Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes some turkey tales, a landscaping tip, seasonal bird feeding advice and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Doin' the Turkey Trot
> Dogs Get the Point
> Can't Beat 'Em? Feed 'Em!
> Door-Way Works for Her
> From Flowers to Feathers
> Make a Date With Birds & Blooms

FEW PLANTS are tougher than desert natives, so they were the plants of our choice when landscaping around our dog kennels.

We added yucca, prickly pear cactus and hen and chickens, all long-lived perennials with the ability to survive in poor soil.

These plants can withstand an occasional trespassing pet, survive under piles of snow and need little watering with the exception of a few splashes from kennel washings and normal rainfall.

Can’t Beat ’Em? Feed ’Em!
By Mary W. of Hayward, Wisconsin

WE'VE been bothered by woodpeckers pecking holes and defacing our cedar-log home.

We tried everything--sealing holes, using an expensive additive in the stain and even spraying the logs with Tabasco sauce. We have hung inflatable owls, pie tins and brightly colored flags. (Our house started to look like a car dealership!)

In addition, we tried yelling and banging on the windows whenever we heard the woodpeckers at work. But nothing succeeded.

So bribery became the next option: We decided to give the birds something better than what they might find on our house, with less effort for us and the birds.

Now we hang suet balls covered with seed or just plain suet from the grocery store. We put the suet in net bags (the kind onions, oranges, etc. come in) and hang them all around the house from the eaves.

Now we not only enjoy the antics of the woodpeckers as they hang from the suet, but other birds are also attracted to it.

There are some disadvantages. In hot weather, the suet melts and creates a mess. And where we live, it also attracts bears in winter when berries and other foods are not readily available.

Door-Way Works for Her

HER NEWEST treasure, says Sandra B. of Brighton, Illinois, is a house made completely of doors--discarded patio doors to be specific.

Sandra credits a young neighbor couple who volunteered to build her a small greenhouse. The walls and roof are made from old doors that will never open again, with the entrance through an old screen/storm door.

The handy hothouse has been overflowing with green and leafy "tenants" ever since, thanks to neighbors, relatives and a few garage sales.

To view a photo, click here.

From Flowers to Feathers
By Linda M. of Boise, Idaho 

HERE'S AN IDEA for those who want to get more enjoyment out of feeding and watching the birds during snowy winter months.

We live in the mountains, where the depth of snow really limits the places we can put bird feeders and still have access to them for refilling.

Our solution? We keep some of the nearby hanging feeders full, but we also convert our window flower boxes into feeding stations for the winter.

In autumn after the frost withers the flowers, we replace them with sprigs of pine needles and a few pinecones and sprinkle birdseed all over them. We also add fresh slices of apple or orange from time to time.