How to turn your discarded Christmas tree into a feast for birds

I find it sad to see live Christmas trees left curbside for the weekly garbage collection. Consider reusing your natural Christmas decorations by recycling Christmas tree branches (cut into 2- to 3-foot sections), swags, wreaths, and other evergreen materials as mulch for garden and perennial beds.

Remove nonplant items such as tinsel and wire before placing them in the garden. Lightweight, open evergreens permit moisture to reach the soil and also help insulate the roots and crowns of plants from the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle of Midwest winters. The greens can also be arranged in containers for winter interest.

Another use for your holiday tree is to place it in the garden and decorate it with birdseed and suet ornaments for winter birds.

Anchor the tree in a bucket full of damp sand. Add strings of popcorn and cranberries. Apples, oranges, leftover bread and pinecones covered with peanut butter and then dipped in birdseed may also be added. For best results, push the edible ornaments well into the tree so that they do not blow off as readily.

We have lots of squirrels in our neighborhood, so I put the tree out in the backyard for bird cover and then recycle it with the landscape waste generated in the spring.

Pot up new amaryllis bulbs in wide, squat containers using a soilless growing medium. Allow the “shoulders” of the bulb to remain above the medium; water well once and then allow the medium to dry out before watering again. Keep the pot away from direct sun, drafts, and heating vents. As the stalk grows, rotate the pot for even growth.

Most amaryllis send up the stalk and flowers first. After flowering, allow the stalk to yellow and wither before removing it from the bulb. If you want to try to save the plant, continue to water when leaves emerge.

After May 15, take the plant outside to receive morning sun and fertilize regularly with a dilute 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 mix. Bring the bulb in before Oct. 15 for its resting period.

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