Monthly garden maintenance
February
Flowers
Place Dahlia tubers in a light, warm place to sprout. They should be misted with a spray – a bottle of water in order to avoid them drying out in February. Lily bulbs can be planted in pots for flowers this summer. Move them onto the patio when in flower and enjoy the blooms! It’s worth to protect the blossoms from rain or snow – place the sheet of glass or Perspex on bricks piles.
Now, keep an eye on hardy annuals and sow them in pots or modules to provide the colour. You’d really need to find a light, warm spot to place gladiolus corms pointed in seed trays or boxes. This will assure an earlier show. Don’t forget to check if outdoor protective coverings are still in place.
By the way, some perennials can be left for winter interest, so cut them back the same as deciduous ornamental grasses and continue to deadhead winter pansies or other winter bedding plants. Cut off old leaves of hellebores that produce flowers from ground level in order to expose them and remove possible foliar diseases. Remove dead leaves from around the basal rosettes of alpine plants to prevent rooting. It’s essential to plant pansies in a different place each year. It can be threatening to let stored tubers of plants to dry out.
At the end of February encourage new growth by pruning back the stems of pot – grown overwintered fuchsias and putting them in a warm place. The pleasure of preparing beds for new roses is coming soon if there are good conditions and avoid wet days or frozen ground. Wondering about new plants for your garden? Firstly, test your soil for pH and nutrient levels.
Check whether compost in containers feels dry and needs watering, aim to keep pots moist, but not wet.
Contact our landscaping team if you have a project in mind
Trees and shrubs
Continue to plant hedging plants, shrubs trees and climbers. Check tree ties and stakes. Replace, tighten or slacken them where necessary. Remove weeds from around the bases of young trees.
Concentrate on removing an overcrowded growth, crossing stems and dead damaged or dying branches while pruning. Leave an open centre, through which air would circulate in order to reduce the risk of pests and diseases. Take an action to prevent reversion taking over and remove any green shoots on evergreens.
Prune wisteria gently by cutting back the side shoots. Avoid cutting off flower buds.
Winter flowering jasmine must be pruned too once the flowers have faded. Remove any dead or damaged shoots, tie new ones to the main framework. After pruning remember to mulch and feed shrubs, trees, hedges and climbers for an energy boost to get the extra growth. Tie wall shrubs and climbers onto their supports in order to protect them from wind damage.
Other gardening jobs
Lawn
When the grass is dry, set the maximum cutting height and mow. Re-cut lawn edges to save work later in the season. Turf can be laid, but avoid walking on the newly laid grass and leave it for several weeks allowing new roots to establish. Prepare seed beds if the ground is not too wet. Look out for moles because their activity increases in February. Remove the largest hills and re-firm the ground before grass overseeding in spring.
Landscaping
February – good time to build a new pond – spring rains may help to fill it. Check and repair pergolas and arches if needed. Take an action to remove algae from paths. Remove any old out – of – date garden chemicals from your shed.
