Monthly Gardening Tips
What to do in February
After a polar beginning and a waterlogged end to January, it’s back to chilly temperatures for the dawn of February.......but at least the days are longer now and the sun, when we see it, does have some warmth! Gardeners will be itching to get out and about and there is plenty to do in preparation for springtime........buying seeds from the garden centre is a great start!
By the way, don’t forget Valentine’s Day.....there are gorgeous cards, houseplants and gifts in your local centre as well as plants that would make a wonderful present. A rose bush will last for years and so will the brownie points!
BIRDS
It’s another lean month for wildlife and especially birds. Putting out fresh water and food is really important, especially in freezing conditions. Do buy good quality bird food or fat/suet balls and check that water is not frozen.
GARDEN MAINTENANCE
Although temperatures should start to rise this month, there is still a risk of frost and even snow. Make sure your winter protection is still secure; protect vulnerable plants, pots and taps from frost by wrapping insulation such as garden fleece around them and check pots and containers are raised off the ground if possible. Pack the branches of tender trees and shrubs with straw and secure with fleece to protect them from the cold; thick dry mulches will also protect roots from freezing conditions.
Once the ground isn’t frozen, make new beds and borders – mark the shape with sand trickled from a bottle, remove the top layer of growing vegetation and dig the ground over, incorporating as much organic matter as possible. If you are making a bed in the lawn, remove the turf – if you dig it in the buried grass will regrow and regrow and regrow and................
Continue to dig over existing beds and borders, again incorporating as much organic matter as you can. Forking over not only helps prepare the soil for spring, it helps reduce pests by exposing them to hungry birds.
Remember not to let leaves accumulate around alpines – they will die if left damp for long. Cover bare patches around clumps with gritty compost to encourage regrowth.
When the weather allows, carry on clearing paths, check walls (but avoid concreting until there is no chance of frost), clean and insulate greenhouses and ensure heaters are working properly. Even a little insulation will make a huge difference to your heating bill.
Clean and repair your garden tools, book the lawn mower in for a service and check garden furniture for any rot. When it is warm enough, treat sheds, fences and trellis with wood preservative; brushes and rollers are fine for most things, however a sprayer is well worth buying for tricky projects such as woven panels!
TREES, SHRUBS, CLIMBERS
Plant bare-rooted shrubs and trees and container-grown climbers. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, February is the ideal month for planting as the soil will soon be warming up, encouraging new roots to grow and helping the plant to become established. Remember to plant climbers about 10" away from walls so they are not in a rain shadow.
Prune late summer and autumn flowering clematis, overgrown hardy evergreens, straggly hedges and late flowering shrubs such as Buddleja and deciduous Ceanothus. Be brutal with the shrubs; they should be cut back almost to ground level as they flower best on growth made after the spring. Leave literally a couple of shoots or buds on each stem unless you want a larger specimen, in which case leave a few lightly pruned stems to spring forth. In all cases feed your shorn plant with organic fertiliser and mulch with manure or compost for a great start to the growing season.
LAWNS
Keep off the lawn as much as possible whilst it is still wet – damage to waterlogged lawns is easily inflicted. If, towards the end of the month, the weather turns dry and mild, the lawn is firm and the grass is starting to look a little shaggy, give is a very gentle mow with the blades on the highest setting – don’t be tempted if conditions are wet! Also, if you are planning a new lawn, now is probably the earliest you could start preparing the ground for seeding or laying turf. Ask for advice in your local garden centre if you are unsure as to how to begin!
BULBS, FLOWERS AND CONTAINERS
Buy and plant snowdrops and winter aconites ‘in the green’ – ie when the plant has finished flowering but the foliage is still present and green. Neither takes kindly to being planted as dry bulbs. Add some compost to the soil, a sprinkling of bonemeal and plant them slightly deeper than they were in the pot.
Pot up lily bulbs to flower in early summer in barely moist compost and keep somewhere light and frost free. Only increase watering if the compost dries out or you see shoots appear above the surface; lily bulbs rot easily in overly wet conditions.
Bring dahlias out of hibernation and pot them in compost singly or dormitory style in a tray! Keep them somewhere light and frost free.
Sow sweet peas under a cloche or in the greenhouse for a cheery reminder that spring is on the way.
Brighten up a dull month with with pansies, violas, primroses, cyclamen and spring heathers. A stunning combination is pink heather, surrounded by variegated ivy and cyclamen – or try pansies densely packed for a striking display of colour. Once the ground is less sodden plant pots of flowering spring bulbs and primroses in empty gaps....a bit of a cheat, but who cares!
Again, once the weather eases off, remove the top layer of soil from pot-grown shrubs and replace with fresh potting compost that contains a slow-release fertiliser.
If the weather really does turn dry, do remember pots and containers will need watering, especially if they are near a wall and in a sheltered position. Take care not to overwater.
KITCHEN GARDEN
FRUIT TREES AND BUSHES
Plant and prune autumn fruiting raspberries; simply cut them down to 1" above ground level and the job’s done!
Cover strawberry plants with garden fleece to encourage them to fruit earlier than they normally would.
If you haven’t done so already, prune standard or bush apple and pear trees; keep the centre of the tree or shrub fairly open to allow air to circulate freely. Cut out crossing and rubbing branches to avoid open wounds which encourage disease. Do not prune espalier/cordon trained apples and pears.
Plant bare-rooted fruit trees and summer fruiting raspberries.
Protect fruit trees and gooseberries with netting; birds love developing fruit buds and your entire crop can disappear with astonishing speed unless protected!
Check all ties and stakes to ensure they are not broken or too tight.
Check stored fruit and throw out any showing signs of disease.
Add organic fertiliser to your fruit trees and shrubs; remove any mulch, feed around the roots, water and renew the mulch. Use organic rather than inorganic or chemical fertilisers to provide a slow release of nutrients; a sudden burst of growth too early in the season puts the plant at risk from disease and pests.
Force rhubarb; clear away all dead foliage and cover the crown with a forcer if you have one or a large pot if you don’t. To encourage faster growth, cover the forcer with horse manure; the heat will produce even more dramatic results as it rots down!
VEGETABLES
Harvest the last leeks, Brussels sprouts and sprouting broccoli.
Sow early vegetable and salad crops in seed trays or modules or in the greenhouse or inside - keep them on a windowsill in light and airy conditions. Radishes need thinning out to 1" apart when large enough to handle, spinach doesn’t need thinning if sown thinly and the thinnings from salad crops can be used as baby leaves – delicious.
If you haven’t done so already, chit your potatoes – put them in a light, cool place with the end showing the most ‘buds’ uppermost – an old egg box is ideal. They should be ready for planting outside in March when the sprouts are 1-1/2" long.
Plant Jerusalem Artichokes – bury them 1" deep and 12-18" apart - but remember they spread like wildfire unless you dig up every last one at harvest time.
