Prepare vegetable beds by adding organic matter.Chit seed potatoes ready for planting next month.If you have a greenhouse, make a first sowing of hardy crops such as mizuna, mustard greens and chard.Stake any broad beans planted in autumn.Make sure you have enough seed trays and compost for your main sowing months in March and April.
What to plant
Seed potatoesKaleBroad beansTomato & chilli peppers: towards the end of February, sow tomatoes and chili peppers under glass (preferably in a heated propagator) but avoid sowing too early to prevent leggy plants.The plants to add colour to your February garden
This time of year is all about finding little glimpses of colour in the garden to lift the spirits so it is reassuring to know that a surprising number of plants are in flower now – from camellias to clematis – to herald the awakening of spring. Miniature bulbs like winter irises (Iris reticulata and its cultivars), crocus and cyclamen can be planted in pots to display on tables or shelves, while the earliest narcissus and winter aconites provide swathes of gold under trees.
This deciduous shrub can grow to a final height of 3 metres, sporting long tassels of tiny pale yellow bell flowers on bare branches from February to April. Young growth is dusky purple while the narrow dark green leaves turn shades of russet and pink in autumn. It grows best in a rich, slightly acidic soil in full sun or part shade.
This February-flowering dwarf iris, in the reticulata group, has velvety purple blooms with cream and gold markings on the lower petals. Plant en masse in large containers for an uplifting early display. They can also be planted in drifts in gravel or at the front of a sunny border in well-drained soil.
This is a beautiful deep magenta form of winter-flowering cyclamen, blooming from December through to early March, with rounded, shiny, sometimes marbled leaves. Enjoy their diminutive flowers in a pot or alpine display, or plant them out under a tree. They grow best in semi shade and their foliage dies back completely during the warmer summer months.
Flowering from January to March, this camellia is smothered in sugar-pink flowers in the depth of winter. With glossy evergreen leaves and a rounded habit, it grows to 3 metres in height, and prefers a spot in partial shade with humus-rich, acidic soil.
Flowering in February and March, this is a gem of a crocus with golden-throated white flowers flushed silvery lilac on the outer petals. Available to buy as potted bulbs from Crocus, they can be planted in grass after flowering, where they will gradually naturalise if they are happy.
This vigorous evergreen clematis has a mass of nodding, creamy white blooms from December to March, followed by silky seed heads. It likes a sheltered, sunny spot and its mid-green foliage will provide an attractive backdrop for a summer border.
This month’s garden tasks – the full list
Comments are closed.