Gardening in February

This is a good month to fix and tune-up lawn mowers and other equipment before the season of needs arises. A new or sharpened blade will make the chore of mowing wet grass more tolerable.

Get ready to start your seedlings indoors. Use a good mix for this activity, as regular potting or garden soil is usually too coarse for success.

Prune roses late this month. Prune hard Hybrid Teas, lightly for others, especially climbers. A lime sulfur dormant spray afterwards will help control disease. It’s organic, but follow instructions.

Prune fruit trees. Young trees need scaffold limb selection. Old trees need size and weight control
plus space for sunlight.

Look for bare root plants in the garden center. You will find bulbs for summer blooms such as Iris and Daylily as well as small fruits.

Clematis and deciduous vines need pruning. Consult the Sunset Western Garden Book for clematis pruning if unsure of bloom time.

Start seeds indoors for cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Use heat for germination and bright light for growth.

Work cover crops planted last year into the garden. If soil is too wet, just cut or mow to control size. Excess goes onto the compost.

On rainy days, start your landscape or garden planning for the coming year. Landscape architects, designers, consultants, and contractors need lead time to develop relationships and plans.

Prune summer blooming shrubs now. Spring bloomers are pruned after flowering. Cuttings can be forced to bloom indoors as well.