Now that the seed catalogs are coming almost every day, we can begin talking about the seed package.

Pay close attention to the seed package. Any credible seed company will tell you a wealth of information on its packaging. Usually on the back of the package it may state that the seeds are F1 or OP. Now what in winter's day does that mean? F1 is a hybrid where the pollen from the male parts of a pure bred plant is used to pollinate a female pure bred. This is done to create ...

37 WAYS TO KNOW YOU ARE ADDICTED TO GARDENING:

1. Your neighbors recognize you in your pajamas, rubber clogs and a cup of coffee.

2. You grab other people’s banana peels, coffee grinds, apple cores, etc. for your compost pile.

3. You have to wash your hair to get your fingernails clean.

4. All your neighbors come and ask you questions.

5. You know the temperature of your compost every day.

The fields are snowbound no longer;

There are little blue lakes and flags of tenderest green.

The snow has been caught up into the sky--

So many white clouds--and the blue of the sky is cold.

Now the sun walks in the forest,

He touches the bows and stems with his golden fingers;

They shiver, and wake from slumber.

Over the barren branches he shakes his yellow curls.

Yet is the forest full of the sound of tears....

A wind dances over the fi...

Lots to look at in Texas.  

Last Day of March. Ft. Clark Springs, Texas     "Rollin, Rollin, Rollin"

Getting closer to home. Someone should be able to lable the plants. Make the comments.

Comment:

David 12:44 PM on March 31, 2015 

Hi Jude - Your photos are great! Nice to see all that color and those magnificent landscapes. Looks like you are having a good time. I'm jealous! Weather hasn't been wonderful here. I've been out on my bike only once, maybe again tomorrow. We're all thinking of you!

Renee 7:28 AM on March 27, 2015

Love, love all the pics! Keep them coming. 

A welcoming  and...

Comment:

Kathy Hartley 4:24 PM on March 23, 2015 

Although Jude is bicycling the "Globe", I didn't think Miami was on the itinerary! The yellow flowers again look like some king of evening primrose (Oenothera) but I can't identify the species. I have friends in Albuquerque who I visit fairly often, and I have to say I've never seen the glass art or glass embedded in the highway. How unusual! Thanks for sending this along Jude.

Here we go from Globe Arizona i...

Comment:

Kathy Hartley 3:37 PM on March 21, 2015

Sorry it had to rain on the parade, but it is certainly needed out there. Identifying the flowers....the yellow ones are tough and a closeup would have been helpful. They might be some kind of mustard. The white/pink one look like Oenothera caespitosa, the stemless evening primrose aka the tufted evening primrose. They start out white and age to pink.The cactus with the flat pads is some kind of opuntia (prickly pear) and the "green...

Comment:

Kathy Hartley 3:59 PM on March 18, 2015

Great shots, Jude. High 20's and windy here in Troy today (Wed March 18). I'm jealous. As I said before, nature is grand even in its desolation.

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78 miles coming up today-rain in the forecast-some climbing-rest day on Friday I think! Lose track of days...Globe, AZ

Our comment is: They picked up a ghost driver.

Kathy Hartley 3:54 PM on March 5, 2015 by [email protected]

The blue flower looks like agapanthus. I'd have to do more research on the red one.

Comment:

Kathy Hartley 3:54 PM on March 5, 2015 

The blue flower looks like agapanthus. I'd have to do more research on the red one.

Comment:

Kathy Hartley 1:41 PM on March 14, 2015

Isn't it amazing how a place so desolate could also have such beauty? I can't identify the cactus, but the blue flowers look like some kind of nightshade.

Lots of san...

Kathy Hartley 3:59 PM on March 9, 2015

Great pictures! I like the ones where Jude has taken a picture of the labelled plant along with the plant itself. The tree with the red "catkins": maybe it's some type of chenille plant (genus Acalypha)????

Our biker is on her way from the shore to the desert and onward. She lost internet along the way.  Todays pictures are beautiful. 

Now what is this tree?

Ladies of the West.

A statement maybe?

West Coast Beauty.   Can you name the plants and trees?

These are from San Diego and Dog Beach.  Come on now name this cactus.  

Our traveler has arrived in San Diego.  She writes: "Made it, was wicked tired! This is outside hotel"  I guess the plane ride was a long one. Let's see who can identify the flowers. JD can see any comments you make. Post as often as you wish.

We have an exciting event to share with you.

An Inch By Inch worker is traveling on a bicycle from California to Florida. Along the way she will be sharing with us pictures and comments on the flora and fauna along the many, many miles she will be covering. Stay clicked in to our website for what I think will be an exciting adventure for all of us. We will start in March and end in May. Keep watching ...

There are hundreds of species of spider mites in the Family Tetranychidae. These 8-legged mites damage plants by inserting their piercing-sucking mouthparts into the leaves and suck out the juices. If unnoticed they reproduce in astounding numbers. Research shows that one mite can produce around 12 eggs per day per season. There can be 4 to 8 overlapping generations in a season. Mites are parthenogenetic, meaning they lay eggs without fertilization. They are also asexual. You see what a pe...

How do you force branches so they bloom in the late winter or very early spring?

Forsythia, pussy willow, deutzia, wisteria, lilac, apple, peach, pear, eastern redbud, magnolia, quince, red maple, serviceberry, are just a few ideas for branch cuttings.

Instructions:

Select 12 inch long branches, 1/2 inch in ...