Dear $$firstname$$,

Keep Critters Off the Guest List

WE’VE SHARED tried- and-true suggestions to help you attract even more birds to your yard. This time, for good measure, we’ve got some solutions for keeping uninvited critters off the guest list.

In Oak Creek, Wisconsin, John D. solved the annoying problem of ants on his hummingbird feeder by sliding a plastic funnel onto the “shepherd’s crook” from which he hangs it, with the wide end facing up. The funnel is about halfway up the crook, held in place with watertight plumber’s putty. John keeps the funnel filled with water, and now he and the hummers enjoy an ant-free feeder.

Wasps are also pests at hummingbird feeders. Betty R. of Pine Bluff, Arkansas solved the problem with cooking oil. “Each time I clean out my feeder, I dip my finger in oil and rub it around the feeding ports,” she explains. “It works—my feeders have been wasp-free for years!”

Barbara B. of Jefferson City, Missouri says the squirrels in her yard have to share their feeder with the birds. “It’s only fair, since the squirrels all too often raid the bird feeders,” she adds. Her squirrel feeder holds an ear of dried corn, which also attracts blue jays. “When a cob is bare, I still use it by spreading peanut butter on it and rolling it in birdseed. When it’s back on the squirrel feeder, the birds and squirrels return for dessert.”

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Rural Life Inspires Backyard Theme

WHEN her dad, James T., moved from his farm in Luray, Virginia to a small home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he brought some of the farm with him, says Sharon T of Bensalem, Pennsylvania. “Dad’s small and immaculate yard features a pond, a windmill and a garden tool shed. The pond, which is filled with koi and aquatic plants, has a cascading waterfall and is lit up at night. And the tool shed is decorated with an antique hand plow and attachments. We’re very proud of Dad’s creativity and his ability to work the earth, no matter where he lives.”

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Calling All Crows

MOST PEOPLE don’t appreciate crows, but Denise Y. of Conrad, Iowa feels just the opposite. “That’s because I’ve learned how to deal with them,” she explains.

“We have lots of crows at our place on the edge of town. To keep them out of my yard and away from other birds, I started putting out food for them by a farm field across the road. Soon they were out there checking for food every morning. Usually I would wait to take anything out until they showed up and reminded me. I’d talk to them and whistle a two-note welcome while they eyed me from nearby trees. On days when they weren’t in sight, I’d whistle for them.

“Now I can go out almost any time of day and whistle, and they show up in a matter of seconds to see what I have for them. I have a lot of fun with the ‘crow boys,’ as I call them. They like to eat bread, popcorn, old cereal, meat scraps, peanuts in the shell and suet. I’ve even put out a turkey carcass after a holiday meal.

“I really enjoy watching and feeding all the birds and even the squirrels in my yard. But the crows are the only ones that come whenever I call them!”

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10 Tips for A Pest-Free Garden

THERE’S no greater joy for a gardener than a plot full of perfect-looking flowers or vegetables. The problem is that many garden pests use our flower and vegetable beds as a salad bar. Instead of using pesticides, try these simple, natural and cost-effective tips from Steve S. of Ft. White, Florida:

1. Start with “clean” soil. Good soil can actually deter pests.

2. Buy disease- and pest-resistant seeds from a reputable dealer. It’s easier to prevent diseases and pests than it is to get rid of them after they arrive in your garden.

3. Selectively and aggressively thin out plants. This is essential because small, weak seedlings are more likely to become diseased and may pass on the problem to healthy plants.

4. Water plants in the early morning. If you water later in the day, the leaves will be damp during the cooler nighttime—an ideal condition for promoting fungus and other diseases. When you do water, soak the roots rather than getting the foliage wet.

5. Control weeds, which compete with your plants for valuable resources such as water, nutrients and light. They often harbor insects and parasites, too.

6. Keep your garden clean. Removing faded blooms, fallen leaves and weeds is important because decaying plant matter is a prime breeding ground for fungus, insects and diseases.

7. Use insect traps. Yellow “sticky” cards are available at most garden centers; they’ll catch many pests that travel through your garden.

8. Encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs, which eat aphids, mites and the eggs and larvae of many destructive insects. Other beneficial insects include praying mantises, lacewings and parasitic wasps.

9. Practice crop rotation. If you grow the same crop in the same place each year, the specific pests that attack that crop will remain in the area, waiting for the next planting.

10. Pinch off dead or infested leaves as soon as you see them. This will stop them from contaminating the entire plant.

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This Feeder’s a Real Doll

HUMOROUS bird photos appeal to Grayson P. the way nectar appeals to hummingbirds. That’s why Grayson, of Vansant, Virginia, keeps coming up with bird feeders that are, well, unusual.

“My ‘dolled-up’ hummingbird feeder is definitely not practical,” Grayson admits. “I just thought it would be fun to see a hummingbird feeding from a baby bottle, so I went to the store and purchased a child’s baby doll. I put the nectar holder behind the doll’s back and ran a small tube to the feeding port where I wanted the hummingbird to go.

“It was fun watching the hummers and the doll, especially when they perched on its finger. Later, I took the doll feeder down and put the regular feeder back up. I have lots of hummingbirds, so a feeder with only one feeding port just doesn’t cut it!”

 

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Don’t Discard Those Mum Cuttings

MOST gardeners who grow chrysanthemums know they should be cut back through June to ensure bigger and better blooms in fall, notes Debra C. of Waynesville, Missouri. “But I can’t bear to throw away the cuttings or even compost them,” she continues. “If you feel the same way, just do as I do—recycle the cuttings into more flowers.

“It’s easy. Put the cuttings, stem side down, in a pail of water. Fill a planter almost to the rim with all-purpose potting soil and soak it with a water-soluble fertilizer (diluted to 1/l0th of its normal strength). Then fill the planter with cuttings, putting them fairly close together. Water the cuttings again after planting and keep them well-watered throughout the growing season, which can last until the first hard freeze.

“Just follow these simple directions, and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful new chrysanthemums that otherwise would’ve been lost forever!”

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