarb shouldn’t be harvested at all. In year

two, only harvest a few stalks to continue to allow the plant to establish.

In the third and following years, begin harvest when stalks are a suitable size. Harvest only the largest stalks and only harvest for eight weeks. For the remainder of the year, allow the plant to grow undisturbed.

After five to 10 years, rhubarb productivity will drop. Once this occurs, dig and divide crowns in the early spring by cutting them with a sharp cleave or axe, leaving one bud per root section. These now become new crowns ready for planting.

Some years, your rhubarb plant may produce a large, yellow seed stalk. These should be removed as soon as they form in order to push the plant to produce more stalks.

The rhubarb curculio and the stalk borer are two pests known to

tunnel into rhubarb stalks and crowns.

Neither pest can be effectively controlled with pesticides, so controlling grassy weeds in the area around your rhubarb plants is essential.

The only serious disease of rhubarb is crown rot. It will cause a decline in rhubarb plantings, so make sure to choose disease-free crowns. If rot symptoms appear at the base of the plants or crowns, apply fixed copper or captan as a drench to the crowns and surrounding soil.

For more information on rhubarb and other vegetables, download or print a free copy of the Kansas Garden Guide at ksre.ksu.edu. The Kansas Garden Guide is also available for purchase for $5 at the Shawnee County Extension Office, 1740 S.W. Western Ave. Ariel Whitely-Noll is the horticulture agent for Shawnee County Research and Extension. She can be reached at arielw@ksu.edu.

The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com Saturday, April 28, 2018 3

Master Gardeners to sell thousands of plants Proceeds support organization’s programs, gardens

MASTER GARDENERS PLANT SALE

By Jan Biles jbiles@cjonline.com

A group of Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners volunteers recently were busy transplanting vegetable seedlings in the greenhouse east of the Shawnee County Extension Office.

On that day alone, they transplanted 900 tomato and pepper seedlings in preparation for the organization’s annual plant sale, which will feature annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, patio pots and hangings baskets.

“There will be thousands of plants for sale,” said Master Gardeners member Lynn Weaver.

The 10th Annual Master Gardeners Plant Sale will be from 9 a.m. to noon May 5 in the parking lot of the Shawnee County Extension Office, 1740 S.W. Western Ave. The sale is nine months in the making.

Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners members have been busy growing and transplanting flowers and vegetables to be sold on May 5 at the organization’s plant sale.

It is the 10th year for the sale, which raises money for Master Gardeners programs. [JAN BILES/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

“A committee gathers in September and decides what to plant and orders the seeds,” Weaver said. “In early January, we start planting, and plant through early April.”

Weaver said the sale will feature several pollinator-friendly plants, including perennial milkweed, asters, goldenrod, single-bloom zinnias, petunias, Mexican

What: A plant sale featuring thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs, as well as patio pots and hanging baskets When: 9 a.m. to noon May 5 Where: Parking lot of Shawnee County Extension Office, 1740 S.W. Western Ave. Cost: $4 for six-pack of annual bedding plants; $24 for flat of annual bedding plants; $20 per hanging basket; $25 per patio pot; $2.50 per vegetable plant; $3.50 per 4-inch pot of perennials, annuals or herbs; and $6 for 1-gallon pot of perennials.

sunflower, basil, salvia, angelonia and portulaca. Pollinators include bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.

Master Gardeners member Lisa Gomez said milkweed is a “host plant” for monarch butterflies, meaning the insects are dependent on milkweed for their survival. Monarch See PLANTS, 7

4 Saturday, April 28, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Strawberries: It’s all about flavor First decision is type of plants to purchase

By Lee Reich The Associated Press

Given how quickly strawberries begin to bear fruit and how easily they are grown, it’s a wonder that strawberry beds aren’t as common in backyards as lawns are in front yards.

The most compelling reason to grow strawberries is, of course, flavor.

Variety selection and premature harvest make grocers’ berries large and firm, but usually not much else. In your backyard, though, you can grow the most flavorful

varieties, and wait to pick them until they’re sweet and oozing strawberry-ness.

At that point, perishability doesn’t matter, because the berries need not travel further than arm’s length to your mouth or a basket.

Kinds of strawberries Depending on how soon you want to start eating strawberries, choose between “everbearers” and “junebearers.”

Everbearers offer the quickest crops, less than three months after planting, and bear all season long. Tristar is among the best of these types. Some of the older types bear in spring and fall only.

Junebearers come in greater variety and yield more, but wait to bear their first crop until the year after planting. Once started, they bear once per season, in spring or early summer.

Planting two or more different junebearing varieties can extend the harvest.

