NOTE--To claim your free issue of Backyard Living, copy this link and paste it into your web browser: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=201&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ 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=742&firstname=$$firstname$$&emailaddress=$$email$$&refurl=$$refurl-link$$ If you have questions or wish to unsubscribe, see the instructions at the bottom of this email. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIRDS & BLOOMS Newsletter - February 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear $$firstname$$, Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! If you're thinking ahead, you'll appreciate the garden suggestions included in this month's newsletter. You'll also find stories and tips from readers who are trying to "green up" their thumbs for spring. Read on to discover... » The Great Backyard Bird Count » Going for the Heart » Submit Your Stories » Picture This » A Welcome Sight » Don't Desert Hope! » To Clean or Not to Clean » Coming Soon: Budget Backyard Makeovers » Baffle Some Squirrels ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great Backyard Bird Count ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WANT TO WATCH birds and help scientists at the same time? Just participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count! From Feb. 16 to 19, bird lovers across the United States and Canada will count the birds they see to help create a mid-winter "snapshot" of the birds' locations. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society coordinate the annual count, using data from bird-watchers of all ages and abilities to track the well-being of North American birds. Last year's participants counted more than 7.5 million birds representing 623 species. To find out more about the count, log on to birdsandblooms.com or visit birdsource.org/gbbc. Visit birdsandblooms.com: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=743&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Visit birdsource.org/gbbc: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=744&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Going for the Heart ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FOR GENERATIONS, bleeding heart has captivated the imagination of children and adults alike. With blooms that form perfect hearts, it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. Glenna Blair Rieppel of Mansfield, Pennsylvania still remembers the legend she heard as a youth. "My grandma used to tell me this cute little story of what everyone got for Christmas as she carefully pulled apart the blossom," Glenna explains. "Mother received two pretty pink shoes, Father got two fishing hooks, sister a pair of ballerina slippers and last but not least, brother found a baseball bat." Some storytellers might discover pink rabbits instead of shoes, a sword instead of a bat or invent a different tale altogether. Just open a blossom and see what you find. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join Our FREE Garden Club ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sign up for our new free Garden Club newsletter, delivered to green thumbs who want the most beautiful garden in the neighborhood. More plant tips and ideas, advice from the Plant Doctor and much more, delivered right to your E-mail in box. Includes flowers, vegetables and landscaping ideas to make your neighbors "green" with envy. And, as our Garden Club grows, so will the benefits for members. Sign up today! http://www.reimanpub.com/rd.asp?id=1201&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Love at First Sight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There's little mystery about the origin of bleeding heart's common name. Its outer petals-—which are usually rose pink or white, depending on the variety-—form a tiny "heart," while a white inner petal "bleeds" from the tip. There are two native North American varieties--fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) from the eastern United States and western bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) of western North America. Neither is as large or showy. To add this flower to your backyard, plant it in an area with rich, well-draining soil and partial to full shade. Dry soil and direct sun shorten its blooming period and cause the leaves to yellow. The plants will reach between 2 and 3 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide, so give them ample room to grow. Bleeding heart unfurls its strands of blooms from late spring to early summer. The plant is hardy in Zones 3 to 9, but its flowers are shorter-lived in climates south of Zone 6. Bleeding heart becomes dormant and dies down to the ground by midsummer. To make its decline less noticeable, plant it near the back of your flower bed and pair it with long-lasting shade lovers, such as ferns and hostas. Some attentive gardeners avoid the summer dormancy problem by immediately pruning their plants back halfway after they've finished flowering. The trimmed plants send up new foliage that stays green throughout summer. If you'd like to plant bleeding heart in your garden, spring is a good time to start. It won't be long before its beautiful blooms will capture your heart..."happily ever after." