Gardening

Edition Eleven - February 2007

I hope your gardens survived the mid-January gales.. We had to replace some fence panels at home and drastically prune the dozen or so Eucalyptus trees in our garden.. I should've known better than to let them go a season without pruning, because although the winds whistle through the deciduous trees without doing any damage, the evergreens always suffer..

It's also worth remembering that many fence panels only have a shelf life of about 7/8 years and their strength will be sorely tested in strong winds like those we had last month..

Some new releases from Thompson and Morgan, seed specialists:-

• Viola x Williamsii 'Sweeties' (New and UK exclusive for 2007)
• Enjoy exotic Veg without the food miles (Extended range)
• Climbing Courgette 'Black Forest' F1. Hybrid (New for 2007)
• Aquilega vulgaris 'Miss M I Huish'  (New for 2007)

Jobs for the month - February

* Taking the mystery out of pruning clematis *

Bulbs

Move and separate overcrowded clumps of snowdrops now, while they are still in flower.. Where the soil is not too wet and soggy you can plant corms of Anemone Coronaria; beautiful flowers and very easy to grow in the UK. Towards the end of the month plant some Ranunculus tubers for extra interest and colour..

At the garden centre you will find imported lilies on sale this month, which make good pot plants. Choose nice plump specimens..

Greenhouse

Choose a nice sunny day to clean out the greenhouse and give it a good wash down , inside and out, with a strong solution of Jeyes Fluid.. This will kill off any residual bugs from last season and those that overwintered in your greenhouse, probably laying their eggs there too..

If you can maintain a temperature of 50f (10c) in your greenhouse, you can start off some summer bedding plants.. I don't start them so early these days because I find they tend to catch up if they're sown about April or even May.. Seedlings can also get potbound if sown too early.

Houseplants

The combination of indoor warmth and lengthening daylight begins to awaken houseplants into new growth in February.. Don't place them too close to the windows because with night-time temperatures dropping so low, frost can still damage plants.. Another worry is that central heating might be too dry for the new houseplant growth. Extra humidity is easily provided by placing a couple of dishes of clean water about the area. This is also beneficial to human skin and furniture! 

Trees and shrubs

This is a good month for planting ornamental trees and deciduous shrubs provided that weather and soil conditions are favourable..  Provide strong stakes for young trees..

To repair storm damage to trees and shrubs and remove dead growth, always use a sharp saw or secateurs, and do the work on a dry, warmish day, so the wounds can dry out and heal over slightly..

Some Clematis types can be pruned this month, mainly early summer and later flowering hybrids..  I don't prune the ornamental Dogwoods until the new buds are showing around March time.. After all these provide colourful bark for the winter months.. I can recommend one Dogwood in particular  Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire, see right:

Ponds

There's only one requirement for your pond this month with the weather alternating between Spring and winter, and that is to keep a hole in any ice that forms, so that any noxious gases caused by rotting vegetation can escape.. A heavy ball floating on the surface will often do the trick.

Keep feeding the wild birds with food that is rich in carbohydrates, making sure they have water too, especially when the weather is freezing. 

 
Happy gardening till next month....

RHS Flower Shows 2007

Tickets for RHS members

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