The complete guide to spending February in the garden

Vegetation starts to stir and days grow longer.

But even though some days hint that spring is near, others remind us that we are still in winter!

Take advantage of this coming February to prepare your garden for the new season that’s on its way.

Select the flowers to plant and seeds that you’ll be sowing.

Trees and shrubs in February

These are the very last weeks for you to plant your bare-root fruit trees and shrubs.

• You’ll have to check, though, that the weather isn’t freezing.
• Follow our advice on planting trees and shrubs.
• If setting up a hedge, read our pages with everything about hedges.

As for shrubs purchased in pots or containers, no hurry, you’ll have until the end of spring to transfer them to the ground.

It is still possible, again if it isn’t freezing, to prune shrubs that bear flowers in summer.

Garden flowers

If you had the good idea of planting winter bulbs in the fall, you’ll soon start seeing beautiful spots of color within days.

Thanks to the crocus, winter aconite, snowdrops, the first tulips and also bulbous iris, your garden will soon be a patchwork of color.

You can start planting biennials such as primroses, pansies, and forget-me-nots.

• These plants will survive the end of the winter well if you live in mild climates.
• In areas that are prone to cold winters, wait for the mid-February.

The vegetable patch in February

It’s possible to sow many vegetables as early as February, in a sheltered place and even directly in the ground in regions with mild climates.

Thus, in the South and in mild winter climates, it is possible to sow directly in the ground red beet, carrots, chervil, chives, chicory, spinach, broad beans, corn salad, parsley, leek, peas, salsify, onion, sorrel, radishes and finally black salsify.

And if you’ve got a cold frame, you can also sow in it cauliflower, lettuce, melon, chili and bell pepper and tomatoes.

Garlic, shallot, and your first potatoes can also be planted under shelter.

Caring for rose trees

Mid-February is when you’ll start caring for them again, to prune your rose trees.

• Follow our advice on pruning rose bushes or shrubs.

Planting rose trees from bare root stock is also still possible.
Do not dither, though, because in March it would be too late, especially if the weather is mild.

• Follow our rose bush planting guidelines.

If not yet done, there still is time to amend the soil with manure to nourish the earth deep down.

Fruit trees in February

It is still the right moment to plant fruit trees while, as always, ensuring that the weather isn’t freezing.

Take advantage of this month to proceed to pruning your apple trees and pear trees if you haven’t yet done so.

• Follow our advice to prune them correctly.

At the end of the month, if you feel that the increasingly mild weather will soon lead the flowers to bloom, treat the fruit trees with Bordeaux mixture to preventively eliminate fungus.

Conifers

It’s the moment to cut conifers such as juniper back if you feel they need to be downsized or their bearing adjusted.

This isn’t mandatory and must only be performed if your conifers have grown too unwieldy.

Read also:

• Berry shrubs to decorate our gardens in winter
• The most beautiful winter-blooming shrubs