February Gardening Jobs
For gardeners, February is a time of anticipation and hope. The bulbs are starting to shoot, and the buds are showing the first signs of emerging. But there’s still the fear that being out and getting stuck into any big jobs will do more harm than good!
As a result, it’s best to think of February as a quiet time of preparation, and very weather dependent. On a dry and clear day there may be the opportunity to get out and ensure the beds and borders are ready ahead of planting and pruning time in March. This typically means tackling some preparatory work to make sure they’ve been mulched with either compost, manure, or bark. But do try to keep off the soil so you don’t compact it and cause issues down the line – walking on planks of wood can be a sensible and practical solution.
If the weather allows, a great gardening job for February is to plant snowdrops in the green; this can sometimes be a more successful option than using bulbs in autumn, and you’ll also see the benefits this year, rather than having to wait.
Other structural work can include cutting back hedges and pruning fruit trees and roses as well as moving any shrubs if the ground isn’t frozen or too wet. This will allow you to start to picture the shape of the garden for the year ahead and discover where those gaps for seasonal plants will be.
Any potato tubers which have been planted should be germinating nicely in containers during February, ready to be transplanted as the weather warms over the next month or two.
Another useful gardening job for February is to deadhead winter shrubs and flowers to ensure a thick regrowth as spring properly takes hold!
