February
In The Flower Garden This February
Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins. Clip them to within a few centimetres of the ground.
Take notice of your climbers, as some may need pruning before the end of the month.
Prune wisteria now, cutting back summer side-shoots to 2 or 3 buds.
Cut back shrubs, such as cornus and salix cultivars (grown for their colourful winter stems), down to their bases.
Lift and divide snowdrops still ‘in the green’, if you want to move them or create more plants.
Trim winter-flowering heathers as the flowers disappear, to prevent plants becoming leggy.
Prune winter-flowering jasmine after flowering, to encourage new growth for next year’s blooms. Cut back the previous year’s growth to 5cm from the old wood.
Remove faded flowers from winter pansies to stop them setting seed. This will encourage a flush of new flowers when the weather warms up.
Look out for hellebore leaf spot (rounded brown spots on the leaves) and remove any leaves that are affected.
Top Tips:
Move any deciduous trees or shrubs that need repositing now, provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
This Month's Key Tips
- Prepare vegetable seed beds and sow some vegetable under cover.
- Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep birds away.
- Prune winter-flowering shrubs if they have finished flowering.
- Prune wisteria and hardy evergreen hedges.
- Cut back deciduuous grasses left uncut over winter.