Growing strawberries Spring is a good time to plant strawberries, although they also can be planted in late summer or fall — if you can get plants then.

Your new plants may look forlorn, but don’t worry.

They soon grow new roots and leaves. In fact, you can

shear their roots back to 3 or 4 inches long with a scissors so you can more easily fan them out in the planting hole.

Adjust the planting depth carefully, leaving only the top half-inch of the crown exposed so that it neither dries out from exposure nor suffocates from burial.

Ever wonder how such a luscious fruit came to be called “strawberry”? The name might reflect the plants’ habit of strewing about with runners, which are horizontal stems punctuated along their length by daughter plants. The daughter plants eventually See STRAWBERRIES, 10

Spring is a good time to plant strawberries, although they also can be planted in late summer or fall — if you can get plants then.

[PAT WELLENBACH/AP FILE PHOTO]

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6 Saturday, April 28, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Landmark homes: Fleming Mansion Stately 3-story home is on the market again

By Shanna Sloyer Special to The Capital-Journal

Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series on landmark homes in Topeka. Stories about other landmark homes can be found at cjonline.com.

Topeka was founded in 1854, and since that time, many historical figures have chosen Topeka as their place of residence. Along with backgrounds of significance, they brought a variety of architectural styles to what would become the capital city.

Through the efforts of many who have rescued them from disrepair and potential destruction, the homes still stand today.

Among those structures is the Fleming Mansion, 413 S.W. River Hill Drive.

Saving the structure Once at the corner of S.W. 10th Avenue and Gage Boulevard, the three-story, plantation-style colonial home was moved to its current site in 2003 to make way for a Walgreens store.

George Godfrey Moore built the house in 1926, while he was president of Topeka’s National Reserve Life Insurance Company. The building became known as the Fleming Mansion after Ned Fleming purchased it — the purchase date is unknown, but possibly in the 1940s.

Fleming was president, chairman and CEO of the Fleming Mercantile Company, the largest food wholesaler in the United States at the time.

When the estate on which the mansion sat was converted to the Fleming Place Shopping Center in 1982, the developers of the project promised not to build on

A large flower arrangement adorns a table in the foyer. The grand staircase runs from the foyer to the second-floor landing.

The Fleming Mansion was built in 1926 by George Godfrey Moore, who was president of Topeka’s National Reserve Life Insurance Co. The home was later known as the Fleming Mansion after it was purchased by Ned Fleming, president, CEO and chairman of Fleming Mercantile Co. [PHOTOS BY THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

The first floor of the Fleming Mansion features a dining room, as well as a foyer, home office, kitchen and family room.

the corner where the mansion still stood. However, when they were unable to lease the mansion for commercial use, they changed their minds and asked to have the property rezoned to

open a new corner Walgreens in 1997. At that time, the Topeka Planning Commission denied the request.

In late 2002, the proposal was made again, and despite the State Historic

Preservation Office’s determination that the house’s demolition would negatively impact the historical value of the environment in which it stood, the Topeka City Commission voted to allow developers to go forward.

Developers were able to save the building when Lanelle and Eric Dinkel came forward with an offer to purchase the house and have it moved to a location northwest of S.W. 6th Avenue and Wanamaker Road. Doing so would remove the house from its historic context and disqualify it from the National Register, but ultimately save it.

“We didn’t want to see it torn down,” said Lanelle Dinkel.

Renovations made The Dinkels still have a framed copy of the 2003

Topeka Capital-Journal article from the day the house was moved, complete with photos of it moving down Wanamaker Road on a trailer.

“They took off the front porch and the pillars to move it,” she said.

The Dinkels had a concrete foundation poured to accommodate the house and have converted the basement into a movie room. The original servant’s stairs lead down to the basement from the first floor.

They also added a large garage to the west of the house and enlarged a second-floor bedroom for their daughter.

The original kitchen was galley-style, and likely only used by servants to prepare meals. It didn’t accommodate a growing family’s needs, so the Dinkels expanded the kitchen and added a family room to the back of the house.

Other than those changes, the original layout of the house stands as it did during Ned Fleming’s ownership.

“No walls were knocked out,” said Dinkel. “The house was kept the same.”

The first floor houses a See FLEMING, 7

The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com Saturday, April 28, 2018 7

The original kitchen was galley-style and too small to meet the needs of Lanelle and Eric Dinkel’s growing family. So the Dinkels expanded and updated the kitchen. [PHOTOS BY THAD ALLTON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

FLEMING

PLANTS

From Page 6

foyer, home office, dining room, kitchen and family room. A grand staircase leads to the second floor landing, which served as a common space for the Dinkel children and their friends while they were growing up. Four bedrooms and bathroom facilities fill the second-floor living space.

