WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH?

February is when we can get back out into the garden and start getting it ready for Spring. It’s that time when the first bulbs are properly appearing. Snowdrops, crocus, early daffodils, primroses and early irises. Finishing off the winter pruning, tidying up the borders, sowing seeds indoors ready to plant out and chitting first early potatoes are just some of the jobs you could do. Here’s our guide on what you could be doing.

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General Maintenance

1. Now is a good time to give your greenhouse a good tidy up. Clean the nooks and crannies to remove any hidden pests waiting to eat your new seedlings. Clean pots and trays so that you are ready to sow those seeds in spring.

2. If you feed the birds keep topping up feeders and break any ice on bird baths to keep our feathered friends well fed and watered through the last of the winter. It’s nesting season soon so you might also want to put up a bird box in sheltered spot, on a shed or a wall.

3. Apply slow release fertilisers such as manure or chicken pellets to your soil and add a layer of mulch to borders.

4. For a faster spring feed apply fish, blood and bone or granular fertiliser before sowing or planting.

5. Deadhead winter pansies and violas to keep them flowering for as long as possible.

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Flowers & Shrubs

1. Top of the list is Group 3 Clematis, the ones that flower mid to late summer. These will continue to grow where they left off and can become an unruly tangled mess flowering higher and higher. They are best cut back hard to the lowest pair of buds.

2. Wisteria is pruned twice a year, in the summer and the winter, now is the time for the winter pruning. The flower buds are on compact spur systems and will be slightly swollen. The leafy thinner shoots with flattened buds are the ones to prune. Cut these all back  to two or three buds from the main frame.

3. Prune winter flowering shrubs like Mahonia and Viburnum once they have finished flowering. Prune back dead or damaged branches to the nearest buds to get the required shrub shape.

4. Prune buddleja back to 30cm above ground level or reduce to one third height if a large mature shrub otherwise flowers will appear higher on the shrub.

5. Prune shrub roses, remove all the dead, damaged and crossing branches then cut the main stems by half to an outward facing bud. Slope your cut so that water runs away from the bud.

6. Prune Dogwood (Cornus) and Willow (Salix) to about 6 inches above ground level to encourage new bright stems ready for next winter. Any stems that have turned brown (old) should be cut back to ground level.

7. Cut back deciduous grasses such as Deschampsia and Calamagrostis, removing last year’s dead leaves before the new growth appears. (Miscanthus is slower to start growing, so leave this for another month.)

8. Comb through evergreen grasses like Carex and Festuca with your hands to remove any dead leaves. Always wear gardening gloves when doing this to protect your fingers from cuts.

9. Dahlia tubers – you have three choices with dahlia tubers, pot up now and take cuttings from new growth, pot up later in April and then transplant out in late May or June or you can wait until after the last frost and plant directly outdoors. Always soak dahlia tubers in water overnight before planting to rehydrate them.

10. Divide snowdrops as soon as they have finished flowering. Dig up the whole clump and then divide by hand. Replant in lightly shaded spots. It’s a good idea to put some grit around the new clump so you know where it is when it dies back.

11. Trim back any remaining dead perennial stems to make way for new shoots.

12. Plant trees and shrubs provided the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. It gives them plenty of time to establish their root systems before the vigorous spring top growth appears.

 

Fruit & Vegetables

1. Prune late/autumn fruiting raspberries to ground level.

2. Chit first early potatoes by placing them in a bright, frost-free spot indoors so that they can produce shoots. They should be ready to plant in mid to late March.

3. Prepare veg beds for early sowings by covering the soil with black plastic or fleece to warm it up.

4. Sow tomatoes in small pots to get an early crop. They will need 22degC in a propagator for germination.

5. Last chance to prune apple and pear trees before new buds begin to open.

6. Time to sow hardier vegetable seeds such as spinach, beetroot, and winter lettuce. Sow in plugs and seed trays and grow in a greenhouse until they are strong seedlings. They can then be hardened off and planted outside in March or April.

  

Whatever you choose to do or if you need something for your garden or a gift for a gardener friend come and see us at Thorp Perrow Garden Centre and see how we can help. We look forward to seeing you. 

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