Yes! February is here and it means crops are on the horizon. Whilst is may still be cold outside, the garden is coming to life with signs of spring; from daffodils in bloom to tulips making themselves known in the garden boarders. Perhaps one of the busiest gardening months, as February is all about preparation and perhaps the last opportunity to change things up before they go into the ground. Hence why the list of what to do in the garden in February may be a long one:
What To Do In The Garden In February For Flowers?
Dig up and divide your Snowdrops that are looking healthy to create more plants or to fill out a space with snowdrops.- Just like in January, February is the perfect month to be prunning your Wisteria; ideally cutting back summer side-shoots to 2 or 3 buds.
- Shrubs such as a Salix Cultivars and Cornus are great for some colour in the garden in winter. However, February is when you need to cut these shrubs back down to their bases.
- February is the last opportunity to give your Clematis a prune, as come March is will start to become active again. Do this now to really optimise the flowering of the flower over summer.
- Prune back Fuchsias to a few buds of each shoot.
- As the flowers disappear on winter flower Heathers, trim them back to help them maintain their shape.
- To prevent the flower from setting seed, remove faded flowers from Pansies. This encourages the plant to put its energy into new flowers for spring.
- Time to give your winter-flowering Jasmine a good cut back; cut back the previous year’s growth to 5cm from the old wood.
What To Do In The Garden In February For Vegetables?
- Potatoes are a perfect addition to any garden. Now is time to start chitting first early potatoes; place them on a tray or egg box and place them in a bright, cool position.
- Mulch perennial vegetables, with manure or garden compost, such as Asparagus and Artichokes.
- Construct any raised beds now, before the growing season gets underway.
- Remove all weeds from vegetable patches and work in plenty of compost.
- Remove yellowing leaves from Brassicas, including Brussels Sprouts.
- Just give a general tidy up to any vegetable plots.
What To Do In The Garden In February For Fruit?
- Cover Strawberries with cloches to encourage an earlier crop.
- Force Rhubarb plants for an early crop.
- Mulch fruit trees with manure or compost.
- Prune dormant Apple & Pear trees.
- Prune autumn-fruiting Raspberry canes to the ground to help stimulate new canes to fruit in autumn.
- Prune Blackcurrant bushes, Gooseberries and Redcurrants.
What To Buy For The Garden?
- Once you’ve decided on a rough layout for the garden, in terms of of whats going where, then it is time to order your seeds.
- Order new fruit trees. However, given that fruit trees last year after year, this isn’t always needed.
- Order perennial vegetables, veg such as the Egyptian walking onion or Rhubarb, that grows year after year (compared to Tomatoes which you need to grow from seed each year).
- Order clematis, these plants will start growing before you know it.
Extra February Garden Tips
- Cut back vine; such as ivy, Virginia creeper and Boston ivy.
- Warm up seed beds with fleece or cloches, ready for sowing shortly.
- Organise your seeds into the order they need sewing in.
- Keep your garden by weed free by digging up any weeds.