Your Garden In February
By Colin Dale, Notcutts Garden Centres
Clematis are one of the most diverse and versatile groups of climbers, ranging from varieties suitable to grow in containers to those that will climb trees and buildings.
Most are easy to grow and now is the time to prune the late flowering varieties (Group 3) that begin flowering from late June onwards. Prune to a strong pair of buds 15cm to 30cm above the ground and give the plants a feed with a general fertiliser. Check supports now and replace or repair while the plants are still low to the ground. Clematis like cool, rich soil, so apply mulch around the plant and watch for slug and snail damage until the young shoots grow away strongly.
February is a good time to tidy herbaceous borders, removing the dead growth from last year to the compost heap or shredder. Lightly fork round plants and feed with a general fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure available from your local garden centre.
Be careful not to damage any spring bulbs that are still just below the soil surface. Purpose made supports or canes can be put in place now, for taller growing perennials.
Remember to divide large clumps of Snowdrops as they finish flowering and replant them to the same depth in the soil or give clumps away to fellow gardeners – they are always much appreciated for their charming early colour in shady spots.
Plan your vegetable production for this spring and visit your local garden centre to purchase your favourite varieties of seeds before they sell out. If you have a sheltered garden, you can place cloches over the soil towards the end of the month to warm it before making early sowings of salad crops, peas and broad beans next month.
New borders can be dug over now, before the spring rush really starts. Improve the soil by adding garden compost or organic matter and visit your local garden centre to get ideas for plants to fill the area! Also take a look at the range of flower seeds available. Many perennials raised from seed now will flower in the first season giving instant colour until the longer term shrubs and perennials are established.
There is still time to plant or move, bare root roses, trees, shrubs and fruit trees before the middle of March. Remember to prepare the soil well and incorporate some general fertiliser such as Vitax Q4. Heal the plants in well and stake trees until they are established. Do not allow new plantings to go short of water once they come into leaf and through the first summer.
Signs of spring will be everywhere in the garden now, with early Daffodils coming into bloom in sheltered spots and many winter flowering shrubs still providing colour and scent. Early perennials such as Pulmonaria (Lungwort) will begin to produce their small, tubular shaped flowers in damp, shady spots - a favourite with early bumble bees starting to forage in the spring sunshine.
Top Ten Tips for February
1. Late flowering Clematis (Group 3) can be pruned now to a strong pair of buds 15 to 30cm above the ground. This group includes the viticella types, as well as some of the hybrid varieties, such as ‘jackmanii’, ‘Ernest Markham’ and ‘Ville de Lyon’ that flower from late June onwards. Apply a mulch after pruning and keep an eye on slug and snail control until the plants grow away strongly.
2. Complete the tidy up of your herbaceous plants now. Remove the dead growth from last season and apply a general fertiliser and mulch around the crowns. If the plants are becoming congested, this is a good time to divide summer flowering varieties.
3. Don’t forget to divide Snowdrops once they have finished flowering. They are often more successful when propagated this way than from bulbs planted in the autumn. Remember to plant them back to the same depth as before and apply a feed of bone meal around the tops.
4. Deadhead Daffodils as they finish flowering to prevent seed heads developing instead of putting their energies back in the bulb for next year’s flowers. A feed of bone meal around the leaves will help to provide extra nutrients.
5. Visit your local garden centre and choose from the wide range of perennial seeds available which will flower in the first year from early sowings. Look out for packets of Gaillardia, Gaura, Anthemis and Coreopsis, among others, which germinate easily and are useful fillers for large borders, giving colour through the summer.
6. Towards the end of the month, cloches can be placed to warm the soil in vegetable gardens, ready for early sowings of salad crops, peas and new potatoes.
7. There is still time to plant bare root roses, shrubs, fruit bushes and trees before the middle of March. Remember to prepare the soil well and incorporate some general fertiliser such as Vitax Q4. Heal the plants in well and stake trees until they are established. Do not allow new plantings to go short of water once they come into leaf and through the first summer.
8. If the weather is mild, lawns may need their first cut. Choose a dry day and raise the height of the blades to the highest setting. Identify areas that require reseeding or drainage work this spring.