Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes musings from a Minnesota gardener, a chilly chickadee, some amaryllis advice and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Grateful Gardener
> Latest Newsletter Is Just for Fun!
> Hot Sandwich
> He's A Real Tweet-Heart
> Make Those Big Blooms Last
> Worm "Garden" Benefits Bluebirds
> Guide Means Best Garden Ever!

By Bethany S. of Red Wing, Minnesota

AS A GARDENER living in Minnesota, I really appreciate our limited growing season. The 6 months of rest my perennials get is necessary for me, too. It gives me a chance to recharge my spirit.

As I page through the avalanche of seed catalogs that come during the winter, I have time to relish last year's splendor and gather my thoughts for next summer's display. Those dog-eared pages hold a wealth of daydreams.

Last year, I turned my home into a "greenhouse" from February through April. Every sunlit space was occupied with flats, pots and seedlings.

I vowed not to repeat that this year, but the urge to plant during a long winter is strong...so we'll have to see what happens.

Soon sap will be flowing in maple trees and tulips will be poking their heads out of the earth. There's a wonderful expectation of spring in the air...and I'm grateful to be a gardener, especially in Minnesota.

Latest Newsletter Is Just for Fun!

ANOTHER newsletter has been added to our lineup, and we're sure you're going to love it!

You won't find yard and garden tips or family favorite recipes in each issue...just a hearty helping of humor! That's right--our new Laugh Letter is filled with grins (and a few groans) guaranteed to brighten your day.

We're talking good, clean fun--the kind you won't be embarrassed to share with family or friends of any age.

Like to laugh? Take a look at our new Laugh Letter right now!

To see a sample, click here.
To sign up now, click here.

Hot Sandwich

By Donna B. of Tok, Alaska

HANGING just outside my window is a thermometer surrounded by a wire threaded with bread, peanut butter and chunks of moose, bear and beef suet for the birds. The colder it gets, the faster the suet disappears.

On occasion, a little boreal chickadee will make a short stop at my windowsill, absorbing what little heat escapes through the window.

As I was working at my computer one evening, I heard a light tapping. When I looked up, I saw the chickadee clinging to the windowsill looking at me, then at my sandwich lying on a plate near the window.

With the temperature hovering around -50, I'm sure a "warm meal" was just what the bird had in mind.

Feeling sorry for the chickadee, I quickly donned my parka and hung the sandwich with the suet. The bird had a fine feast that night, even if it was warm for just a few minutes.

To view a photo, click here.

Holland In Bloom   April 26-May 3, 2003
When the flowers are in Bloom, there's no prettier place than Holland!

See millions of tulips and other flowers in bloom at Keukenhof--Europe's most beautiful spring garden.

Attend the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show with over 40 gardens and 150 floral displays.

By Sue G. of Columbus, Wisconsin

AMARYLLIS PLANTS make bright, beautiful holiday decorations. But what happens when they finish blooming? If you're like me, you get them to bloom year after year! Here's how I do it:

I wait until the stem yellows and falls over before removing the faded blossom. Then I set the plant in a sunny window and water it when the soil is dry.

I fertilize once a month with a liquid fertilizer. Even though you can't see it, the bulb is already working on its flowers for next year.

When temperatures get warm and the danger of frost has passed in spring, I start introducing my amaryllis to the outdoors. I keep it in a shady spot out of the wind for the first week, bringing it inside if the nights are still cool.

After a few weeks, I plant it in my garden, where it will receive partial to full sun. I make sure to leave the top inch of the bulb sticking out of the ground and continue to fertilize it monthly and water it during dry spells.

In early fall, I dig it up and trim the roots if needed to fit it back into its pot. If the leaves are not brown and dry, I don't cut them off--they are still supplying the bulb with food.

I plant the bulb in fresh potting soil, leaving the top inch of bulb showing. Then I water it lightly and move the pot to a cool, dark spot.

On Thanksgiving weekend, I remove the dried leaves if they weren't dry enough to remove earlier. Then I water the amaryllis with liquid fertilizer and set it in a sunny window.

In a few weeks, the bud should start to emerge. (Some bulbs may take a month or two, however, so be patient. One of mine waits almost 3 months to flower!)

I enjoy the show the amaryllis puts on, and when it's done blooming, I simply repeat these steps for next year's display.

To view a photo, click here.

By Jane W. of Auburn, California

I WANTED to attract bluebirds to my yard, but they paid no attention to my bluebird houses. Then I learned that mealworms are their favorite food.

When I put several mealworms out in a shallow container, it didn't take long for the bluebirds to find them. But I soon found it too expensive to purchase large quantities of mealworms from the pet store. So I decided to raise them myself.

Now, I put 50 mealworms in a clear plastic container filled with about 3 inches of oat bran and oatmeal. I add half an apple (cut side facing up) for moisture. I cover the food with strips from brown paper bags and punch several holes in the container lid. Then I place the covered container in a warm place for about 3 months.

During this time, the worms turn into beetles, which lay eggs between the paper strips before dying. After the eggs have developed into 1-inch mealworms, I'm ready to feed the bluebirds. They have become faithful visitors since discovering this treat.

MY HUSBAND is a romantic. So you can imagine my surprise when he gave me a bird feeder for Valentine's Day during our first year of marriage.

We had just purchased a new home with lots of trees and flowers for birds and other creatures. We're both nature lovers, but I was still puzzled by his gift.

Then he explained that the romance would come when we sat and watched the birds together!

--Betty P., Ponca City, Oklahoma

TURN your flower beds, shrubs and backyard landscaping into the talk of the neighborhood with the down-to-earth advice in our brand-new book, Ultimate Gardening Guide.

Birds & Blooms contributing editor Melinda Myers guides you step by step to better gardening, through soil testing and composting, planning and preparation, plant selection and transplanting, fertilizing and propagation. You'll triumph over weeds, insects, diseases and more with "green thumb" confidence!

How-to illustrations and photos throughout its 17 chapters make everything easy. Plus, radio's "Plant Doctor" answers common questions. Hardcover, 264 pages.

To order the Ultimate Gardening Guide, click here.

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