Gardening tips for February

 

Contents:

1. Checklist for gardening in February
2. February is the month for pruning trees and shrubs
3. Cutting perennials and dividing large plants
4. Rose care: pruning and fertilizing
5. Starting vegetable plants indoors

In February, nature begins to tentatively reappear. Snowdrops and winter aconites add splashes of color to the still bare garden and give hope for spring. What gardening tasks need to be done in the second month of the year is explained in our February tips.

February Gardening Checklist

✓ Pruning trees and shrubs ✓ Caring for and dividing perennials ✓ Caring for and pruning roses ✓ Starting vegetable plants indoors

February is the month for pruning trees and shrubs

In February, trees and shrubs are still bare and free of leaves. Ideal conditions to take a closer look and see if they need pruning. As a rule of thumb for pruning, remember to always cut just above a bud. Important: Trees, shrubs, and hedges may only be severely pruned until the end of February to protect birds. This is because the breeding season, and therefore nest building, begins in spring. In February, trees, shrubs, and hedges, as well as perennials, can all be pruned. Image source: pixabay.com, 12138562O

Pruning Perennials and Dividing Large Plants

What applies to trees and shrubs also applies to perennials: February is the ideal time for pruning. With rhododendrons, you can perform a rejuvenation pruning by shortening the branches to a length of 30 to 50 centimeters. If you have one or more forsythia bushes in your garden, wait until March to prune them, once they have finished flowering. Rose care: pruning and fertilizing Your roses in the flower bed or on the Garden arch will also benefit from pruning in February. In addition, you can remove old leaves, loosen the soil, and mix in organic fertilizer. This will create good conditions for healthy new growth in spring.

Vegetable plants can be started indoors on a warm windowsill from the end of February. Image source: pixabay.com, Quartzla

Starting vegetable plants indoors

At the end of February, you can start vegetable seeds starting them indoors. The plants can then be moved to the garden bed or raised bed after the Ice Saints – mid-May. For seeds of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the like, planting trays are best; place them in a warm and bright location, such as on a windowsill. Important: The room temperature should not fall below 20 degrees Celsius, and ideally, the soil should be kept slightly moist at all times.