FEBRUARY Now crocuses come smiling through Grey February's fog and mist Gold like the sun, deep lilac too Defying winter's icy kiss ~By David Squire~ The February sunshine steeps your boughs, And tints the buds and swells the leaves within. ~William Cullen Bryant~ Though the late winter garden may still seem drab and grey, spring is just around the corner. There is even some evidence of it in the garden if you look hard enough. Many spring flowering trees and shrubs are just waiting to burst into bloom if they haven't already. There are plenty of projects to keep you busy in the garden this month which will give you a head start on the upcoming season. Hazels and alders are adangle with golden, pollen-laden catkins. Carpeting Cyclamen is a gem in the garden right now. There are sure to be several mild days this month. But don't let Mother Nature fool you, we're still in for some cold weather yet. However, take advantage of these nice days to get out and enjoy your surroundings. A trip to a nearby public garden can be a wonderful boost to inspire greater achievements in your own garden. February is for lovers. So, why not show someone how much you care, by sending a bouquet or floral arrangement this Valentine's Day... or any day this month. Although traditional, long-stemmed red roses are not the only way to express love and friendship on Valentine's Day. Sweetheart or miniature roses are slightly less expensive than tea roses but are available in the same range of colors from red and pink to white and yellow, and even pale lavender and peach. Another alternative is to give your sweetheart a potted azalea, cyclamen, or cineraria. BULBS, SHRUBS and TREES Start feeding your well-established hedges and topiary, and also a good mulch. Divide and replant clumps of snowdrops and aconites into twos and threes while still in full leaf and even flower. Lift a clump at a time, pulling into small groups, and replanting in a slit made with a spade. There is no need to water. They will stand up in a few days. Remove rogue daffodils or those of the wrong colour or height as and when they appear, as soon as the colour is obvious. If they are lifted with plenty of root, they will soon settle down again in a more suitable place. Mark them with a cane and move them when the foliage yellows in July, but now is perfectly all right. FLOWER GARDEN AND ROSES The end of February is a good time to cut back geraniums/pelargoniums that you are overwintering inside. Take cuttings to make an abundance of new plants. This is the best time to do this, as last year all my cuttings took, and all became wonderful plants, that I have been giving away to family, friends and neighbours. You can also start many seeds indoors this month. Herbs grown from seed are a great way to have an indoor or windowsill garden. Flower seeds that were ordered or purchased ahead of time may have different germination and growth rates. What I do is put them in order of when they need to be sown, in which month etc, and put them in envelopes that are marked up for that month, so I know what I am going to plant each month. You may find your own method. Other seeds such as nasturtium can be planted directly outdoors later this month. They will germinate even when the soil is cool, and the head start they have gained will produce larger plants in the long run. Check perennials that you planted in the autumn, to see if they need watering. Watch for frost and cover tender perennials if needed, using fleece. Replenish winter mulch around roses and other plants. Check bulbs in storage and discard if rotted. Prune large-flowered clematis. Those which flower early in the summer and again later, such as "Nelly Moser" and "Lincoln Star", should be tidied up at high level, and thin or dead growth removed. But hard cutting now removes their first crop of flowers. Those like the deep purple "Jackmannii" and "Niobe", which flower only in late summer, should be cut hard down to knee high now, to make a completely new structure. Feed heavily with a 10cm layer of manure or compost. On wisteria cut back last summer's long wands of growth to two or three buds. Also check the ties holding stems intended to fill new spaces on the wall. Stringing black cotton between the twigs may help to reduce but not entirely prevent birds nipping out the flower buds as they swell. Begonia, lobelia and antirrhinum for example, when you sow them, I bring them inside, and put them under a window in a warm room, away from droughts, this will bring them on, more so than in the greenhouse, if you have one. These usually require a early start with sowing. The flower stalks are now rising on Helleborus orientalis plants. If the old leaves show signs of hellebore black spot (black circles or patches visible on both sides of the leaf) you may cut off the old leaves back to the crown before flowering commences. Pulling away the leaves can damage the crowns. Gradually encourage dormant fuchsias and pelargoniums into growth by a sparing application of water, given through the bottom of the pot by standing it in a saucer of water. As the buds and shoots begin to move, plants can then be pruned down low to a promising bud, or more gently shortened back. Set dry begonia tubers shallowly in a tray of cool, moist seed compost, to initiate root growth. They can be potted up individually later, in good rich compost when the roots have begun to grow and there are buds developing on the top of the tuber. Check bedding wallflowers for wind-rock, and see that they are all firm in the ground. Cuttings taken last October of perennial wallflowers such as 'Bowles Mauve' and 'Wenlock Beauty' will have produced a bud in the centre. These buds are better pinched out, encouraging the plant to bush. Flowering will be only slightly delayed, and will then continue all season. Divide early-leafing perennials such as pulmonarias and brunnera. The flower stems arrive early and are very soft and prone to wilt. They will divide happily even if colour is showing in the buds, so long as the stems have not extended more than 4-5cm from the ground. Herbaceous perennials can be lifted and divided this month. Once the weather warms up they move very quickly, and since smaller divisions often come away with little fine root, division needs to be made early. VEGETABLE and FRUIT Vegetable Love Do you carrot all for me? My heart beets for you. With your turnip nose And your radish