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Submit Your Stories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DO YOU have a gardening success story in which you overcame a natural disaster like flooding, a wildfire, a tornado or a hurricane? We want to hear from you. Send us your story and photos via e-mail to editors@birdsandblooms.com. We encourage you to send both before and after photos. Please put "Natural Disaster" in the subject line. Contributor's Guidelines http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=749&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Picture This ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IS THIS egret taking a bow, waiting for another birdbrain to give him a "high 5" or something totally different? Click here to see for yourself! View photo: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/RD.asp?ID=741&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Welcome Sight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE FRIGID February morning, Linda Lacy Heighton of Versailles, Kentucky had a severe case of the winter doldrums. And a glance outside didn't help—the sky was gloomy and the landscape barren. "I was just about to crawl back under the covers when I caught a glimpse of something yellow streaking past my window," shares Linda. "The bird was too large to be a goldfinch, I thought. Besides, they were still wearing their drab winter colors. So I consulted my field guide. After flipping through the pages, I settled on the illustration of an evening grosbeak. It seemed the only possible answer, although Kentucky was out of the bird's normal range. "My curiosity piqued, I searched for another trace of yellow...no luck. Several minutes passed before a mass of grosbeaks descended from the sky! A couple dozen crowded around my bird feeder, displaying a ravenous appetite unlike any birds I'd ever seen before. "When a passing car sent them scattering, it cued the return of the American goldfinches, mourning doves and house sparrows that normally frequent my feeder. Tufted titmice, blue jays, black-capped chickadees, northern cardinals and a solitary woodpecker soon joined the growing feeding frenzy. "The ground beneath the feeder now looked like a choppy sea of bobbing heads. Their chatter was almost deafening. The flurry of activity was just the jolt I needed to face the day—-gray sky and all-—with renewed spirit." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't Desert Hope! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE DESERT GARDENER was looking for flowers for two planters that are in full shade. Living in the desert means it's hot during the day and cold at night. To get ideas for this environment or in one closer to your own zone, start by checking out what works for your neighbors. Good gardeners frequently borrow and share ideas. Then start experimenting. You can begin with the following: --> Annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus) has continual blooms of white, pink, rose or purple flowers and glossy green foliage. For a bolder effect, plant Clivia, which has yellow or orange flowers and wide strap-like leaves that grow up to 1-1/2 feet long. --> Cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) can give you a vertical accent with its upright green leaves. And the green- or yellow-leafed moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) will hang over the edge of a planter while its yellow buttercup-like blossoms add color. --> Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum) and variegated yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon variegatum) also are good trailing plants. The leaves provide interest long after the flowers fade. Try a few new plants every year until you find what works. Make sure to record both your successes and failures. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here’s a Sweetheart of a Travel Deal! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save $50.00 per person and get FREE luggage! Reserve any of World Wide Country Tours’ fun-filled 2007 tours and you’ll save $50.00 per person plus get a Wheeled Carry-on Bag—FREE! Now that’s a “Sweetheart of a Deal!” Visit countrytours.com for complete itineraries of all our exciting 2007 vacations. Use code BL33 when you reserve to claim your $50.00 per person savings and FREE Wheeled-Carry-on Bag. Don’t wait to book your trip! Offer expires February 28, 2007! Offer cannot be combined with any other offers. http://www.countrytours.com/RD.asp?ID=2022&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ World Wide Country Tours Exclusive Tour Operator of Reiman Publications 1-800/344-6918 5939 Country Lane, Greendale WI 53129-1429 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Clean or Not to Clean ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOU MAY WONDER when to clean out and repair your nesting boxes. If you plan to leave the houses up all winter, then it's best to clean them in spring, when you can remove insects and old nesting materials from both birds and mice. Mice tend to use birdhouses in winter and supplement the birds' nesting materials with their own. Birds also welcome the old nesting materials, as they may roost in the houses on cold winter nights. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coming Soon: Budget Backyard Makeovers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THINK YOU CAN'T afford a "dream backyard?" Think again! Budget Backyard Makeovers is a special edition publication from the editors of Backyard Living and Birds & Blooms. It's crammed with ideas for turning your yard into a showplace—without breaking the bank. Watch for your copy of Budget Backyard Makeovers in stores and on newsstands beginning February 27! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Baffle Some Squirrels ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ KEEP squirrels from raiding your seed with weight-activated baffles using the Birdseed Vault Feeder! Birds have no trouble getting their meal, but a squirrel's weight on the perch closes the baffles and keeps seed safe. Three adjustable settings keep out larger birds, and the locking lid helps keep seed thieves out. Order your Birdseed Vault Feeder today from Country Store Online. http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/rd.asp?id=2725&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Featured Item from Country Store ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1,029 Backyard Birding Secrets http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/rd.asp?id=2727&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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=706&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BACKYARD LIVING Claim Your FREE issue of America's Favorite Backyard "How-To" Magazine! 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