Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

As I write this, there is still plenty of snow on the ground, but it is not too early to start dreaming of warmer days and planning your garden.

Members of our online community have been busy discussing starting seeds in the Gardening forum. And in the Vegetable Gardening forum, members chat about a different vegetable each day, offering their best growing advice and sharing their veggie garden failures!

Join us today to learn something new and share your own experiences. See you in the forums!

Kirsten Sweet
Birds & Blooms

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• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• Find us on Facebook
• Bird of the Month
• Best of Glad You Asked
• Project of the Month
• FREE Wallpaper
• Talk to Us!

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Bird of the Month: Mountain Bluebird

Mountain bluebirds are a western favorite, and it's not hard to see why.

Learn how to attract a mountain bluebird to your yard, and listen to its song.

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Best of Glad You Asked

Spring Pruning
What’s the correct way to trim my forsythia?
–Wendy Cloutier, Dover, New Hampshire

Melinda: Forsythias are very tolerant of pruning. You can prune these and other spring-flowering shrubs right after they bloom. That way, you get to enjoy the flowers and still control the plant’s size.

For the best results, remove one-third of your forsythia’s older stems (they’re the thickest) to ground level every year. If you’d like, reduce the height of the remaining stems by one-third as well.

Do this for 3 years, and you’ll have a smaller and better-looking plant. Then remove a few older canes each year. This will keep new growth coming from the base and maintain the size you want.

Why the Cold Shoulder?
Every winter, I put out plenty of suet and birdseed. A few birds visit my backyard, but not like they do in summer. Can you solve this mystery?
–Margo Magwood, Kitchener, Ontario

George: Most people who feed backyard birds find that winter is the busiest time of the year. The fact that you don’t have more activity in winter may have something to do with the amount of evergreen habitat in your yard.

When the leaves of deciduous trees disappear in the fall, a yard without evergreens provides no adequate cover for birds to use when threatened by predators or weather.

You can correct this by planting some pines, spruces or firs near the feeders to reestablish a comfort level for the birds that visit in winter. A quick fix would be to stand an old Christmas tree near your feeder.  

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Project of the Month

Want to do something that's good for bluebirds and fun for you? Build them a nesting box!

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FREE Wallpaper

Download great wallpaper for your computer, like this photo of a spring crocus emerging in the snow.

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Talk to Us!

We are looking for budget tips for our new section “For Less”. Send us your best budget idea and photos by using Submit Your Story form. If we use it in the magazine, we’ll pay you $25!

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