Welcome back, everyone.
Who else is excited that January is over? I think I see a few hands popping up!
February promises lighter skies and (slightly) longer days, giving us more reason to get back out into the garden again.
This week we thought we'd provide a list of gardening jobs for you to crack on with this February (after all, a gardener's job is never done).
So without further ado, let's get on with the show!
Start Pruning
You can begin to prune any Winter-flowering shrubs that are no longer flowering, along with wisterias and climbers like bougainvillaea. Overgrown hedges in need of restoring can also be attended to.
Cut Back Your Ornamental Grasses
During February, your grasses will start to go past their prime, so be sure to cut back all dead stems (aiming for about 10cm above ground level). Remain cautious, however, when cutting back, as you don't want to damage any new green shoots developing among the grasses.
"Chit" Your Seed Potatoes
"Chitting" requires you to let your seed potatoes sprout before you plant them. You can start "chitting" first and second early varieties in milder areas, "chitting" in colder spots up to early March time. You do not need to worry about "chitting" maincrop varieties, as they grow over an extended period of time.
"Chit" first and second early varieties in milder areas, "chitting" in colder spots up to early March time.
Sow Your Vegetable Seeds
Now's a great time to start sowing vegetable seeds both indoors and outdoors (depending on the seed). To sow your seeds, you'll need to prep the soil, scatter the seeds, and press them in (using a rake, for example) before finishing it off with water.
Sow Your Summer Bedding
Using a heated propagator, begin sowing Summer bedding plants like snapdragons and begonias so that they can thrive during their long growing season.
Sow Summer bedding plants like begonias using a heated propagator.
Attend To Your Snowdrops
Divide and replant any snowdrops you have so you can create more clumps to spread in your garden. Dig up your snowdrops when the flowers start fading and tease the bulbs apart. After that, it is recommended you replant them in groups of five.
Net Your Fruit/Vegetable Crops
Birds, especially pigeons, can cause damage to fruit and vegetable crops if left unprotected. Make sure to shield your crops from birds by using a fruit cage or netting. Always check that there is no loose netting and constantly ensure there are no holes in which birds could get caught or injured.
Use a fruit cage or netting to keep birds from eating your fruit and vegetable crops.
Attend To Birds' Welfare
While you'll want to steer feathered friends away from your crops, it is still important to keep them fed. Make sure to keep your bird feeders topped up with foods like peanuts, seeds, and suets. Provide bird baths to also keep them hydrated, ensuring you clean them on a regular basis to avoid infection developing.
Prep Your Soil
To ensure your soil consists of a balanced mix of nutrients as the Spring growing season approaches, you should take this time to add natural plant foods like fish, blood, and bone. Such foods will help enhance the structure of the soil. Be sure to add the feed evenly into your soil when you do it.
Add natural plant foods like fish, blood, and bone to enhance the structure of your soil in preparation for the Spring growing season.
Mulch Your Soil
With your soil already damp in February, adding mulch can only help to regulate the temperature, combat weeds, and preserve moisture. All of this will help your plants experience robust growth throughout the gardening year. Use organic mulches like well-rotted manure, bark, or compost.
And that's all for now, folks. Be sure to drop by Langton Greenhouse and Garden Centre and find the inspiration you need to transform your garden this upcoming Spring. Our team will be happy to help with any planting enquiry you might have.
Until next time!