Can't view the images? Click here to see them: http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=729&firstname=$$firstname$$&emailaddress=$$email$$&refurl=$$refurl-link$$ If you would like to change or edit your email preferences, please visit your Personal Preferences page. Visit: http://www.reimanpub.com/rd.asp?id=1528&email=$$email$$&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ garden club newsletter - October 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear $$firstname$$, Autumn is on its way—football season is in full swing, the mums and asters are blooming and the leaves are turning color. Before you know it, it will be apple picking time and the pumpkins that are gaining ground in your garden will be ready to carve. The Garden Club is here to share some fall-related articles to kick off the season and inspire you to get outside and enjoy the beautiful colors of fall. Happy Gardening! --From the editors of Backyard Living and Birds and Blooms HAVE A FRIEND who loves to garden? Feel free to forward this newsletter! If this newsletter was forwarded to you, please use this link to sign up for yourself. http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=726&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ READ ON TO DISCOVER... --> Plant of the Month --> Yardsmarts --> Garden Question of the Month --> It’s Bulb Planting Time --> Mums the Word --> Surplus Savvy Submit Your Story http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/RD.asp?ID=728&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plant of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Moondance’ Rose All-America Rose Selections Winner for 2007 Botanical name: Rosa hybrid, floribunda (cluster-blooming) type. Featuring: More vigorous and fragrant than its popular parent ‘Iceberg,’ ‘Moondance’ is a white rose that’s both fragrant and disease-resistant. Mature size: Flowers, 3” -4”; stems, 14” -18”; plant, 5’x5’. Hardiness: Hardy to Zone 4 with winter protection. Growing tip: Fertilize after each flush of blooms, use organic mulch and water at the base of the plant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yardsmarts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dahlia Dealings When I dig up dahlias, I preserve a flower from each plant and keep it with its tuberous root. I hose down the roots and dry them in the sun. The roots and accompanying bloom are labeled and stored in the coolest part of the basement. This method helps me remember the color and flower type next spring. –Azalea Wright, Forest Lake, Minnesota ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Garden Question of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lawn’s Gone to the Dogs Q: When my dogs “sprinkle” the lawn, they leave behind large, burned-out spots. Why is this, and what can I do to protect my grass? –Betty King, Baden, Pennsylvania Melinda: This is a major frustration of dog owners trying to grow the perfect lawn. Your dog’s urine is high in nitrogen, and the concentrated applications burn your grass just like overfertilization. Well-fertilized lawns are most susceptible to this type of damage. Water the areas where your dog urinates to dilute the nitrogen and reduce lawn burn. Some gardeners feel that commercial dog urine neutralizers help, while many do not. Surrounding grass will fill in small areas as the urine moves through the soil, but you may want to keep some grass seed and a little topsoil handy to repair larger areas. Consider training your dog to use one section of the yard. Cover this with wood chips, and avoid the frustration of dog-damaged grass. See more of Melinda’s answers: http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=730&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s Bulb Planting Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Soon it will be time to start thinking about planning next year’s garden and planting bulbs now will prepare you for a show-stopping spring. We’ve answered some of your most popular bulb planting questions and a gardening pro from Connecticut shares her best-kept secrets for growing a blooming hideaway out of bulbs. Bulb planting questions http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=731&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Blooming hideaway http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=732&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mums the Word ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fall’s beautiful front-running flower, the mum, is a spectacular show during this time of year. Learn how the Queen of Mums made her backyard a rainbow-colored realm with autumn’s crowing glory. If you find your flowers become floppy when they bloom, see Melinda Myers’ quick fix for mums and asters. Queen of Mums http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=733&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ Fix for mums and asters http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=734&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Surplus Savvy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Too many tomatoes and zucchini from your garden? Try this tasty reader recipe to help reduce your pile. Garden Focaccia Frozen bread dough is the convenient base for this herb-flavored flat Italian bread. These savory slices are a super appetizer at a summer gathering. It’s a fun and delicious way to use up abundant garden tomatoes and zucchini. –Mary Ann Ludwig, Edwardsville, Illinois 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1 garlic clove, minced 4 large fresh mushrooms, sliced 3 medium tomatoes, sliced 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Using your fingertips, press indentations into the dough. Brush with oil; sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, onion and garlic. Spread over crust. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 20 slices. For more tomato recipes, click here. http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=735&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More from your favorite gardening/birding magazines: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -->Top 10 Tips for Shade Gardening http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=736&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ -->Rose Secrets http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=737&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ -->Where Eagles Fly http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=738&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ -->Lavender is a multisensory treasure http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=739&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ -->Her wreaths make the rounds http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=740&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ -->Orchid Mania! http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=741&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s Your Club. As a valued member, tell us what features you’d like to see in your garden club. Click here. http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=742&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Step Back to the Victory Era! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The editors of Reminisce magazine bring you Reminisce Through the Decades: The 1940s, a 6-hour-plus, three-DVD set of real-life stories from the ’40s! For more information, go to reminisce.com: http://www.backyardlivingmagazine.com/rd.asp?id=743&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Featured Item from Country Store ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deer Tree Face Regular Price: $16.99. Sale Price: $11.99. SAVE $5 Good thru 10-9-2007 http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/RD.asp?ID=3022&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=911&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=513&pmcode=$$refurl-link$$ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIRDS & BLOOMS EXTRA Treat yourself to a FREE issue of our newest backyard birding and gardening magazine! 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