The third floor was once used for parties and balls, and a stage still stands in the master suite, now displaying the Dinkels’ bed. Walk-in closets, a master bath and laundry facilities look out over views of west Topeka and the surrounding area.

“My favorite room is the bedroom with the barreled ceilings,” Dinkel said.

Many signs of the time in which the house was built remain, including the original radios and speakers on the landing. They no longer work, but have

From left, Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners members Lynn Weaver, Lisa Gomez and Joan Scott show off some of the flowers that will be available at the Master Gardeners Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to noon May 5 in the parking lot of the Shawnee County Extension Office, 1740 S.W. Western Ave. The sale will feature thousands of plants. [JAN BILES/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

From Page 3

Owners Lanelle and Eric Dinkel added a family room to the back of the Fleming Mansion next to the kitchen.

been left untouched.

Dinkel holds a degree in textile design from the University of Kansas and is an interior designer by hobby. As the Dinkels worked to remodel the house, they met with the designer to determine what each room would look like.

“I wanted the Ralph Lauren look with the leather walls,” Dinkel said.

The Fleming Mansion is for sale, and the Dinkels hope the next owners will continue to build on the history

of a house that has brought them such enjoyment.

“I’m hoping that a family buys it and can raise their kids there,” she said. “It’s a great house to entertain in and raise a family in.

Someone should buy it for the history. I want someone here to enjoy it.”

Shanna Sloyer is a freelance writer from Topeka.

You can reach her at ssloyer@yahoo.com.

their eggs on the plant.

Monarchs have been disappearing because of the loss of habitat due to land development and the use of pesticides, according to University of Maryland Extension.

Other plants that will be available at the sale include tomatoes, peppers, coleus, dill, parsley, vinca, New Guinea impatiens and herbs. Master Gardeners members also bring in perennials from their own yards, including hostas, peonies, daylilies, coneflowers, astilbes, chives and other herbs.

Weaver said all of the plants at the sale have been grown by Master Gardeners volunteers and are insecticide-free.

In addition to the plants, the annual sale

will feature information and pollinator booths, informational handouts and a Garden Shed, where gently used garden tools will be sold.

Master Gardeners member Joan Scott said the sale is the main fundraiser for the organization’s operating expenses. Proceeds help buy supplies for the greenhouse and its children’s programs; support community and special needs gardens; pay for scholarships for high school seniors; and purchase new plant materials and signage for its demonstration gardens.

The plant sale has become quite a draw in the past few years, so Scott has some advice for customers.

“Come early, because there will be a line,” she said.

Contact niche editor Jan Biles at (785) 295-1292.

8 Saturday, April 28, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Parents can help grown kids buy a home Lay down ground rules before transaction

Accredited Investors Wealth Management in Edina, Minn.

By Marilyn Lewis

The ground rules

NerdWallet

When responsible first-time homebuyers need help buying a home, the family bank sometimes can lend a hand.

Younger homebuyers face a mountain of obstacles, including rising home prices and interest rates, too few homes for sale and unpaid college debt.

Student debt is a major source of trouble. When the National Association of Realtors surveyed recent homebuyers who had problems saving up a down payment, 53 percent of those in the youngest group — 37 and younger — blamed student loan debt for their difficulty.

Families appear to be pitching in to help, according to the results of that survey in the 2018 NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report. Among homebuyers

From left, Allison, Abigail, Isabel and Matt Weil stand in front of their new home in Laurel, Md. The Weils have twice used mortgage loans from Matt’s parents to buy a home. [NERDWALLET VIA AP]

who made a down payment, 23 percent of those 37 and younger used a gift and 6 percent a loan from family or friends — the highest proportion for either type of assistance among all age groups.

Family assistance like this

works best when the kids qualify for a mortgage on their own and parents make the purchase more affordable with, for example, a bigger down payment or a lower interest rate, says Jeremy Heckman, a certified financial planner with

To create a businesslike distance for these transactions, Heckman suggests that parents: • Consider disclosing the assistance to all immediate family.

• Consider treating all siblings equally.

• Use contracts.

• Document gifts.

Formal agreements offer important benefits, says San Francisco real estate attorney Andy Sirkin. They define obligations and minimize misunderstandings.

And if parent lenders die or become incapacitated, all their heirs can view the transaction and its history.

Ways to help Here are three ways parents can help make it more affordable for new homebuyers to purchase a home: 1. Give money.

A gift of money is often best, Heckman says. Parents can write a check for any amount they choose. That’s it — no contract or ongoing commitments. Or they can pay all or part of an expense, such as mortgage closing costs. Providing downpayment assistance can help new borrowers avoid paying for private mortgage insurance, which helps keep their monthly payment low.

