In February, the gardener’s enthusiasm grows with the rhythm of the rising sap. It is sometimes colder than in January, but there are always a few days when the sun, even timid, draws us to the garden to admire the first daffodils.
The noticeably longer days of February herald the new season which is dawning. It’s a pleasant month to walk around the garden and spot the first buds. Ready to hatch, bursting with a whole new energy, with the buttons they offer a multicolored palette. The first early flowering bulbs like Narcissus ‘February Gold’ are in flower at the end of the month while we see the first primroses bloom. All over the garden, early flowering shrubs such as Japanese quince and daphne will start to flower.
Gardening: summary of what to do in February
- Remember to feed and water the birds in the garden.
- Amend the soil with an organic fertilizer.
- Continue to plant trees, shrubs, and fruit trees as soon as the weather permits.
- Stabilize planted trees and shrubs recently lifted by frost.
- Prune winter-flowering shrubs at the end of flowering, including heather.
- Prune summer flowering shrubs that bloom on the new wood.
- Prune hardy species of evergreen trees and shrubs.
- Prune late summer flowering jasmines and clematis.
- Cut back the old branches of herbaceous perennials.
- Force the tubers of the dahlias.
- Divide and plant the snowdrops.
- Repot or surface the shrubs containing them.
- Tuck in the last of the spring bulbs for forcing.
- Prepare the vegetable seedlings.
- Limel the squares in the vegetable patch if necessary.
- Mulch fruit trees after adding fertilizer.
- Protect gooseberries from birds.
- Transplant or pot the seedlings from the seedlings of the previous month.
- Harden frost-free perennials under cover.
Last deadline :
- Cut back overgrown shrubs and hedges before the first nests.
- Finish pruning the fruit trees.
Prepare for the future:
- Check all tools, equipment and stakes in good condition before needing them.
- Make sure all of your jars and trays are clean.
- Take stock of your pots, compost and labels.
- Prune roses (in hot regions).
- Prepare the ground for the new spring lawns.
- Sow annual plants under cover.
The gardener’s weather in February
Regarding temperatures, January and February are similar, although it is usually colder in January. It is common for a period of great mildness to precede a strong cooling. We must therefore continue to be wary of severe frosts which are always possible. The average temperature is 3-4 ° C in the North and 8-9 ° C in the South.
February can be very windy, but not as much as January. The wind will blow on average 5 to 6 days in the North and 8 to 10 days in the South. The winds can be very rough on the coast as well as inland. Brittany, for example, is disturbed by the wind every winter.
February is sunnier than January. Indeed the South receives 160 hours of sunshine and the North 8 hours. The days are starting to lengthen somewhat. These first rays will perhaps make you want to tackle certain jobs such as sowing, but there is no rush: winter has not said its last word.
The amount of precipitation varies considerably from region to region : in general, it rains less in the east (34 mm in Strasbourg) and more in the west (1,08 mm in Brest). The Alps are the wettest, which is mainly due to the altitude (98 mm of rain at 840 meters),
A thick layer of snow can hold much of winter in the higher areas; but lower, the quantity can vary enormously.
Winter humidity
In terms of meteorology, February is sometimes a very cold month, with snow, frost and heavy rains.
Avoid working in a soil that is too wet, you will do it more harm than good. Under the weight, the earth will settle down and lose its aerated structure. Besides the footprints, which will remain, when you rake this too compacted soil, you would have difficulty obtaining the fine and crumbly soil necessary for the good start of your seeds. If you have to tread the ground in bad weather, work on a board that will distribute your weight and mitigate the damage.
Towards the end of the month, a relatively mild period could suggest that spring has arrived.
Think again ! Winter often comes back to take its revenge. Monitor the weather in your area before you consider planting, seeding, or undertaking any gardening work. You will find that from one year to another, the period of sowing and planting is very variable, and depends only on the vagaries of the climate. Do not feel confined at home, take the opportunity to make plans and organize yourself.
