NOTE--To see an on-line version of this newsletter, copy this link and paste it into your web browser: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=608&firstname=$$firstname$$&emailaddress=$$email$$&refurl=$$refurl-link$$ Please do not reply to this email. If you have questions or wish to unsubscribe, see the instructions at the bottom of this email. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Birds&Blooms Newsletter - May 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear $$firstname$$, Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! May flowers are on their way, and it’s time to plant the seeds for your summer gardens! In the April newsletter, we shared practical tips for adding a pond. You’ll find more pond ideas from fellow readers in this issue. There are also hints for selecting woodland wildflowers, getting peonies to produce and more! Read on to discover... » Pondering a Pond? Plan Ahead (Part 2) » Birds Paid the ‘Wrent’ » Share Your Stories » Try Wildflowers for Wooded Lots » Great Grilling Recipes? We’ve Got ’em All! » Suspicious Suspender » Help Poorly Producing Peonies » Attract More Hummingbirds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pondering a Pond? Plan Ahead (Part 2) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAST TIME, you learned some things to consider before starting a backyard pond View the April newsletter here: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=607&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Now we’ll look at how to dive into this project. If you’re planning a free-form pond, first lay out the shape with a garden hose. “Using a hose gave us a chance to try different shapes until we found a design that fit into the scheme of our yard,” says Donna E. of North Mankato, Minnesota. It’s also important to think about the future. Where will you locate a pump, which keeps the water clear? Will you add a waterfall someday? If so, where would you put it? Resolve these types of questions before digging in. And don’t forget to figure out where you’re going to put all the extra soil you’ll be removing. Even a small pond will yield more dirt than you think. Some of this extra soil will come in handy if you need to build up one side of the pond to make it level. While digging the pond, Susan F. of Attica, Indiana suggests adding several tiers or shelves at various depths, which will provide places for your water plants. “Form at least two or three ledges,” she says. “It adds dimension to the pond and allows you to grow different varieties of water plants.” The pond’s final depth should be about 1-1/2 to 2 feet. But in climates with very cold winters, increase the depth to 2-1/2 feet. As you dig, strive to maintain a smooth and even bottom—you don’t want anything poking through the liner. Liner pads, which protect the liner from sharp objects, can be a worthwhile investment. But Tom and Martha L. of Glasgow, Kentucky found a more cost-effective way to achieve the same result. “We put old carpet padding between the ground and the liner,” writes Tom. “It’s an inexpensive and effective cushion.” When you’re ready to install the liner, carefully unfold and lift it over the entire pond (you’ll need a few friends to help you with this step). Drape the liner over the pond walls and bottom, keeping it as smooth as possible. It’ll help if you do this on a sunny day; a warm liner is more flexible and much easier to work with. Carefully place some stones around the edge of the pond liner to hold it in place. Now it’s time to add water, which will press the liner into place. Occasionally lift the stones around the edge as the pond fills and continue to smooth out the liner. Wrinkles are inevitable, but they’ll become less apparent under water pressure and as plants grow. If there’s excess liner around the edge, don’t cut it off until the pond holds water for a few days. After the pond passes the test, trim the liner and stack the final edging material on top of it to hide the liner’s edge. As you can see, when it comes to water gardening, readers have flooded our files with helpful suggestions and information. Perhaps some of these ideas will give you the confidence to get your feet wet! » View photos: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=609&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You’re Invited to the “Grand Opening” of a Brand-New Catalog! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everything’s Made in the U.S.A.! As a Birds & Blooms newsletter reader, you’re entitled to an “early-bird” peek at an exciting new on-line catalog from our friends at Reader’s Digest, called RDAmericanMade.com.. Visit: http://www.rdamericanmade.com/rd.asp?id=28&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ “Experts” said it couldn’t be done, but… When the planning began on an all-new catalog filled entirely with items made in the U.S.A., some people said it was impossible. But Reader’s Digest did it! At RDAmericanMade.com, you’ll find over 350 top-quality American-made items, including: • Kitchen appliances and cookware • Attractive casual apparel • Books, videos and music • Fascinating backyard decorations and more... All made in the U.S.A.! Visit: http://www.rdamericanmade.com/rd.asp?id=28&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ AMERICAN MADE 5500 American Way PO Box 900, Greendale WI 53129-0900 1-800/558-1013 http://www.rdamericanmade.com/rd.asp?id=28&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Birds Paid the ‘Wrent’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHEN her son was small, says Aline D. of Pitkin, Louisiana, a pair of Carolina wrens thought their windowsill was a great place to build a nest. “We didn’t agree, but every time we removed the nest, they started building another one. We finally gave in to their persistence. “We were glad we did. My son had a lot of fun watching the mother wren raise her family. We were actually sorry to see them leave. After the young wrens fledged, we removed the nest. To our surprise, we found a $10.00 bill inside it. We figured it must’ve been the wrens’ way of tipping us for their pleasant stay!