Things to do in February
Friday, February 1st, 2008
February’s a tantalising month - the first signs of spring are in the air but it isn’t quite here yet. But never fear, there’s plenty to do in the garden already.
This month it’s all about preparation - sowing seeds, sorting out beds, doing those last bits of pruning, separating and tidying to make sure everything’s good to go the minute the weather picks up. Here’s our list of seasonal to-dos for February:
- Mulch between trees, shrubs, roses and fruit bushes, and even heap the stuff on top of dormant perennials - a great frost-protector and a nutritious start to the new season.
- Deadhead your winter-flowering plants that are now past their best.
- Divide clumps of perennials - think of it as your very own plant factory, and a great way to re-stock depleted beds.
- Work in compost - time to give that heap a clear-out and start nourishing your beds for spring. Be sure to dig it in properly - nothing looks worse than great lumps of vegetable matter laying on top of the soil.
- Hoe and weed your vegetable beds and sow any early seeds that feature in your plans. If you’re planning to plant potatoes it’s time to start thinking about chitting them - more info from the RHS here.
- February’s a good time to prune Clematis - especially the large-flowering varieties. Start at the bottom, find the lowest, healthy, fat, pair of buds on each stem and cut immediately above them. Find more pruning tips here.
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Tags: February, Seasonal to-dos, spring gardening