By thinking now about the location of future plantings, you will save time in the spring, which promises to be a busy season.
Chase the gloom
February is sometimes an excellent month to get out of the winter gloom. There is plenty to do when the garden wakes up. Check that the soil around recently planted trees and shrubs has not been lifted by the effect of the frost and tamp down lightly without using too heavy a hand. In waterlogged soil, you would expel the air circulating around the roots. February is also the ideal month to plant deciduous and bare root trees and shrubs.
Traditional wisdom was that bare root species should be planted during their dormant season, between November and March. Today we tend to think that it is better to plant in February rather than in the fall, for the simple reason that trees and shrubs planted in autumn will spend the winter dormant in cold and damp soil. , at the risk of being destroyed by intense cold. Planted in February, just before the onset of spring, trees and shrubs have every chance of getting off to a better start.
Recycling sizes
In February, the time has come to prune the woody plants. Hardy shrubs that bloom on the wood of the year earlier in the summer such as Buddleja davidii (the butterfly bush) can be completely cut back, which will generate a nice pile of twigs.
The more robust sizes will be usefully recycled into stakes. The rest can still be used as kindling for the fire. When crushed, these residues will increase the compost pile or act as mulch. Today there is a wide range of shredders. Your choice will depend on your tastes and your wallet.
However, if you only need it once or twice a year, consider that it is still possible to rent.
The shredded pruning residues make a very good homemade mulch. All the same, wait until the following month to spread it out, until the soil has warmed up a bit to trap this heat under the mulch. In the meantime, you can amend with an organic fertilizer.
Plants will thus benefit from its nutrients from their first needs, at the start of growth.
While this book isn’t about organic gardening, organic fertilizers like blood, fish and bone powders, roasted horn, seaweed and pelletized chicken manure are still worth a few words. . The chemical or synthetic fertilizers available today in garden centers generally provide a boost or act as a quick fixer to give plants a good start.
However, with these fertilizers, plants produce tender, sap-saturated shoots that are more susceptible to disease and pest attack. As the nutrients are absorbed more quickly, the application must be repeated more often. In addition, they do not add much to the soil while organic fertilizers, especially fertilizers based on seaweed powder, improve its structure.
Since the nutrients in organic fertilizers are released more slowly, plants benefit over a longer period of time. Instead of booming, their growth is more regular and the plants are therefore more vigorous. These fertilizers are also easier to use, not requiring as much precision in the dosage as artificial fertilizers. Since these are slow release fertilizers, it is best to amend two or three weeks before sowing or planting to meet the plants’ needs when the time comes.
Crops under cover
If you have a greenhouse or a winter garden, you will have your work cut out for you. However, do not rush to sow the summer transplanting plants. Better to raise the seeds next month to reduce heating costs. If you sow too early, your plants will be “pulled” due to lack of light. They also risk withering due to malnutrition by staying too long in boxes or pots before transplanting.
Later sowing will give better quality plants to transplant in late May or early June. For now, make sure you have enough seedling soil, pots and trays on hand to face the busy planting season.
Take the opportunity to draw the layout plans of your plants in a container, drawing inspiration from books and catalogs; always a pleasant occupation when it is too humid to tackle anything else.
If you grow a few seedlings of annuals on the windowsill, for example, bedding plants sown last month that require a long period of growth, you will see how a reflector box accelerates their development. Its manufacture does not require any particular material: neither nails nor screws. It couldn’t be easier to provide your plants with vigorous, smooth growth.
Sowing of early crops
February is the ideal time to sow the early vegetables to be transplanted in the bell next month: lettuce, radishes, beets, white onions, peas and beans. The easiest way is to sow in compartmentalized boxes. These seeds do not require heat but as much light as possible. Once the sowing is finished, remember to cover the plot where the young plants will be transplanted. A bell or plastic sheeting will protect the ground from rain and snow, while warming it. This will give you the freshest and tastiest vegetables around.
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