February is often the best time to start getting a garden ready for spring (Image: Getty)
February is when the garden slowly starts to wake up to begin recovering from the harsh winter weather, and is also the best time to get started sowing flowers. David Domoney, a horticulturist and presenter on Love Your Garden, is encouraging gardeners to head outside now to in order to get “the best-looking bulbs” possible.
On his website, David said: “February is a month of quiet expectation. It is that subtle turning point when winter’s quiet slumber is gently interrupted by signs of fresh growth.” It may seem too early for some gardeners, but many British flowers thrive in cold conditions, meaning your garden will be bursting with colour once spring arrives. The wet weather at this time of year also helps nourish plant roots, leading to stronger and healthier blooms in just a few weeks.
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What are the best flowers to plant now for a beautiful spring garden?
Iris flowers are known for their deep purple petals with yellow patterns (Image: Getty)
Iris is an incredibly resilient plant that can survive without much care and are popular in spring gardens due to their vivid petal colours. They will grow best in moist but well-drained soil where they are able to get a lot of sunlight.
David said: “These late winter-flowering bulbs are easy to grow and naturalise. As a result, they are the perfect colour tonic for February 2026. ‘George’ has deep purple flowers with a distinct yellow flash on the petals.”
February Gold daffodils
Daffodils are one of the earliest blooming flowers in the UK, and will brighten up a garden that is still looking bare in late winter.
What is fantastic about daffodils is that they start blooming as soon as the days get a little longer, and tend to cheer people up as they are the first sign of spring.
They are quite low-maintenance flowers that are easy to care for as long as you put them in a sunny spot in your garden, and tend to do well along the sides of lawns or driveways.
Daffodils cheer people up as they are often the first sign of spring (Image: Getty)
Anny’s Winter Orange dogwood
This variety of dogwood is known for its strange yet beautiful orange stems, which really stand out and can add interest to a garden.
It is quite a unique plant as it stays alive without much care and can be planted in any spot in the garden. However, it will grow bigger and much more colourful flowers if kept somewhere sunny where it can soak up plenty of light.
Double Ellen White Spotted hellebore
These types of hellebore flowers are known for their speckled petal patterns, and their unique-looking flowers will look absolutely spectacular sitting in a garden.
Hellebore prefers to be in a shady spot in the garden and like having lots of organic matter in their soil so it retains a lot of moisture.
Orange dogwood is unusual but strangely beautiful (Image: Getty)
Wendy’s Gold yellow snowdrops
Yellow snowdrops are not very common in the UK, and can actually be quite expensive to buy, as certain types can cost over a thousand pounds just for one bulb.
However, Wendy Gold snowdrops are significantly cheaper, and seed packs will cost between £15 and £25.
David said: “Yellow-flowered cultivars should be grown outside in a border or a good-sized container. Choose a position that gets plenty of winter sun.
“However, do not be tempted to plant the bulb in a small pot. The bulbs need to be kept reasonably cool and moist during the summer months when they are dormant.”
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