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=641&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 - July 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear $$firstname$$, Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! It’s summertime, and the weeding is easy…well, maybe “easy” isn’t the word you’d choose, but it is part of gardening, along with watering and watching. The plus side of yard work is witnessing birds and flowers growing and changing before your eyes. Each day there’s something new to see and enjoy in your own backyard. Read on to discover... » How to Turn a Pallet into a Planter » Bucket Was Bursting with Babies » Getting Your Trumpet Vine to Blossom » Bird & Breakfast Has No Vacancies » Enjoy Better Backyard Grilling » Not-So-Sloppy Summer Suet » Red Alert for Ripe Tomatoes » Bird Lover Sure Enjoys Cavities » Gardening Just Got Easier! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to Turn a Pallet into a Planter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NO YARD is too small for a garden if you try this tip from Liz M. of Florence, Oregon. She uses wooden pallets to create vertical space for her plants. “I’ve found the pallets make great planters—I use mine for a compact patch of strawberries,” Liz writes. “It’s a space-saving and portable solution for cramped backyards.” Simply nail a piece of plywood on the bottom for a floor, then close off one end of the pallet with scrap boards. Stand it on that end, fill it with potting soil and plant your seeds through the slats. Your chances of a bountiful summer will definitely be looking up! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bucket Was Bursting with Babies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AS MY HUSBAND and I were doing chores one day, we noticed a pair of barn swallows building a nest in our machine shed. Working diligently, the birds had it completed in no time. Before long, the nest held five baby swallows. But as the days got hotter and drier, the nest slowly pulled away from the rafter to which it was attached. I decided to put a 5-gallon pail filled with rags directly below the nest, just in case it fell. It’s a good thing I did. A couple days later, we noticed the parents swooping near the ground by the bucket. A closer look revealed that the nest had fallen 10 feet, right into the bucket. The nest broke into pieces, but all the babies were safe and sound. To keep the nestlings safe from predators, I drove a nail into the rafter where the nest was first built and hung the bucket on it. Unfazed by the change, the swallows went on to successfully raise their family in their new “home.” —Peggy L., Kalispell, Montana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hot Travel Deals On Select Departures! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save up to $250.00 on Select Departures! http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=1760&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Book a September or October departure now and get as much as $250.00 off! HURRY! These deals expire July 28, 2006. 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Exclusive Tour Operator of Birds and Blooms Magazine 1-800/344-6918 5939 Country Lane, Greendale WI 53129-1429 http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=1756&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting Your Trumpet Vine to Blossom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s a common problem for trumpet vines to grow year after year without blooming. These gluttonous plants will use all the fertilizer they can get their roots on, which results in large plants with few flowers. With that in mind, keep high-nitrogen fertilizer away from your trumpet vines. (Remember that fertilizers applied to bordering flowers and lawns can affect them.) Also, your soil may need more phosphorous to encourage blooming. As a last resort, lightly prune the roots. With fewer roots, the plant will consume less nitrogen and begin flowering. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bird & Breakfast Has No Vacancies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AFTER MOVING to a new home in a busy subdivision, we put up a birdhouse my husband had just built especially for tree swallows. Almost immediately, a pair of swallows started constructing a nest in the house. Eventually they raised a family of four. On the very same day that the swallows left the house, a male bluebird hopped inside and began cleaning it out. Within 3 or 4 hours, a female bluebird showed up and began helping the male gather grasses and weed stalks. During the next 6 weeks or so, we enjoyed watching the bluebirds raise four babies. First four baby swallows, then four baby bluebirds—and all in the same birdhouse. We sure had great bird-watching from May through July! —Cecile B., St. George, Ontario ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy Better Backyard Grilling ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you like the sight, sound and aroma of flavorful food sizzling on the grill, turn to Taste of Home’s Backyard Grilling. This giant, photo-packed special-edition recipe collection features 323 tried-and-true, classic recipes, including scrumptious main dishes and even desserts. You’ll also find helpful grilling tips, including all you need to know about the two grilling methods—direct and indirect—and grilling charts for meats, vegetables and fruits. Look for it on the newsstand or find it online at the Country Store. http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/RD.asp?ID=2244&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not-So-Sloppy Summer Suet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HAVING HAD good luck attracting winter birds with suet, Gayle E. of Bangor, Maine started searching for a recipe to use during the warm summer months, too. But many “summer suets” are messy because they melt in the heat. Finally, she came across the easy recipe below. It works great—she can’t keep enough of it in her feeders, winter or summer. 4 cups cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup shortening Combine all the ingredients; mix well. Put in an onion bag or suet feeder, or pack in pinecones or into the bark of trees. Then watch the birds enjoy this hearty feast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Red Alert for Ripe Tomatoes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE JUICY BITE explains why vine-ripened tomatoes are North America’s favorite homegrown “vegetable.” (Botanically speaking, tomatoes are actually fruit. But in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Mother Nature, declaring that tomatoes are vegetables because they’re served with the main meal.) Native to the Americas, tomatoes were first cultivated by Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought seeds back to Europe. The British and early American colonists, however, considered the plant poisonous because it’s a cousin of the deadly nightshade family. That belief didn’t last long. Today, tomatoes are the most widely grown plant in vegetable gardens across the continent. Full of Goodness The good looks of a ruby-red tomato are not just skin-deep. One medium-size tomato has 35 calories, almost no fat or sodium, yet plenty of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, folic acid and betacarotene. Plus, the tasty orb has as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread! This season’s crop is sure to end up in everything from pasta and pizza to burritos and barbecue sauce. Plus, they can be stuffed, stewed, boiled, pureed, pickled and fried. And tomatoes are perfect for canning to provide a welcome taste of summer any time of the year. Top Tomato Tips Virgia P. of West Monroe, Louisiana wanted to find a way to grow the biggest tomato plants possible. Her daughter, Lynn, shares her tried-and-true method: “First, she digs a hole in the center of her tomato garden,” Lynn says. “In it, she places a 5-gallon bucket with several holes drilled in the sides. The bucket is filled with manure. She plants her tomatoes in a circle about 6 to 8 inches away from the bucket and places a support fence around them. “When she waters her tomatoes, she simply runs the water through the bucket. The plants get a dose of fertilizer with each watering. “Her plants often grow at least 6 feet tall and produce lots of juicy tomatoes. Lucky for us, that means there are always plenty of extras to go around!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bird Lover Sure Enjoys Cavities ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHEN Harold K. of Tomahawk, Wisconsin cut down a tree on his property, he found a way to keep it standing around. “I just ‘planted’ it next to the road,” he notes. “I wanted to save it because it was full of holes made by a pileated woodpecker during the last 2 years. I keep hoping they’ll nest in one of the cavities. “A friend crafted a pair of wooden red-headed woodpecker cutouts to top off the tree trunk. I don’t know if any pileateds will ever nest there, but it certainly does attract the attention of motorists passing by!” » View photo: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=642&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gardening Just Got Easier! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOU’LL ENJOY spending more time in your garden—in greater comfort—with this sturdy, easy-to-carry kneeler seat. When the blue, non-absorbent foam cushion side is up, it’s a sturdy seat, and just the right height for tending plants or picking vegetables. Turn in over, and the cushion makes a padded kneeler. Strong steel handrails make getting up and down from the kneeling position a breeze. It’s also great for scrubbing, waxing or painting floors. 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