K-III digs Horticulture. (K-III Communications Corp. to acquire magazine title)(Brief Article)

* K-III Communications Corp. is close to acquiring Horticulture, sources say. The magazine, chiefly owned by an investor group led by McKinsey & Co. partner Carter Bales, was expected to fetch about $8 million. When the deal closes, K-III will inherit a well-respected title targeting the serious home gardener. (The magazine generates revenues of between $8 million and $10 million.) But there are challenges: The Boston-ba