You can do anything for 15 minutes … including gardening. Here are the jobs I’m focusing on this month, and the February #15greenmins checklist that you can print out – or make your own for your garden!
In the flower garden
Weed herbaceous borders and remove soggy leaves/stems
Keep on top of those weeds; if you turn a blind eye now, you’ll regret it later. Don’t tidy up too much as the dead stuff acts as a winter duvet to your plants and a refuge for overwintering wildlife, but remove any soggy material to prevent rotting.
Prune hardy trees, evergreen hedges and roses
Early February is the last chance to cut evergreen hedges before the birds start nesting. Also prune hardy trees and roses this month before the sap starts rising.
Tidy ragged bedding plants and winter pot displays
Cut back faded blooms and remove seed heads of pansies, violas and other winter bedding plants to stop them from setting seed. This will encourage a new flush of late-winter/early-spring flowers (see Pansy makeover). Give tired winter displays a booster feed of fertilizer
Cut old leaves off Hellebores
Remove the dead leaves from Hellebores now to make the flowers more visible and reduce the risk of foliage diseases.
Plant bare-root roses and hedges
If the soil is not too wet or cold, this is an economical way of establishing new roses, creating new hedges or filling the gaps in hedges while the plants are dormant.
Check stakes and plant ties on climbers
Make sure old plant ties are not restricting growth – loosen if necessary to allow for new Spring growth. Replace broken ties and check stakes before plants start growing more vigorously.
Take root cuttings of perennial plants
For herbaceous perennials with fleshy or knobbly roots (e.g. Oriental poppies, Japanese anemones), uncover several roots and remove them as close to the crown as possible. Cut into lengths of 2.5-5 cm and replant around the edges of a pot in compost and grit.
Indoor sowings
Check seed packet sowing times to start tender annuals and perennials indoors or in a heated greenhouse.
In the vegetable garden
Prepare vegetable beds for spring sowings
To prepare vegetable beds for spring, remove weeds and dig in some well-rotted compost. Repair raised beds. If you want to warm the soil in preparation for early spring sowings, cover beds with a plastic sheet.
Indoor sowings
Check seed packet sowing times to start tender, slow-growing vegetables (e.g. aubergines, chillis) indoors or in a heated greenhouse.
Buy and chit seed potatoes
Chit seed potatoes on a window sill (old egg boxes make great chitting containers) ready for spring planting.
Plant shallot sets
Shallot sets can be planted a lot earlier than onion sets. Plant in well-spaced rows in a sunny well-drained spot, with the papery tips just visible
In the fruit garden
Prune fruit trees and bushes
Prune apple, crab apple and pear trees while they are dormant, between leaf fall and bud burst, to maintain an open structure and remove any diseased or damaged branches. It is also the ideal month to prune grape vines and blueberry and gooseberry bushes etc.
Prune autumn-fruiting raspberry canes
Cut autumn-fruiting raspberry canes to the ground to stimulate new canes. You can also cut the tips of summer-fruiting raspberry canes now, just above a bud, if they have grown above your supports.
Split and force rhubarb crowns
Split rhubarb crowns just before or as new growth appears to maintain vigorous growth and prevent overcrowding. For early, sweet, forced rhubarb, cover the crowns with a pot to block out light.
Plant bare-root raspberry and blackberry canes
Raspberries and blackberries are best planted as bare-root canes any time between late October and early March. Try to avoid planting if the ground is frozen or waterlogged though.
Other jobs
Protect non-hardy plants from frost and snow
Keep an eye on the weather forecast (anything can happen in February) and protect non-hardy plants with fleece or by bringing them indoors or into the greenhouse.
Get organised
Clean/tidy pots, organise your shed and order fresh supplies. Decide what you’re going to grow in 2022; bin out-of-date seed packets and order new ones.
Ventilate greenhouses and cold frames
Open up greenhouses and cold frames on dry days to prevent build up of mildew and other nasties
Remove debris from ponds
Remove fallen leaves and other floating debris to prevent it from decomposing in your pond and sinking to the bottom, where it’s more difficult to remove.
Tidy lawns
Keep off frozen lawns, but if the weather is mild you may be able to give the grass a light trim with the blades on the mower set high. Trim and shape the edges too.
Clear snow from paths and branches
If the snow and ice arrive, use sand, bird seed or sawdust on icy paths; avoid using salt, as it can damage plants. Clear heavy snow from branches if it is likely to damage/break them.
Feed the birds
Keep your bird tables and feeders topped up. Your birds really need your help at this time of year. Make sure they have access to clean, fresh water too.