Gardening Tips for February

Cut Back

Now’s the time to prune winter flowering jasmine and summer flowering clematis, buddleia and fruit trees and to trim back the ivy.

Clean Up

Don’t go slip sliding away and save the kids from accidents by removing algae and moss from paths and patios. Use a proprietary cleaner now.

Firm Up

Wind and frost will have lifted some of your garden favourites so go round and firm up those that have been disturbed by the weather and wildlife visitors.

Props Ready

Before everything starts to grow, inspect the trellis, fence or pergola and fix any problems so that it’s ready to support the coming show.

Soggy Sight

Look after the lawn, try to stay off it in the frost but rake up the leaves on a fine day so that moss is not spread. You can dump them on the compost heap or leave in spiked black bin liners to provide leaf compost for later in the year. Spike any waterlogged patches of lawn with a garden fork.

Look after your friends

Feed the birds and make sure they have water, especially on icy days. They’ll keep the slugs and insects down in return.

On the move

Providing it’s not frost now is a good time to move shrubs and small trees to another part of the garden. Make sure you keep plenty of soil around their roots and water well after replanting.

Sow the Seeds

Now’s the time to plant seeds in some pretty pots and place them on your kitchen window sills.