Dust off those gardening gloves and get planting!
Our gardening expert Jo explains which plants you can consider planting now, in readiness for the spring and summer
There’s quite a bit of crossover with garden tasks between January and February; a lot of tidying, pruning and preparation. Much will depend on what the weather decides to do. It may get milder for a while, but then temperatures will suddenly drop. So this month I’m taking a look at what you can start planting, and where.
Indoors
If you have a greenhouse or a suitable space indoors with lots of natural light, you can start sowing seeds and planting bulbs and tubers in February.
Packets of seeds aren’t expensive, and it’s a good time to start off summer bedding including Cosmos, Salvias, Busy Lizzies, Lobelia, Nasturtium, amongst others. By planting now you may well end up with a surplus of young plants to add to your beds and containers when the weather warms up.
I’ve talked about sowing Sweet Peas before, but they’re worth mentioning again, because even if you only have a small indoor space like a windowsill these are great to grow from seed. Sweet Peas provide long-lasting colour in the garden so long as you keep picking them! Sweet Peas sown in the autumn need pinching out to promote the growth of side shoots.
For an early summer show of flowers, summer bulbs such as Agapanthus, Begonias and Canna Lilies can be planted indoors in containers. You’ll need to do some maths, as they should be planted 6 to 8 weeks prior to the last expected frost so they don’t get frost damaged after you’ve put them outdoors. Remember there’s always the chance of late frost (keep some fleece handy). It also depends which part of the country you live in. For someone in the South West, usually the danger of frost ends in late March – although we have had snow in April before!
You can also plant tubers early in the same way. Begonias and Dahlias are stalwarts of the summer garden, and you’ll be able to enjoy their colourful flowers a little earlier than usual.
For edibles, February is a good month to plant tomato seeds. They need temperatures of around 10°C to ensure germination, so if you don’t have a heated propagator you’ll need to wait until later in the month. Put the seeds on a sunny windowsill and cover overnight should temperatures drop. You can also plant chilli seeds in the same way.
Outside
If you don’t have room for summer flowering bulbs indoors, you can still plant them outdoors in February to save time later. The plants will remain dormant until the weather warms up and won’t suffer from frosts. These bulbs will then start to grow at the usual seasonal time.
For some instant colour, treat yourself to a planted up container which can be put outside straight away. You may find displays of snowdrops, tête-à-tête, crocuses, cyclamen and ivy. Place them somewhere that they can be easily seen – these pretty spring flowers always give a lot of pleasure.
Into the ground!
On the veg patch you can plant broad beans directly into the soil when conditions are mild. Otherwise use fleece to cover the soil and give it a chance to warm up prior to planting. During a cold February it’s more sensible to sow them indoors and plant out a little later.
Other February veg to plant include turnips, which can be planted at any time in the month when the ground isn’t frozen. Towards the end of February plant parsnips and peas and if you have light soil, garlic and shallots. Heavier soil takes longer to warm up, so factor that in to your planting plans. In a mild February you can plant shrubs, climbers and bare rooted roses too.
Keep up with the maintenance and tidying tasks especially when the sun’s out. Getting outdoors for a touch of Vitamin D and some gentle exercise will see you through into the spring. Happy gardening!
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