Cyclamen plants flourish in the morning sun

Cyclamen plants will continue to bloom for a few weeks if they are kept in a north-facing window in a cool room (55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and watered enough to keep the soil evenly moist and never soggy.

Avoid splashing the crown of the plant or the foliage as this can promote disease. Remove fading flowers and their stems as needed. Most gardeners find it too difficult to force the plant to bloom again the following season. Those willing to take the challenge should follow these suggestions:

As foliage and flowers begin to fade, withhold water. Remove all dead foliage from the tuber, clean off the soil, and store the tuber in peat moss or vermiculite in a dark, cool (50 degrees) spot for its dormant period. Later in spring or early summer, check the tuber for new growth.

As soon as growth begins, repot the tuber with its top half exposed and bottom half buried in fresh, soilless mix. Resume normal watering and fertilize with a diluted 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 mix twice a month.

Cyclamen benefits from summers spent outside in a protected spot in the garden where it receives morning sun. Bring the plant indoors before there is a frost in fall.

• Clean your bird feeders periodically, as moldy seed can make birds ill. Flush out old seed and debris, then scrub the feeder with a mixture of water and chlorine bleach (1 ounce of bleach per gallon of water). Rinse well and allow the feeder to completely dry out before adding new seed.

In between these cleanings, shake to dislodge compacted seed when refilling hanging feeders. Dump out all wet clumps of old seed. It is a good idea to sweep hulls off platform feeders daily.

• If possible, provide a source of water for birds. Adding a heater to a birdbath is easy to do, though not as important now as temperatures are warming up. Purchase one with an automatic shut-off valve or heat cycling on-off switch, which will prevent damage to the birdbath if it dries out. Use a grounded, three-pronged outlet to prevent the possibility of electrocution. Avoid heaters that have an uncovered heating element as this could burn the birds' feet. Placing a flat piece of shale or brick over the heating element (even a covered one) will provide a warm rock for birds to perch on to rest or drink and will prevent any accidental injury as well as keeping the heater anchored in the bird bath.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.