face, You are a peach. If we cantaloupe, Lettuce marry. We make a swell pear! Fruit trees will respond well to pruning towards the middle of this month. Thinning the canopy of the trees will provide much needed air circulation that will reduce the opportunity for fungal diseases. Start onions from seed in flats late in February and set them in a sunny indoor spot. Keep tops trimmed to about four inches until March or April, then set them in your garden. Spend a moment drawing garden layouts to assist with the planting through the coming year. Review garden notes about successes and failure in the garden and greenhouse. Start broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage transplants. Incorporate manure or compost into garden areas for soil improvement. Avoid working the soil when it is wet. Check dates on stored seed packets. Sprout a few from each packet in a moist paper towel. Discard packets with poor results. February is the time to prune your fruit trees. Prune fruit trees like apples, pears and cherries, and peach and nectarines just prior to bloom time, and grapes, raspberries, and blackberries. Make sure your pruning tools are sharp before you begin pruning. There is no need to use any pruning paint or sealer on the pruning cuts. Remove all dead or diseased wood, before you make any major cuts. Sow early salad crops (lettuce, radish) under glass or in a frame or cloche during mild spells. Protect early blossom on wall-trained fruit trees against frost with polythene, horticultural fleece, netting, or paper. Serious growers use temporary wooden frames for the purpose, but a throw-over on cold nights will do just as well. Feed apple, pear and plum trees with nitrogen and potash fertiliser. Complete any pruning of apples and pears now, but wait until growth begins to prune plums, gages and peaches. Plant Jerusalem artichokes 15cm deep. Greengrocer's tubers are perfectly good, but for less knobbly tubers and easier peeling plant a named variety from a horticultural supplier. Shallots may also be planted now. Buy seed potatoes, especially early varieties, and spread them out end-up in a box to sprout in a light but cool windowsill or shed. In shops and garden centres, seed potatoes tend to get too warm, sprouting too early and too soft. If you buy late, there can already be a tangle of white shoots locking the tubers together. It is better to buy the variety you want early, as soon as they come into the garden centre, and to keep them properly cool yourself at home. Sprout them in the light a little later if you wish. Rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus and artichokes are among the perennial vegetables that can be planted this month. Plant them along the perimeters of the vegetable garden so they are not in the way as you till or spade each season. LAWN, GREENHOUSE and POND To prevent lawn suffocation, rake fallen leaves. Tune up and repair the mower to get a jump on the season. Avoid injury to the lawn when the soil is frozen by keeping foot traffic to a minimum. Lawns are beginning to wake up now. Lightly scarify congested lawns in dry, breezy weather, and clear up the rubbish with a box-rotary mower set high. Give a light 3-4cm cut to lawns which have become tufty over the winter, but do not yet set the mower down to summer cutting height. Late this month or early next are good times to feed the lawn with a spring type lawn fertilizer. If moss is problem, use a spring fertilizer that contains a moss killer, so you can do both jobs in one easy application. Late this month and early next are good times to start seeds indoors of summer annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables. Use a good sterilized soil to start the seeds. Choose a warm, bright spot in which to start them. Beginning this month tidy the pond in readiness for not to disturb the frogs that will soon be arriving. LITTLE EXTRA'S Use the quiet hours of February's evenings and weekends to make or repair window boxes and other planters, teepees and trellises, lawn furniture, bird houses and feeders, markers for perennials or vegetables, or other garden implements and ornaments. February is a good time to fashion a wreath or make potpourri from the flowers you dried last autumn. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) not blooming? There are three common relatives in this family, commonly known as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Cactus, because that is when they will bloom. Perhaps you just need to wait. If you have had the cactus for more than a year without bloom, it is probably a problem with the necessary light and temperature requirements. Also be careful not to overwater. These plants develop flower buds with bright light, short days, and night temperatures between 55-65 degrees. A rest period is important, dormancy should be induced in mid-September and continue for eight weeks. Keep in bright sun during the winter months, cut back on water at this time. Direct summer sun is too strong. Keep in bright light during summer months. They like to be somewhat potbound, repot only once every three years. If you feed the birds, it's critical to keep the bird table stocked at this time of year. Late winter and early spring are the hardest on overwintering birds, because there is very little left to eat. Shovel deep snow from under feeders so birds can continue to feed on the ground. A source of unfrozen water is also welcome. If you are going to do any pruning this month... Don't prune plants that normally bloom in the spring or you will loose any chance of flowering this year. Wait until after they have bloomed to make any necessary pruning cuts. Outdoors, prevent ice and snow from building up on trees and shrubs by brushing snow off branches after a heavy snowfall. Keep a close watch on plants located under eaves as snow may slide off the roof and land on these plants and break the branches. Take advantage of the mid-winter sales that many garden centers hold this time of the year. Foliage plants, seeds, bulbs, and pottery are often available at discounted prices. If you haven't placed your seed order, do it soon. March is the month to start most transplants, and March will be here before you know it. I have removed my guestbook for the moment, but do write to me via e-mail if you wish, would love to hear from you. Enjoy your gardening this month both indoors and outdoors. FastCounter by bCentral