February Garden Calendar

Chinese windmill palm
(Trachycarpus fortunei)

Early Gardening Advice

As snow melts in zones 4 through 6, watch for the season's first tiny bulbs to bloom. If you don't already have some of these very early bloomers, plan now to plant them next fall. Snowdrops (Galanthus), hardy throughout the Midwest, have white, bell-shapedflowers marked with green. Snow crocuses (C. chrysanthus), hardy in zones 3 through 6, come in a variety of colors, including blue, yellow, and white. Winter aconites (Eranthis) look like yellow buttercups. They are hardy in zones 4 through 6.
Perform pruning chores this month or next, while the branches of trees and shrubs are still bare.
Keep shrubs vigorous by following the one-third rule for pruning: Remove a third of the oldest stems at ground level this winter and plan to do the same next year and the year after.
Prune grapes, leaving a central trunk with four "arms" or branches, plus four short renewal shoots for next year's crop.
Take time to draw a plan for your vegetable garden. Try to move each crop to a new spot to decrease problems with diseases and pests. If lack of space is a problem, plan to plant ornamental vegetables such as eggplants, peppers and Swiss chard in the flower borders.
Inspect trees and shrubs and, if necessary, install a cylinder of wire mesh or other barrier to prevent rabbits from nibbling on the bark.
Start growing your own bedding plants now. You don't need fancy containers. Just poke a few drainage holes in the bottom of recycled paper cups or plastic take-out trays, then fill the containers with a ready-made soilless mix that's been formulated for seedlings. Water the mix with warm water before you plant, then scatter seeds sparingly on the soil surface and cover lightly with a little more of the mix. In zones 5 and 6, you can plant tomatoes, peppers, petunias and most other bedding plants in the latter part of February. In zones 2 through 4, plant cool-weather plants such as onions and pansies this month, but wait until March to start most other seeds. As soon as the seedlings emerge, they'll need bright light. An easy and inexpensive way to meet their light requirement is with an ordinary shop-light fixture with fluorescent tubes, suspended several inches above the plants.
In zones 4 through 6, watch vernal witch hazels for the emergence of the season's first yellow blossoms.
For ideas to improve your winter landscape, take a walk in a nearby botanical garden or arboretum. Jot down names of woody plants and ornamental grasses you like.
Take cuttings for next summer's garden from overwintering annuals such as geranium and coleus. Root the geranium cuttings in damp sand, most others in a vase of water.
Check stored cannas, dahlias and other summer bulbs. Throw out any rotted or shriveled bulbs.
After each snow or rain, shake birdseed in tube-type feeders to prevent molding and caking.
Enjoy blooms of tropical orchids, in peak flowering now. If you haven't tried growing orchids yet, select a lady slipper (Paphiopedilum), moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) or Cymbidium, three of the easiest types of orchids you can grow in the house.
If you rescued begonia, coleus, geranium, Persian shield, or other tender plants outdoors last fall, take cuttings now to root for spring transplanting.