Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Birds & Blooms (R) magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes an unusual plant worth waiting for, tips on attracting more birds, some shady definitions and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> A Final Performance
> Instant Birds? Just Add Water!
> Holiday Heads
> Flying Fish Feeder
> Made in the Shade
> Make a Date with Birds & Blooms

A Final Performance

WHEN William L. moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona, a friend gave him a century plant as a housewarming gift. "I dutifully planted the little 6-inch cactus-like plant in my front yard and waited for it to grow," William relates.

It obviously wasn't in a rush--it took 13 years for the spiky-leaved plant to get large enough to bloom. But once the bud sprouted, it grew quicker than a jackrabbit!

The first week, the bud grew 1-1/2 feet. The unbelievable pace didn't stop until 2 months later, when the plant reached 14 feet tall and 6 inches in diameter. Branches on the top half of the stalk produced beautiful yellow flower clusters 8 to 10 inches in diameter.

"Within a month, the flowers withered and the seeds were scattered by the wind," says William. "The entire plant died. I grabbed the trunk, and the whole plant pulled out of the ground, roots and all."

Luckily, he kept one of the last offshoots that appeared at the plant's base. "I'm looking forward to another spectacular display in my front yard...in a few more years from now."

To view a photo, click here.

Instant Birds? Just Add Water!

ARE your neighbor's feeders full to capacity while yours are going unused? Don't despair--you can greatly increase the bird activity in your yard by simply adding cover and water.

Natural cover plays two important roles, providing nesting places for birds and also offering them protection from predators while they feed.

Evergreens make excellent nesting and escape sites. Fruit-bearing trees and shrubs are a good choice, too. They provide cover as well as additional food for you and your bird guests.

For quick results, consider planting perennials and annuals that provide food and shelter. Songbirds love coneflowers, asters and chrysanthemums as well as annual sunflowers, zinnias and coreopsis.

And don't forget the water. Besides being vital to birds' diets, water is also a great way to attract them--especially when it trickles and makes noise.

Elinor W. of Kirtland, Ohio shares her simple way to add the sound of trickling water to her backyard:

"Drill a tiny hole in the bottom of a bucket and slow the drip by inserting a nail or bent paper clip," she writes. "Then hang the bucket from a sturdy branch and let it drip into a birdbath. It will attract birds like a magnet."

Our new magazine is almost ready to go. Wait until you see it!

EXCITEMENT has been building ever since we told readers about our idea for an all-new magazine called Backyard Living.

"I'm so excited about this publication, I can hardly wait to order it," writes Debra G. of Suffolk, Virginia.

"I have a new backyard that's a long empty rectangle, and I don't know what to do with it," notes Judi B. of North Branch, Michigan.

"After 14 years, our backyard's in desperate need of a makeover," says Dayle S. of Spring, Texas.

Well, friends, help is on the way! The Premiere Issue of Backyard Living is packed with project plans, gardening tips, landscaping ideas and suggestions for outdoor entertaining. You'll find helpful advice and lots of photos from real people showing improvements they've made to real yards.

Take a Peek at the Premiere

Here's a sneak peek at some of what you'll find in our colorful Premiere Issue...

In "Great Gardens for Small Spaces", we'll share ideas to get the bloomin' best from small yards. In the regular department called "Grounds for Improvement", readers share solutions to problem yards.

There'll be a "Backyard Makeover" in every issue, too...with before-and-after photos that illustrate how readers turned ordinary yards into real showplaces.

We'll also help you relax and enjoy your time out back with delicious cookout recipes, clever decorating tips and fun party ideas for outdoor entertaining.

Yes, if you enjoy spending time out back, then Backyard Living is for you. (It makes a great Christmas gift, too!)

Subscribe NOW and SAVE!

To subscribe or give a gift at special "Charter Subscriber" rates, click here.

Flying Fish Feeder

IN Paducah, Kentucky, William F. claims to have a "magic" fish pond. "We call it magic because what occurs there is quite amazing," he explains.

"A few years ago, a female cardinal that we call 'Phoebe' began feeding the goldfish in our pond. She landed on a fence near the pond about every 30 or 40 minutes with worms and insects she'd collected. Then she flew to a stick I had placed across the pond and put food into the mouths of the fish!"

The fish quickly learned to gather at the spot for a free meal when Phoebe arrived. But she was discriminating--only the red fish were offered her treats.

"She continued feeding the fish until October of that year. We felt blessed to witness these magical happenings and wondered if she would return the following year."

She did...and she has each year since. "Her schedule varies," says William, "but one thing seems certain. She waits until other cardinals are feeding their babies before she begins feeding our goldfish."

Who knows...maybe it is magic!

To view a photo, click here.

Holiday Heads

KEEPING hungry deer from eating her cabbage plants used to be a challenge for Lillian M. of Woodstock, Vermont.

"I tried all the tricks our friends recommended--red pepper on the plants, pie plates tied to poles, and rags and mops that blow in the wind," Lillian says. "I even resorted to sleeping outside to scare the deer away.

"Then I read about a sure remedy--blinking Christmas tree lights.

"So, in the middle of summer, we strung up colored Christmas lights on our garden vegetables. Our neighbors thought we were crazy, and we obliged by singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas when they came over."

Lillian had the last laugh, however--those lights did the trick, and the deer stayed away. She and her family enjoyed a bumper crop of "Christmas cabbages"!

Made in the Shade

From Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide By Melinda Myers

GARDENING BOOKS or plant tags often recommend growing certain plants in full, partial, light or other types of shade. But what do these terms really mean?

What is "light shade", and how much sun does a "full shade" plant really need? Here are some helpful definitions...

Dappled: A type of light shade cast by open structures or trees with small leaves and open canopies, like honey locust or birch. As the sun moves over the tree, the pattern of sun and shade changes. Plants growing in these conditions receive some direct light, some bright light and some shade throughout the day.

Filtered: The same as dappled shade.

High: Another kind of light shade cast by tall trees with a high canopy. This allows light to reach plants under the tree for all but a few hours each day.

Light: Plants in light shade receive less than 4 hours of shade each day. The type could be filtered, dappled or high shade. A wide variety of sun and shade plants grow in these conditions.

Partial, medium or semi-shade: Plants receive 4 to 6 hours of sun each day This is similar to a woodland edge or areas on the east and west sides of buildings.

Full: No direct sunlight reaches plants, as with the shade cast by maples and oaks or the north side of a building. Hydrangeas, hostas and other shade-loving plants will grow here.

Dense: Found in the darkest corners of your landscape, under the deck or beneath a stand of evergreens. Only a few very shade-tolerant ground covers and ferns will grow here. You may want to mulch or grow a moss garden rather than fight the odds.

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.

Make a Date with Birds & Blooms

OUR 2004 Birds & Blooms Calendar brings backyard beauty indoors with full-color close-ups of birds and flowers. Bird-attracting tips, too! Hummingbird lovers will adore a dozen photos of "flying jewels" in the 2004 Hummingbirds Calendar.

Includes garden tips for attracting hummingbirds!

To order the 2004 Birds & Blooms Calendar from Country Store On-line,
click here.

To order the 2004 Hummingbirds Calendar 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