February Gardening Tips
February is a cold month but if you have a heated greenhouse or warm conservatory you can sow tomatoes and early bedding pants.
In the garden centre this year we are inspiring people with growing projects for beginners and the most expert gardeners. February is a great time to start your projects in the greenhouse so this month is all about the greenhouse, propagation or using the good old window sill to start your seeds off!
Try Growing Indoors / Greenhouse Using a Propagator or Window Sill
- Seed Potatoes
- Vegetables - Tomato and Cucumber seeds can be germinated now. If you fancy something a little more exotic why not try Peppers and Chillies. Aubergines and Melons can also be started now.
- Sweet peas
The modern trend is turning towards people growing their own seeds and plants as the hobby builds in popularity. Many people try to grow things from seed and fail. There are some simple steps that will help to reduce failures that do not require too much effort and will increase confidence. To get you started here are our tips for growing indoors.
If you own a greenhouse it is advisable on a mild day to empty it out and clean and sterilise it with a plant-friendly disinfectant like Jeyes fluid.
Remove any fallen or dead leaves as they harbour fungal diseases. Use a Sulphur candle as these produce smoke which gets into every nook and cranny and kills any residual fungal spores that may be lurking there. When using chemicals always read the label before use and protect yourself from inhaling any fumes.
Make sure that the pots or seed trays are sterile and clear of old debris.
Old compost is no good, use fresh only. If you have old bags of compost hanging around in the shed use them as soil improvers instead.
The compost should be a low-nutrient one for sowing seeds and taking cuttings. Perlite as a topping is also good as it reflects light upwards under the leaves.
Sow seeds thinly to avoid overcrowding and water in the Cheshunt compound, this will avoid fungal attack and damping off.
Propagators and plastic greenhouses should be treated in the same way. If you use a heated propagator use the vents as the condensation build-up will exclude light and the seedlings stretch too much. Avoid overheating seedlings in greenhouses as they grow too fast and become soft and botrytis fungus will attack.
If you follow these tips you will hopefully have fewer disasters and more successes which will spur you on to grow more and more. However, if you don't get the results you anticipated bring your attempts along to us and we will try to help you work out what went wrong!
Jobs to do in February
Plant Lily bulbs in pots for summer displays
Prune grape vines before the sap rises
Dig beds and borders to allow the frost to break up the clay soils
Cut back dead growth on herbaceous plants
Prune wisterias to promote flower buds
Never walk on your lawn if it is frosty as you will get black footprints when it thaws as it bruises the grass
Start off your chrysanthemum stools to get early cuttings. Use a rooting powder for soft cuttings
Seed potatoes can be chitted in a warm place to get the eyes growing
Plant of the Month
Skimmia
Skimmias are often thought of as autumn plants but they still look good at this time of year. There are many varieties including new ones but the two old favourites are still the best in my book.
Skimmia Japonica Rubella is a male plant. It has deep evergreen glossy leaves and produces red flower buds in September. These intensify through the winter and stay red until March or April when they open to white scented flowers. Very few plants give 6 months of colour in this way.
Skimmia reevesiana is a self-fertile plant which produces an abundance of red berries which the birds seem to leave alone. It has masses of white flowers in spring with a powerful scent.
They are extremely versatile plants that need John Innes ericaceous compost in pots or acid soil in the garden. They can be grown in window boxes or can even be used as centre plants in hanging baskets. They grow best in shady spots as intense sunlight bleaches the leaves.
