What to do in your Garden in February

Does February give you a case of the Winter Blues? Does seeing Valentine’s Roses give you the itch to get into the garden? You may be starting to see signs of life in the garden with Snowdrops and Crocuses beginning to appear (Tip: be sure to clean out the areas where Snowdrops and Crocuses are planted so you can enjoy these early bulbs!)!

February is a great time to tackle these gardening tasks:

- Tune your tools! Your gardening tools need some tuning and this month is the perfect time to do this. Cleaning your tools to remove all dirt and gunk from last year will help to prevent the possible spread of any fungi or viruses to this year’s gardens and crops. Sharpening your tools will ensure that your plants are receiving clean cuts and not being damaged inadvertently by dull blades.

- Checking your hardscape features. Visually inspect features such as walls, walkways, patios, decks and landscape lighting is a perfect task for a sunny February day. Looking for cracks, loose stones, broken bulbs or fixtures and making note of these will save you time in the spring of finding the materials and resources for repairs.

- Dig new beds. Once the ground is no longer frozen you can begin to dig new beds. Use marking paint or lay out a hose to define the space then a spade can be used to cut out the bed. 

- Winter/Early Spring pruning. Consult your list of garden plants for those that need early pruning.

- Continue planning. As you uncover areas of the garden that haven’t fared well over the winter you can add them to your overall garden plan for revamping this year. Plan for new plants (replacing those that failed with new varieties or a new species) or replacing materials and furniture.

Wherever your February gardening tasks take you, one thing is for certain – you are one month closer to spring!