Gardening Jobs for February

Gardening Jobs for February

Well we’re almost into spring, early daffodils will be showing off, and you may still have a few snowdrops in flower. If it's really cold and miserable, why not huddle up on the sofa and start planning the year ahead? If it's relatively mild as it is here in Chichester right now, here are a few jobs to be tackling ahead of March:

Seeds To Sow

Sweet Peas are a favourite of mine and I like to spread out sowing at different times, October for an early show, then January and finally March though I have sowed as late as early May. Tomatoes and Chillies can be sown in a propagator or on a warm windowsill along with Broad Beans, Carrots and Tomatoes, why not try something different and sow The Black Tomato – Indigo Rose (more the colour of an aubergine really), bred for its high antioxidant quality.

Beds and Borders

Carry on digging, weeding and adding compost to enrich the soil, blood, fish and bone, seaweed, fertiliser or chicken manure pellets are also a great addition as they are all an organic, slow-release fertiliser, perfect for the dormant garden, but only if it's not sodden or waterlogged, walking on wet soil will only push out the air and compact the soil damaging the structure! Lift and divide snowdrops after flowering and increase your stock around the garden. Plant bare-root roses, trees, shrubs or hedges, and prepare the soil well with garden or peat-free compost, February is a great time for this, and I believe preferable to autumn, as they would be sitting around in potentially cold, wet soil and possibly be killed off in a very cold spell, (I have lost plants this way) water them in after planting, on this occasion don’t leave it to nature.

Something I started for the first time last year was to raise bedding plants from plugs (very small plants with a root ball of around 1cm and shots of 1-2cm), I find this a cheap way of growing plants as I just don't have the time, or frankly the patience for seed anymore, they are usually easy to grow and once they're big enough to plant out you will be rewarded with a wonderful display of colour. I filled 3 large troughs with all sorts of flowers and they were a huge success, give it a go, you won't be disappointed!

Pruning Tasks

The two main pruning tasks I undertake in February are wisteria and Buddleia (Davidii not alternifolia or globosa). Wisteria first, prune previously flowered stems back to two buds to give a beautiful flower show in the summer, if it is a young plant, tie in the non-flowering stems to your wall or trellis to create an attractive, open framework to show off the climber at its best. The second prune will be less aggressive an carried out in June, if you are at all unsure of how to start, refer to the RHS guide here.

Deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned to reduce size or improve shape, get this done now before the birds start nesting. Although many articles say you can start pruning roses now, I personally don't. I was taught to wait until the fear of hard frost had passed, and so I wait until mid March. Hardy evergreens such as Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica) and the laurustinus ( Viburnum tinus) can all be cut hard if needed, this will encourage strong growth from the base of the plant, remember to fertilise the shrub after pruning with a slow-release fertiliser (not Growmore), lightly fork it in, then mulch around the base with garden compost if you have it, or peat free compost if not.

Wildlife

Clean your bird feeders if you have them to avoid disease and refill them with seed and suet balls. Think about creating log piles or ‘insect hotels’ to encourage beneficial insects and bugs into your garden, this can also be a great little fun job to do with your children, teaching them the importance of nature in your garden.

Pots and Pests

Check squirrels haven’t dug up your favourite bulbs yet, it’s something they love to do, if you’ve had trouble you may need to cover your pots with chicken wire temporarily while the little blighters are on the hunt. Inspect bulbs and tubers in storage of rot or pest damage. Use a pet-friendly barrier to slugs and snails, or an old but very effective method are beer traps, beer in a small tub will attract slugs in huge numbers, warning, it’s not a pleasant job to clean the traps.

The Tool Shed

If you didn't get round to it last month, check all your tools, spades, forks, are the handles ok? Look for splits, if you're using electric machines check your cables (safety first),

Your Lawn

Give your lawn a light cut (raise the height of the cut), if conditions allow, as long, wet grass can encourage disease. Ensure you use sharp blades. Hopefully, you will have treated any moss but if not, treat it now ahead of spring.

Dig out lawn weeds if you don't have too many of them, this is pretty easy to do and very satisfying, try to ensure you get all of the root out. If your lawn is covered in weeds you will need to use a selective weedkiller from April onwards, alternatively you can call an expert to arrange a lawn treatment plan.

A little work now in these short days will set your garden up for an easier spring, wrap up, boot up, but above all enjoy!

Paul Hoff Owner of Beautiful Gardens & Lawn Care Ltd.

Providing a High-Quality Lawn Treatment Service for 2025!

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