Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! It's time to begin cleaning out this year's garden and planning for next year's! We've got tips for outdoor decor and seed saving, plus practical pointers on squirrel-proofing your bird feeders, some avian antics and more. Read on to discover...

Special Birds & Blooms
Springtime in Holland Tour

Our friends at World Wide Country Tours are once again sponsoring an all-Birds & Blooms tour to beautiful Holland! Pick from three 2005 departure dates (April 16-24, April 23-May 1, or May 7-15), then join your fellow readers for spectacular sight-seeing.

According to Vicki Tadych, 2004 Tour Host, “You’ll see the best gardens, row after row of brilliant tulips, and the world’s largest flower market...plus all the famous landmarks, including a real operating antique wind mill and a boat ride through Holland's celebrated canals."

Plus, as a Birds & Blooms newsletter subscriber, you’ll receive FREE TULIP BULBS FROM HOLLAND WORTH $50.00 when you reserve your place by November 30, 2004. (All it takes is a $250 deposit to place your reservation.) Simply mention the Promotion Code BNBT. Click here for a complete tour itinerary.

It's Time to Save Some Seeds

FOR many of us, fall signals the end of backyard gardening as temperatures drop and colorful flowers lose their luster. But for some gardeners, fall marks the exciting start of yet another gardening cycle--saving seeds produced by the plants they nurtured all season.

Collecting seeds is a rewarding pastime, but you may have to change a few of your gardening habits. For instance, you'll have to stop "deadheading" your fading flowers late in the season, because cutting off the spent blooms usually removes the seed pod.

Also, you shouldn't plant hybrid varieties of flowers. Seeds from hybrid plants won't produce the exact same plants--instead, they'll produce plants with a wild mix of traits from the parent plants. Moreover, don't save seeds if you planted different-colored blooms of the same variety in one area. After a few seasons, the saved seeds will produce plants with unattractive muddy-colored blooms, thanks to cross-pollination.

Handpick Your Favorites. From which plants should you harvest seeds? Select plants whose characteristics you like--maybe some bloom early, are more resistant to disease, have longer-lasting blooms or bloom later in the season. Almost all flowers produce seed pods after their flowers fade, usually at the base of the flower.

Flowers disperse these seeds in a variety of ways. Some flowers--such as California poppies and pansies--have seed pods that burst open. Others, like dandelions, have little "umbrellas" that float away in the wind. Plants in the allium family simply open their seed pockets and let the wind shake out the seeds. Read garden books and pay attention to your flowers to learn what method they use.

When harvesting seeds, be certain they're fully mature. Each variety is different, so watch the pods closely. Usually they'll become brown and brittle as the seeds reach maturity. In varieties with seed pods that burst open, collect the seeds just before the pods burst. The seeds may seem immature, but they'll continue to mature after harvesting.

Here Are Some More Tips: Dry your seeds indoors by spreading them on a piece of newspaper for a day or two. Keep the newspaper out of direct sun and in a spot protected from drafts that could scatter the seeds. For pods that burst, cover with another piece of newspaper so the seeds don't fly all over the room.

Because a seed's biggest enemies are moisture and heat, store them in a cool, dry place such as a refrigerator or a well-ventilated basement. Keep the seeds in something airtight like a small canning jar or plastic container. Plastic film canisters work great and don't take up much room. Always label the containers--there's nothing more frustrating than having a container full of seeds with no idea of what kind they are! After storing the seeds, just be patient and think spring!