How it works: Strict rules dictate how cash gifts are used in a home purchase, and they vary by mortgage type, lender and lender offer, says Mark Case, a senior vice president at SunTrust Mortgage.

Lenders like to see money gifts — easily traceable checks, bank transfers or wire transfers — in a borrower’s bank account three or four months before applying for a mortgage, Case says. Givers and recipients may need to sign letters confirming that See HOME, 9

The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com Saturday, April 28, 2018 9

HOME From Page 8

the money isn’t a loan.

When it comes to taxes, anyone can give any other person a gift up to $15,000 in value — money or, say, stocks — in 2018 without filing the gift-tax return IRS Form 709. So a parent with two children can give each of them — and even the children’s partners — up to $15,000 this year without having to complete Form 709. A tax professional can confirm how the rules apply to individuals’ specific circumstances.

2. Finance the mortgage.

Parents with cash to invest can become the mortgage lender, offering extraeasy terms, like no closing costs or no down payment.

Heckman says they can

charge a higher rate of interest on their money than it earns in a savings or money market account and still offer kids a lower-thanmarket mortgage rate.

“I said, ‘This could be a win-win for both of us,’” said Jay Weil, an attorney in Wayne, N.Y., who along with his wife, Judy, have financed two mortgages for their son Matt and Matt’s wife, Allison.

How it works: Jay and Judy fully funded the younger couple’s first home, a Columbia, Md., townhouse.

They decided to use a service that facilitates family loans.

They worked with National Family Mortgage, which charges one-time setup fees of $725 to $2,100, depending on the loan size; provides all necessary forms and documents to meet state, local and IRS requirements; guides families through

the settlement and filing process; and connects borrowers with loan servicers.

Then in 2017, the Weils lent the kids money again, for a $579,900 house in Laurel, Md. Matt and Allison got two loans. One was a primary mortgage from SunTrust Mortgage for $259,900, at 3.875 percent.

His parents provided a second mortgage for $260,000 at 1.98 percent. They used money earned from the sale of their first home to make a down payment.

Family lenders must charge at least the Applicable Federal Rate, the minimum interest rate required to keep the assistance from being considered a gift.

3. Co-borrow.

Although riskier for parents, co-borrowing is another option. Mortgages with co-borrowers were nearly a quarter of all

new-purchase mortgages in the third quarter of 2017, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data company.

Co-borrowing helps borrowers overcome a limited credit history or a too-high debt-to-income ratio, says Case, of SunTrust Mortgage.

How it works: Parents apply for the mortgage, too. They must meet the lender’s credit requirements and sign loan papers with their kids at closing.

Aside from the mortgage itself, a separate family contract can define expectations and details such as who gets how much equity when the home sells and what happens in case problems arise, says Sirkin, the real estate attorney.

For parents interested in being co-borrowers, there are some things to keep in mind:

• Not all loans allow coborrowers, so it’s good to confirm the option when shopping for mortgages.

• Some lenders may call this step co-signing, which may have different parameters, but the outcome is the same: Parents and children are equally responsible for the loan and any missed mortgage payments.

• Parents’ credit could be affected, making it hard to finance another big purchase later, even if children make payments on time.

With all the headwinds facing first-time homebuyers, family help sometimes makes all the difference.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.

Marilyn Lewis is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: mlewis@nerdwallet.com.

10 Saturday, April 28, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

STRAWBERRIES From Page 4

root and make their own runners.

The name “strawberry” also might come from a centuries-old favorite mulch for strawberries: straw. No matter how the strawberry got its name, the plants love to be mulched. Mulch keeps the soil moist, suppresses weeds and keeps the fruit cleaner. Give strawberries a year-round, organic mulch.

Adopt a planting system Spacing for strawberry plants depends on your method of growing them.

With the “hill system,” you plant them close together — 9 inches apart in a double row, with 9 inches between rows — and avoid future crowding by pinching off all runners. More

plants are needed to get started, but initial yields are highest. This system is especially suited to those junebearing varieties that naturally develop fewer runners and to everbearers.

With the “matted row system,” you set plants at wide spacing — 24 inches apart in single rows, with 4 feet between rows — and allow plants to make runners like crazy. Fewer plants are needed to get started, but the first crop is smaller than with the hill system.

Never allow the mat of mother and daughter plants to spread wider than 18 inches, and periodically thin out crowded plants.

No matter which system you adopt, pinch off all flowers that appear during the month after planting in order to coax plants to put their energy into growing strong roots. One advantage of everbearers is that they continue to flower after that month of pinching, which means you get to pick fruits later this season from this spring’s planting.

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