##\keycode.boilerplatetext## Can't view the images? http://www.reimanpub.com/shared/pages/onlineemail.aspx?codelocal=Newsletters/BYLgarden_club/2010/01/newsletter-strongmail.html&firstname=##firstname##&emailaddress=##emailaddress##&refurl=##keycode## If you would like to change or edit your email preferences, please visit your Personal Preferences page. Visit: https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/Login.asp?Newsletter=BYL&email=##emailaddress##&pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ backyard garden club newsletter - January 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Holidays! Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? I’m sure I’m not the only one that has put ‘saving money’ on my list. Thanks to our wonderful readers, I’ve gotten a lot of great advice for being frugal in my backyard. How are you saving money this year? Send us your tips! Take a look at some of the pictures from our December photo challenge. And while you’re there, upload your favorite nature photos that correlate with our January theme, “winter.” Have fun! Happy Gardening! -Crystal Send us your tips!: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/submit-your-story?pmcode=##keycode## photo challenge: http://videos.birdsandblooms.com/pages/photos?pmcode=##keycode## ##\keycode.PSCopyText## READ ON TO DISCOVER... --> Plant of the Month --> Yard Smarts --> Question of the Month --> Frugal Backyard Tip --> Submit Your Story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plant of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christmas Cactus Botanical name: Schlumbergera. Size: 2 feet high; 3 feet wide. Light needs: Bright to indirect light indoors. Partial shade if placed outdoors in summer. Flower colors: Red, white, orange and deep or pale pink. Bloom time: Most bloom from late fall to late winter, but some flower in spring and late summer. Soil type: Epiphytic cactus potting mix or any well-draining potting soil. Propagating: Place stem cuttings in potting soil. Prize pick: Schlumbergera orssichiana produces white blossoms with a purplish-pink tinge at the tips. This small species has a particularly long blooming period, from late summer to winter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yard Smarts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Something Warm on a Cold Day One of the biggest winter favors you can do for birds is to offer a heated supply of fresh drinking water. According to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, this will not only help the birds, but could attract species that don’t normally come to your feeders. Click here for an easy-to-make heated watering hole. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Birds/Winter/Heated-Birdbath-Plan?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Question of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tough Beauty Q: This resilient plant is in one of my flower beds and bloomed right through the ice and snow. Do you know what it is? –Sue Young, Bartlesville, Oklahoma Melinda:This tough beauty is a poppy anemone, botanically known as Anemone coronaria. Although it typically survives winter weather only in zones 7 to 10, a few bulb producers have found it tolerates slightly colder locations—as your photo proves! These anemones prefer light sandy soils and full sun, plus drier conditions during its dormant period after it flowers. Gardeners in colder climates will need to dig up the tubers and store them indoors in a cool dark location for winter. For more answers from Melinda, click here. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Glad-You-Asked#PlantDoctor?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Frugal Gardener Tip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dual-Purpose Décor My neighbor uses straw bales to decorate her yard in fall, so I asked if I could have them after she was finished with them. She seemed thrilled that I could use them—and even offered to deliver them to my house! I spread the straw on top of the paths between my raised garden beds. This deters weeds, keeps my shoes dry and provides a pretty path to walk on. –Hope Martin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Submit Your Story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you committed a backyard blunder? We want to hear it! Click here to submit your story. Submit your story: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/submit-your-story?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best of Birds & Blooms 2009 -- FREE PREVIEW and FREE GIFT! Click here for details! http://www.tasteofhomebooks.com/orders/2009/BNBA2009C/Default.aspx?Keycode=BB941VH19M&pmcode=##keycode##&emailaddress=##emailaddress##&indID=##individualid## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where’s Webster? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find Webster in January and you could win a watering can from The U CAN Brand. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Where-s-Webster--/detail.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Follow Us on Twitter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Follow us for exciting Birds & Blooms updates! http://twitter.com/birdsblooms?pmcode=IJEDB02V&_mid=70500&_rid=70500.63800.214497&pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Find us on Facebook ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Birds-Blooms-Magazine/10115818250?ref=ts&pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gardening Green for Less ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-CS-Site/default/Search-Show?q=gardening+green+for+less&pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##\keycode.sidebartext## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This email was sent to: ##emailaddress## If this newsletter was forwarded to you, please use this link to sign up for yourself. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/NewsletterSignup.asp?optID=75&pmcode=##keycode## If you do not want to receive further editions of this Garden Club Newsletter, please use this link to unsubscribe. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/NewsletterUnsubscribe.asp?email=##emailaddress##&pmcode=##keycode##&OptID=75 To learn more about Reiman Media Group's use of personal information, please read our Privacy Policy. http://www.reimanpub.com/Revise/PrivacyPolicy.asp?pmcode=##keycode## Copyright 2009 Reiman Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 5400 S. 60th St., P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991 1-800/344-6913