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  Information - Gardening

The Garden in February


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Must do this month
Knock heavy snow from trees and shrubs and keep an area of the pond ice-free.
Other jobs to do
Protect vulnerable plants from frost and wind damage and firm in plants lifted by frost or windrock.
Sow slow-maturing bedding plants such as antirrhinums and African marigolds.
Sow quick-growing perennials such as campanulas and poppies to flower this year.
Make a regular check on pots of bulbs being forced for indoor flowering.
Order or buy summer-flowering bulbs, corms and tubers, especially if you are planning to grow any that need starting off indoors, such as tuberous begonias.
The closing date for ordering young bedding plants by post is often at the end of February; order them now.
Pot autumn-rooted fuchsia cuttings into small, individual pots.
Put cloches in position to warm the soil for early sowings of vegetables in March. They should be in place for at least three weeks for the soil to benefit.
Make any necessary repairs to wooden structures supporting plants before the plants begin to grow.
In February the garden begins to stir from its winter slumber. Winter aconites and the first snowdrops and crocuses are in bloom, and by the end of the month primroses and early daffodils such as 'February Gold' may be making an appearance.

The early-flowering shrubs, including chaenomeles and daphnes, will be flowering freely in mild areas and, by the end of the month, will be showing colour even in the colder parts of the country.

This can be a time of considerable activity if you have a greenhouse, especially if it maintained at a temperature warm enough for propagation. Don't be in too much of a hurry to sow summer bedding plants however, unless the plants need a long period of growth. Even then it may be more economical to start them off on the windowsill for a few weeks before moving them into the greenhouse.
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