February Gardening Tasks

It would be fair to say that by February most of us are keen to fast forward to spring for the warmer weather. But for those still wanting to get out in the garden there’s the usual digging, leaf clearing and weeding to be done!

Though it’s still too cold to direct sow seeds outside, there are plenty that you can start off inside in February. A propagator is ideal if you have one, though a warm, bright windowsill is fine, too. By sowing seeds early on in the year, you can be enjoying beautiful blooms and tasty crops for a larger part of the year. The season of interest can then be extended by carrying out repeated sowings from March onwards.

Cosmos are easy flowers to grow and they look great in borders or meadows. Go for annuals like Cosmos bipinnatus or C. sulphureus, and choose singleflowered varieties like ‘Fizzy Pink’ to please pollinators. The seeds need light to germinate, so sow on top of seed compost in a tray, then prick out when large enough to handle. Place in to individual pots when bigger. As the seedlings grow, pinch out the tips to encourage bushier plants.

Many of our garden creatures need to move about freely between gardens. Hedgehogs can walk a mile or more a night looking for food and a mate. You can help wildlife by creating safe corridors from your garden to the one next door. This is a great activity to do with your neighbours to connect your gardens. You can create highways and byways whenever you like, but it is usually easiest in winter when there are fewer leaves on the trees and shrubs. Think like a hedgehog or frog! Looking at your space, if you were a hedgehog or a frog, how easy would it be to make your way around the garden and in and out of it? How could you make access easier? Add gaps at the base of your wooden fences. Before you start, check that your neighbour is comfortable, and make sure any gaps won’t allow pets to escape. It’s also important to not create gaps that will lead wildlife onto busy roads.

In mild districts worms can become active by the end of the month. Any casts should be swept away as soon as they appear to keep weeds down and prevent them being trodden into the lawn. Worms are a great help with drainage, so they should not be considered at pests.

Treat moss filled lawns with a proprietary moss killer, if the weather is settled, first raking up the worst patches with a lawn rake. If you need to returf or sow bald patches, weed and fork them over first to break up the soil.

Scarify old lawns that have become thatchy, with a spring-tooth rake, to removing the dead or decaying vegetation at the base. Rake first in one direction and then at right angles.

Broken lawn edges can be repaired using a sharp spade or a half-moon edging-iron to cut the turf so that the broken edge can be turned into the lawn and a fresh, new edge left at the outside. Use sieved soil to fill up the hole where the turf was broken.

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