Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes a summer version of a popular winter plant, some imaginative bird feeding tips, a guide to pruning tools and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Christmas Blooms in July
> Use Your Imagination!
> Search for Saint Is Fruitful
> Don't Miss Future Newsletters!
> Crossbill Crossing
> Tools of the Pruning Trade
> Keep Birdbaths Clean, Inviting

YOUR beautiful holiday poinsettia could still be thriving in July if you took a tip or two from June P. of Shelbyville, Tennessee.

"My secret to keeping a poinsettia blooming year-round is to feed it a good fertilizer and be careful not to overwater it," June says. "I'll water and fertilize my plant in moderation, about twice each week."

If you don't have June's patience, you may want to try a summer poinsettia, suggests Marylyn P. of Chesapeake, Virginia.

"This outdoor variety has different shades of green, yellow and red and grows up to 5 feet tall," she says. "In our area, it will even come back the following year."

If you plant a summer poinsettia, Marylyn has one caution: "You'll have plenty of visitors. People are always stopping to ask what it is!"

To view a photo, click here.

SOMETIMES it's not the kind of food you offer, but the creative ways you offer it that keeps feathered friends coming back for more. Here are methods that two resourceful readers tested in their own yards:

Cathy O. of Seminole, Florida says she's no carpenter but was able to make some simple additions to her store-bought feeder to significantly increase the bird activity.

"I added a plastic basket to hold peanuts for blue jays, and also used angle brackets to attach several 12-inch wooden stakes. These provide landing and perching areas for larger birds."

In Columbia Station, Ohio, Paula B. enjoys feeding oranges and bananas to Baltimore orioles. "I hated to waste the slices that fell to the ground," she says. "So I created great fruit feeders from rubber-coated clothes hangers."

Paula picked the T-shaped metal hangers with pinch clips that are designed to hold pants. "I removed the metal clips, turned the hangers upside down and stapled them to our fence. Then I threaded them with fruit slices.

"Now it's not uncommon for me to see a dozen or more orioles waiting in line for their turn on a perch!"

STATUES of St. Francis of Assisi are often displayed in yards, but there is a patron saint just for gardeners.

"I didn't know that until my daughter mentioned it," relates Ileta S. of Austin, Colorado. "She couldn't remember the saint's name, but an employee at a nursery did--it's St. Fiacre."

Ileta found an article in an old magazine that provided some background on St. Fiacre. He was raised in a monastery in Ireland, where he developed a love of gardening and nature. He established a retreat where he prayed for, fed and cured people who sought his help.

Later, Fiacre moved to France. According to legend, a bishop agreed to give him as much land as he could clear in one day. When Fiacre dragged his spade over the ground, trees fell, bushes were uprooted and the land was miraculously cleared.

The monk then used his enlarged herb, flower and vegetable gardens to feed the poor and treat the sick who flocked to him after learning of the miracle.

"A few years after I learned about St. Fiacre, I spotted a statue of him while shopping for plants at another nursery," Ileta says. "I recognized him by the garden spade he is often shown carrying.

"He now holds a place of honor in the garden my daughter and I tend."

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RED CROSSBILLS are common year-round west of the Rocky Mountains, in some northern states and in parts of Canada. But Mary S. of Rockwell, Iowa never expected to see them visiting her feeders!

"I first saw them the last week of July, and on one occasion, there were eight in my yard at one time," Mary says. "Here in Iowa, crossbills are spotted only occasionally in winter and rarely in summer.

"I could tell my visitors were young--they hadn't yet developed their adult color, which is usually red for males and yellow for females."

Named for their bills with crossed tips, the unusual visitors liked the black oil sunflower and safflower seeds in Mary's feeders.

"After watching the crossbills for a while, I wanted to see if I could get close enough to hand-feed them. I slowly approached the feeder with a cup of seed...and I was so excited when they ate from the cup--one at a time."

Will she see the crossbills again this summer? Mary is keeping her fingers crossed!

To view a photo, click here.

From Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide By Melinda Myers

CHOOSING and using the right tool is important for both you and your plants.

Reduce muscle strain by selecting tools that fit your physical build. For hand tools, look for those that fit comfortably in your grip. Larger tools should not be too heavy--make sure you can easily lift them over an extended period of time.

Many new ergonomic tools are designed to help you avoid injury, maximize your strength and allow you to work longer. You may want to add a few of the better-quality and ergonomically improved tools to your birthday or holiday gift list.

Here are some of the basics:

> Garden snips or scissors are used for dead-heading, clipping back tender new growth and harvesting flowers. Some are designed to cut and hold the stem for easy harvesting.

> Hand pruners are a better choice for heavier jobs. Use them to cut woody stems up to 1/2 inch in diameter and larger tender shoots.

> Bypass pruners have two sharp blades and cut like scissors. They slice through the stem and leave a clean cut that closes quickly.

> Anvil pruners have one flat and one sharp blade. You must keep them sharp to minimize crushing of the stem.

> Loppers are long-handled pruners that provide greater leverage and reach. Use these on hard-to-reach stems or woody stems up to 1 inch thick.

> Pruning saws should be used for any branch or stem larger than 1 inch in diameter. They come in several designs and blade lengths.

> Pole pruners are long handles with a pruner or saw attached. Use these sparingly--the extra-long pole extends your reach, but it's difficult to make a proper cut when guiding the tool with a 10-foot handle.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You'll find much more information in the Birds & Blooms Ultimate Garden Guide. We'll share more practical tips from this new book in upcoming newsletters. To order a copy for yourself, click here.

YOUR BIRDBATH can be free of mold, stains, mineral deposits and organic contaminants with our environmentally safe Birdbath Protector. Use just a capful each week from the 4-ounce bottle.

Or hang our Mister/Dripper Combination on the side of your birdbath, turn on the water and watch birds flock to your backyard! Water is vital for drinking, bathing and preening for birds, and this easy-to-use Mister/Dripper keeps your birds' supply fresh and inviting. Includes a Y-adaptor for your outdoor faucet, 50 feet of tubing, control valve and mister attachment.

To order Birdbath Protector from Country Store On-line, click here.

To order the Mister/Dripper Combination 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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