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Wednesday 1 February 2012

This Month in Your Garden - FEBRUARY

A powered cultivator can be used to
turn over hard soil ready for planting.
Snow or hard ground in January might have put paid to finishing off the digging so, weather permitting, now’s the time to finish it. 

Ground turned over and left can be broken down to a fine surface when it’s dry. A powered cultivator or tiller can help here. A top dressing of manure can be applied. Lawn sites to be turfed or sown later can be prepared now if it’s not too wet. 

There’s still time to plant and transplant lilies outdoors. Roses can be pruned in mid-February rather than waiting until March – note to clear up cut growth and give a dose of fertiliser, rose feed, well rotted manure. 

There’s still time to plant fruit trees, deciduous ornamental trees, shrubs and roses in early February. 

Prune Roses in mid-february
Keep an eye on annual and bedding plant seedlings. If they’re on the windowsill make sure they have plenty of light. In the greenhouse maintain the temperature but ventilate on sunny days. Water but don’t over water. Take basal cuttings of border hardy perennials – propagate delphiniums and lupins in the cold frame or heated propagator.





  • Take chrysanthemum and carnation cuttings
  • Wake up dahlias, fuschias and other stored perennials to start new shoots
  • Start off bulbs such as begonias in the greenhouse or conservatory
  • Force spring bulbs potted last year, on a sunny windowsill
  • Try some Dutch iris bulbs under cloches for early cut flowers
  • Prune late flowering shrubs: buddleias, hydrangeas, ceanothus, some clematis 
  • Harden off autumn-sown cauliflowers ready to plant out next month
  • Flowers to sow Antirrhinums (snapdragons), lobelia, petunias, verbena in gentle warmth 
  • Sow small salads, mustard, cress, radishes for succession
  • Check conifers for snow damage and re-shape them

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