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Share Your Stories! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lowe’s is teaming up with our sister magazine, Reminisce, to create a special Lowe’s/Reminisce Collector’s Edition dedicated to their 60th Anniversary…and they want you to be part of the celebration! You can join in by sharing personal stories about you or your family members...about parents and grandparents who hand-built their homes…the boom of post-WWII housing…unforgettable fab ‘50s and sleek ‘60s decorating…up to today’s state-of-the-art home projects! If we publish your story in the Collector's Edition, we’ll send you a special gift as our way of saying, “Thanks.” Complete details here! Visit: http://www.reminisce.com/RD.asp?ID=55&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Try Wildflowers for Wooded Lots ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WANT TO GROW flowers and plants in woodlands—especially evergreen woods—where there’s little or no sunshine? Look to nature for your answer. Trillium, Jacob’s ladder, wild geranium, trout lily and Virginia bluebell are just a few spring-blooming wildflowers that will add subtle bursts of color. Add black cohosh (Cimicifuga) for summer color. Cultivated plants, such as ferns and astilbe, can add texture and color to your shade garden. Check with your county Extension service or a local nature center to obtain the names of local wildflowers and retail sources that sell them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Great Grilling Recipes? We’ve Got ’em All! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IT’S TIME to grill up some tasty meals for family and friends, and you can count on the newest member of the Birds & Blooms “family” to help. Allrecipes.com, America’s largest online recipe source, has joined forces with Reiman Publications—and we’re planning to become the only recipe resource you’ll ever need! To learn more about Allrecipes.com—and choose from thousands of great grilling recipes— »Visit AllRecipes.com: http://www.tasteofhome.com/RD.asp?ID=1359&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Suspicious Suspender ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE DAY last May, Margy M. of Mt. Shasta, California saw something odd suspended from a tube feeder in her yard. “It looked like a bat hanging upside down from one of the feeder perches,” she says. A closer inspection, however, revealed that it was a tiny red-breasted nuthatch. The little bird appeared to be fascinated by its new perspective of the world, peering down at the seeds on the ground below it. “The bird hung there long enough for me to run inside, grab my camera and take a photo,” Margy adds. “Then it suddenly flipped to the ‘up’ position, grabbed a sunflower seed and flew off. Now that’s entertainment!” » View photo: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=610&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Help Poorly Producing Peonies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF PEONIES grow poorly or don’t produce flowers, it’s usually because the divisions are too small or they’re planted too deep. Each division should contain three to five eyes (buds), and the eyes should be planted only 1 inch beneath the soil. If your peonies don’t sprout this spring, dig up the rhizomes. Discard any unhealthy ones (rhizomes that look dried and shriveled or soft and mushy), and try planting a larger division at the proper depth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attract More Hummingbirds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOW hummingbirds have twice the reasons to visit your yard. First, this Hummingbird Feeder/Planter has a 10-ounce nectar reservoir in the top with three feeding ports. It's movable, easy to clean and features built-in bee guards. Second, the planter has a removable liner and can hold a 4-inch pinch pot of any flowers or plants hummingbirds love. Made of metal and plastic, the Hummingbird Feeder/Planter is 10 in. by 11 in. and can be hung from a hook or pole (not included). Order Hummingbird Feeder/Planter from Country Store On-line. http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/RD.asp?ID=2084&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Featured Item from Country Store ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Water Wiggler http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/RD.asp?ID=2085&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THIS NEWSLETTER is from the editors of some of your favorite magazines, including. BIRDS & BLOOMS Claim Your FREE issue of the only magazine for bird and flower lovers! For details, visit: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=619&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BACKYARD LIVING Claim Your FREE issue of America's Favorite Backyard "How-To" Magazine! For details, visit: http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/RD.asp?ID=147&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This email was sent to: $$email$$ HAVE A FRIEND who enjoys bird-watching, bird feeding or backyard gardening? Feel free to forward this newsletter! If this newsletter was forwarded to you, please use this link to sign up for yourself. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=618&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Please do not reply to this message to unsubscribe. 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