Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

Did you hear? We crowned a winner in our “Name This Plant” contest. After thousands of entries and even thousands more votes, you chose a great name for the new coreopsis plant from Terra Nova Nurseries. Take a look at the winning plant and name!

• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• Follow Us On Twitter
• Bird of the Month
• Best of Glad You Asked
• Project of the Month
• FREE Wallpaper
• Talk to Us!

Follow Us On Twitter

Do you twitter? If not, you might want to think about starting. Soon, we’ll be twittering about a great new photo challenge. 

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Bird of the Month: American Robin

Robins are one of the most popular signs of spring. Did you know this bird will not nest in a birdhouse? You can still attract it to your yard, though.

Get our tips for attracting robins and listen to their song.

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Best of Glad You Asked

Dogwood is a Dud
I have a dogwood tree that never blooms. How can I coax spring flowers out of my reluctant tree? —Hattie Wiant, Weston, West Virginia

Melinda: Age, fertilization, pruning and sunlight all affect flowering. Young trees will often bloom in the containers when you buy them, but expend their energy developing a root system when transplanted into a landscape. Once established, however, the blooms should return.

The second most common problem is overfertilization. Too much nitrogen can produce large plants with few or no flowers. Make sure your dogwood isn’t getting extra fertilizer from a nearby garden or lawn area.

Though shade tolerant, dogwood need sufficient light to flower. Those growing in excess shade have sparse growth and very large blossoms.

Lastly, save all pruning chores until after the tree blooms or should have bloomed. Flowering dogwoods set their flower buds the previous season, so winter pruning might eliminate the spring show.

Mealtime for Mockers
I always see northern mockingbirds at my birdbath, but never at my feeder. What types of food should I set out for them?
—Wilma Mitchell, Fayetteville, Tennessee

George: Northern mockingbirds are omnivorous, with about half of their diet consisting of various insects, such as beetles, ants, bees, butterflies, wasps and grasshoppers.

But mockingbirds are also quite fond of both wild and cultivated fruit. If you want to attract them to your bird feeder, simply place small pieces of fruit on a tray feeder or inside an empty grapefruit half. Pieces of apples or citrus, or grapes and berries are an open invitation for mockers to dine.

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Project of the Month

Now is the perfect time to build a new birdhouse, and it doesn’t get any easier than this one-board design. See how simple it really is!

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FREE Wallpaper

Download great wallpaper for your computer, like this photo of a rose-breasted grosbeak by Jerry Acton.

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Talk to Us!

We are planning ahead and need your great recipes! Send us your best suet and bird feeder recipes by using the Submit Your Story form.

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