Whilst February can bring a lot of showery weather, this is the month where we say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring. The first signs of Spring can be seen with the break of bud on our hardiest of trees and shrubs. Spring bulbs such as Crocus and even Daffodils begin to emerge and bloom.

With the beginning of the growing season imminent the work in the garden really gets back into full swing.

Plants of the Month

(From Left to Right) Corylus Contorta, Daphne, Snowdrop, Hamamelis, Crocus

Things to Consider

• Remember, with some plants coming out of dormancy, it may be too late to prune or transplant, therefore it is important to first check whether plant’s buds have broke.
• The coldest of weather is no doubt behind us, but don’t be fooled into thinking that the frost won’t rear it’s head again. Frosts are to be expected until the end of March
• There is no hurry in getting vegetable seeds sown. Even if you postpone planting for a week or two, your vegetables will quickly catch up in warmer conditions.

Things to Do
The Fruit & Veg Garden

1. If conditions suit and ground is not overly wet, you can prepare your vegetable plot. However, this really should be done the previous Autumn
2. Hardy vegetables such as smooth type peas, cabbage & lettuce can be sown outdoors now. But best left to the end of the month
3. Cover over your vegetable plot rows to warm up soil in preparation for sowing in March
4. Start chitting your potatoes in preparation for planting out in mid March
5. Keep your spring crops covered using a garden cloche or frost fleece
6. Planting of bare root fruit bushes & trees
7. Prune Apple trees and cut out the old wood off blackcurrants, blueberries, & raspberries

 
In the Greenhouse

1. Open greenhouse door on sunny days to ventilate
2. You can start sowing hardy vegetables including:

• Aubergines

• Shallots, Onions & Leeks

• Beetroot

• Beans

• Cauliflower

• Hardy Salads

3. Peppers & tomatoes can be started in heated propagators now to give them the longest possible growing season and best chance to ripen up

Plant Care

1. Cut back evergreen hedges
2. Pruning of deciduous trees & shrubs can continue – but avoid doing so in frosty conditions
3. Divide & transplant herbaceous perennials & snowdrops
4. Transplanting of small & medium sized plants can be done

 
Lawn Care

1. Try to keep off the lawn in February as much as possible as growth won’t have started & the ground would be quite soft
2. This is a good time to treat your lawn for moss. Use Sulphate of Iron to kill moss, then rake out using a spring rake or scarifier
3. If conditions are dry enough, you can prepare the ground for sowing a new lawn
4. Bumpy & uneven lawns can be rolled to create a smoother lawn

 
In the Garden, Beds & Borders

1. Begin sowing summer flowering bulbs & roots such as Echinacea, Agapanthus, Dahlias, Lilies & more
2. Still time to plant bare root hedging, trees & shrubs
3. Plant summer bedding & ‘filler’ planting in borders to add seasonal colour

General Maintenance

1. Now is the time to begin weeding if you want to stay on top of your weeds
2. Tidy lawn & border edges