In The Flower Garden This February

Here are some top February flower-garden tips 🌱🌸 — it’s a quiet-but-important month where a little effort now pays off big in spring.

✂️ Prune (on dry, frost-free days)

• Roses: Cut back bush and shrub roses to encourage strong new growth.

• Summer-flowering shrubs: Prune now if you haven’t already.

• Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing stems from shrubs and perennials.

🌱 Start sowing (indoors or under cover)

• Hardy annuals: sweet peas, snapdragons, verbena, cornflowers

• Perennials: delphiniums, lupins

• Use a bright windowsill, greenhouse, or heated propagator.

🌷 Look after bulbs

• Clear away dead leaves from snowdrops and winter aconites once they’ve finished.

• If soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged, you can still plant summer-flowering bulbs like lilies.

🍂 Tidy & prep

• Cut back old perennial growth (leave some if you want wildlife shelter).

• Weed gently — young weeds are easier to deal with now.

• Top up beds with mulch or well-rotted compost to improve soil before growth kicks off.

❄️ Frost watch

• Keep fleece handy for cold snaps.

• Protect tender plants and new shoots from late frosts.

🐌 Pests & wildlife

• Start checking for slugs and snails hiding under pots and debris.

• Leave some stems/log piles for beneficial insects — they’ll repay you later.

📋 Plan ahead

• Purchase seeds, sketch out borders, and decide where gaps need filling.

• Think colour combos now while beds are still visible.