Keep it clean: Best practices for bird feeding, birdbaths

Clean your bird feeders periodically — moldy seeds 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. Between these cleanings, shake to dislodge compacted seed when refilling hanging feeders. Dump out all wet clumps of old seed. If you can, 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. Buy one with an automatic shut-off valve or heat cycling on-off switch, which helps prevent damage to the birdbath if it dries out. Use a grounded, three-pronged outlet to prevent electrocution. Avoid heaters that have an uncovered heating element, as this could burn the birds' feet if they land on it. Place a flat piece of shale or brick over the heating element (even a covered one) to provide a warm rock for birds to perch on to rest or drink. This helps prevent injury while keeping the heater anchored in the birdbath.

Keep the cyclamens blooming

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. But for those who want to take the challenge, here are some tips. 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-degree) spot while it is dormant. 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 dilute 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 mix twice a month. Cyclamens benefit from summers spent outside in a protected spot in the garden where they receive morning sun. Bring the plants indoors before there is frost in fall.

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