Tina Woodhams Gardening Notes For February
February may be a cold month but, on a sunny day wrap up warm and head out with a hot drink to either sit or walk around your garden. The earliest spring flowers are poking through, and it will cheer you seeing the first signs of the new growing season. There’s still plenty to do, from clearing debris to winter pruning and sowing seeds.
Snowdrops are the stars of winter. They are planted as bulbs in the autumn but can also be purchased ‘in the green’ for spring planting. They thrive in partly shaded spots with moist, well-drained soil making them perfect in woodland, garden borders and pots.
When spring bulbs begin to emerge the foliage is short and not always visible, so mark these areas with garden canes to avoid them being trampled. On frosty days avoid walking on lawns as the grass is brittle and easily damaged, leaving them open to fungal infection. You may not notice signs of damage now, however, this will become apparent later in the year.
Once foliage starts to show in the flower borders use a hand fork to gently break up the soil around the plant to introduce air and allow the new shoots to grow through any soil that may have become compacted after heavy rain or snow. Cut the leaves from hellebores to enjoy the flower heads and clear old leaves and remove weeds to make a head start! Check around the garden for any plants that may have been disturbed by pests such as squirrels and badgers, and replant if necessary to ensure the root systems are not exposed to the winter elements.
By the end of the month all winter pruning of apple and pear trees should be completed. Winter pruning is excellent for encouraging growth and key to maintaining the shape of the tree. Remember that stone fruit trees should be pruned in late spring but early flowering crops such as apricots, peaches and nectarines will need protection from frost so cover blossom with fleece overnight and remove during the day to allow pollinators to do their work.
Prune winter-flowering shrubs such as jasmine, forsythia and winter honeysuckle as soon as they have finished flowering. Remove any damaged, diseased or dead wood and prune the flowered growth by around half to encourage vigorous growth and improve flowering. It has been suggested that St Valentine’s Day has become the time when the keenest of vegetable gardeners sow seeds such as tomatoes, chilli peppers, sweet peppers and aubergine! Keeping them warm may be challenging, use heated propagators and horticultural fleece to protect them. Sow lettuce and other varieties of salad leaf under cover for an early crop.
Seed potatoes will be available at the local garden centres. It is essential to buy prepared ones so as to discourage the introduction of disease. The ideal size of a seed potato is equivalent to that of an egg! Anything too big will not be as productive, so choose wisely!
February may be in the depths of winter but we can look forward to longer days and the promise of Spring!
HAPPY GARDENING!