Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes an over-the-top bird feeder, some rosy messages, year-round advice for choosing and maintaining birdbaths and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> World's Tallest Feeder?
> Send a Rosy Message
> A List to Learn From
> He Got a Piece of the Rock
> Birdbath Bits
> Wildlife Guides Go On-Line
> Tomato Boosters A Great Gift!

World's Tallest Feeder?

IT'S NO tall tale--this feeder reaches new heights!

Wendell O. of Charles City Iowa made his inexpensive 8-foot feeder from a plastic tube used to protect fluorescent bulbs. (They're available at most lighting supply stores.)

He drilled holes through the plastic tube and inserted 18 1/4-inch dowels for a total of 36 perches! Plastic medicine bottles stopper the top and bottom of the tube, which is mounted on a shepherd's crook using automotive hose clamps.

It holds about 4 pounds of niger seed. When house finches, purple finches, goldfinches or pine siskins are in the area, they empty the feeder in about 2 days.

"The feeder's so tall I need to use a ladder to refill it," says Wendell. (His wife, Marilyn, holds the ladder for him just to be safe.)

It's a versatile feeder, too--in spring, orange halves stuck on the perches attract Baltimore and orchard orioles. This takes feeding to new heights!

To view a photo, click here.

Send a Rosy Message

DID YOU KNOW that roses convey different messages depending on their color? Margie W. of Butler, Pennsylvania did some research on the subject and was surprised to learn that there are many meanings to rosy messages. Here are some of the results of her research:

Red says "I love you" and stands for respect and courage.

White conveys reverence, silence and humility. White roses also represent innocence, purity and secrecy. They say "You're heavenly."

Yellow means joy, gladness and friendship...but can also mean infidelity, jealousy and loss of love.

Coral or orange says "Please be mine" and stands for enthusiasm or desire.

Pink symbolizes happiness, grace and gentility. Says "You're lovely." Deep pink roses say "thank you" while lighter shades convey admiration or say "You're wonderful."

Dark crimson conveys mourning.

Red and yellow together stand for happy feelings.

Red and white together mean unity.

EVERY YEAR, Evelyn J. of Houston, British Columbia makes her list and checks it twice--but it's not a list of who's naughty and nice.

Instead, she starts a list at the beginning of each year of the birds she sees and where she spots them.

After doing this for many years, Evelyn has made some interesting observations. She notes that many birds return from the south nearly the same time each year, regardless of the weather. She also says the number of species she sees increases each year. "I'm not sure if that means there are more species moving through the area or I'm just getting better at spotting them," she admits.

She's had her share of rare sightings--birds that are out of their territory, according to field guides. A few examples include an Anna's hummingbird, a bobolink, a rose-breasted grosbeak, a cattle egret and a western kingbird.

Evelyn's husband Bill keeps his eyes open for new birds, too, and quickly alerts her when he spots one. They both find it an enjoyable pastime while increasing their knowledge about their feathered friends.

THROUGHOUT 55 years of farming, Marvin J. of Ruso, North Dakota had to plow around "that darn rock" in one of his fields.

When he retired, Marvin decided the rock was as much a part of him as the land he farmed. So he moved it to his backyard so he could continue to see it every day.

Marvin sought the help of a heavy-equipment operator working in the area to move the rock. To his surprise, three-quarters of the mass was hidden underground.

Once it was unearthed, the rock was loaded and hauled to a garden bed in Marvin's backyard, where it is surrounded with different-colored petunias each summer.

"That rock was once a very large pain," Marvin says. "I never thought it would make such a beautiful garden accent."

To view a photo, click here.

HERE ARE some suggestions from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York that will help make your birdbath the most popular watering hole in the area year-round.

> Look for a basin that has a gentle slope so birds can wade into the water.

> Heavy-duty plastic birdbaths are less likely to break in winter if the water freezes.

> In colder regions, use a birdbath heater in winter. (Reader William G. of Knoxville, Tennessee places a 60-watt light bulb directly under the bowl. This provides enough heat to keep the water from icing over.)

> Make the birdbath resemble a natural puddle by positioning it close to the ground.

> Place birdbaths near shrubs and trees for shelter. Birds can't fly well when they're wet and may need a quick escape from predators.

> Clean your birdbath every couple of days.

Trying to identify a bird, butterfly or plant from your yard or neighborhood? Want to learn more about local wildlife...or about the birds, plants and animals in another part of the country?

Our free on-line Wildlife Guides can help! Visit the Birds & Blooms Web site at http://www.birdsandblooms.com and look for the Free Wildlife Guide link in the right-hand column. Enter your zip code (or an out-of-state zip code) to access hundreds of photos and detailed information!

GIVE your favorite gardener (or yourself) a gift of bigger, juicier tomatoes with our new, improved "Super-Gro Tomato Booster Gift Set".

Tests show this unit's red color promotes earlier ripening. Plus, its larger collar adapts to bigger plants, it holds more water (1 gallon), its four-point drip irrigation waters the plants more thoroughly, and its wide "wings" choke out more weeds.

We'll ship the 10-piece set in a gift box. It includes six Super-Gro Boosters, two 32-foot rolls of Tomato Tie-Ups, a 32-oz. pack of Maxi-Mix Fertilizer, plus our Prize-Winning Tomatoes cookbook.

This new Booster releases Maxi-Mix's rich nutrients directly to the roots at every watering, resulting in BIGGER, earlier, juicier tomatoes!

To order the Super-Gro Tomato Booster Gift Set from Country Store On-line, click here.

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Birds & Blooms magazine brings beautiful backyards from across America into your living room--through vivid, full-color photos. It's like a friendly "chat" over the back fence with your bird-and flower-loving neighbors. 

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Birds & Blooms, P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991