  | February Hints & Tips
ClimbersPlant climbers now to provide colour, height and interest for clothing walls, fences, arches and arbours - as well as for screening compost heaps and other unsightly objects. Fast growing plants like clematis, ivy, honeysuckle, Virginia creeper and roses are perfect choices. If your soil is too wet and sticky, wait until conditions improve before planting. WeedsKeep those annoying weeds at bay and you will enjoy your gardening a lot more. Small weeds are best dealt with by hoeing them off. Beds and borders can be kept weed free by applying a 2-3inch thick mulch; and weed suppressing planting membranes (also known as landscape fabric) ensure the perfect start to new beds and borders.AnnualsFebruary is a good time to make a start on sowing your own summer bedding indoors, as long as you can provide the right heat and light conditions. You can sow sweet peas, dianthus, lobelia, ageratum and bedding geraniums. Don't forget to pick up everything you'll need such as propagators, compost, pots, seed trays and labels. Check Garden StructuresCheck your fences, trellis and pergolas before climbers burst into growth and make the job more tricky. You can make any repairs or improvements as necessary as well as install any new features you want for the coming year. Just ask a member of our team for details of what we have in stock. PruningYou can prune a number of garden shrubs now. These include winter jasmine after the flowers have faded, bush and climbing roses, many summer flowering shrubs and most clematis; apart from the spring flowering Montanas, alpinas and macropetalas. After pruning feed with a controlled release or slow-acting fertiliser to ensure healthy regrowth and more flowers. Don't forget to pick up any tools you'll need such as secateurs, pruning saws, loppers and gloves. Just ask any one of our friendly, knowledgeable team. Pest WatchDon't let garden pests and diseases get you down this year. By looking at your plants now and dealing with the problems that may be present, you'll prevent them from getting out of control. Be especially vigilant on plants in the house, conservatory and greenhouse. Slugs can be controlled with a wide range of products, just ask one of our team for more advice on slug control products. Many pests over-winter as pests on the stems of plants, so any pruning now will remove them. If the dreaded peach leaf curl affected your peaches and almonds last year, then give them a protective spray with a copper based fungicide to ensure a healthy start to the year. If the trees are wall trained, you can protect them further by erecting a protective tent of polythene over them. Buy Summer Flowering BulbsFebruary is the time to buy begonias and dahlia tubers together with the huge variety of summer flowering bulbs. Although it's too early to plant them in the garden, buy them now to ensure we have the range of varieties you require. Begonias and dahlias can be started into growth indoors now and the resulting shoots used for cuttings. Don't forget to stock up on pots, labels, twine, compost and all the other sundries you'll need to get the best out of them. Top Dress Trees & ShrubsGet your trees and shrubs and beds and borders off to a flying start this year by mulching and feeding with a controlled release fertiliser. Mulches should be applied a couple of inches thick and good choices include bark chips, composted bark, manure and compost. Plan & Plant Your Flower BordersYou can still plant hardy trees, shrubs, roses, fruit and perennials, and nearly all other outdoor plants; providing the soil isn't frozen solid or waterlogged. Remember to improve the planting area first with a good soil improver such as composted bark or compost. Hard LandscapingIt might be cold but this is the perfect time to lay new paths, paving, patios and other hard standing areas. Just ask one of our friendly staff for advice and ideas. Also check existing paving and relay and repair any that is uneven or damaged. VegetablesIt is a perfect time now to make a start on producing tasty vegetables for the summer. Don't be too impatient to start sowing outside, but instead warm the soil ready for sowing by covering it with clear polythene or plastic cloches. You can plant shallots outside; although in cold areas start them in pots of compost in a coldframe or greenhouse. Sow summer cauliflowers in seed trays in warmth. Check Out Your BordersA few minutes spent on your beds and borders now will reap huge benefits later in the year. Lightly trim winter flowering heathers when the flowers fade to improve flowering next year. Lift, divide and replant snowdrops after flowering. Cut back the dead stems of herbaceous perennials to ground level and lift and divide congested clumps that didn't flower well last year. Questions & AnswersSummer Flowering Bulbs Q&ANow that the summer flowering bulbs are in stock, customers are asking us when to plant them. What advice can we give? The vast majority of summer flowering bulbs aren't frost hardy, so they should be planted outside in the spring. Planting times are always given on the bulbs packaging, so make sure you consult that first. We have bulbs available now, so you can buy the varieties you want in plenty of time. When you get them home, you should put them somewhere cool but frost-free until they're ready to plant. Some gardeners like to make an early start by potting up the bulbs now and growing them on in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. So when it's time to plant them out, they're already good sized plants that'll come into flower earlier. Now that's a good idea, dahlias and begonias can also be planted in compost now in a propagator. They will produce shoots that can be used as cuttings to produce more plants. These plants, grown from cuttings, tend to be more vigorous and produce more and better flowers. Another tip we can give with gladioli is to plant a few corms of each variety in succession at 2 week intervals. That way you will have a display over several weeks or months during the summer. Beds & Borders Q&AWe've been asked what jobs are worth doing on beds and borders now, so which ones do we suggest? Providing the soil isn't so wet that it sticks to your boots and garden tools, February is a good time to look over beds and borders to ensure plants are given the best start to the year and so perform much better in the future. For instance, trimming over winter flowering heathers with shears when the flowers have faded to remove the old flowers, and about an inch of the growth, will not only keep them tidy and more compact but will also improve their flowering next winter. After pruning give them light feed with a controlled release fertiliser and mulch around them with composted bark. If snowdrops didn't flower well this year, it pays to lift, divide and replant them after flowering and while they still have their leaves. Make sure you improve the soil with compost or composted bark first before replanting. Any dead stems of herbaceous perennials that were left on for winter interest can be cut back to ground level. If any perennials didn't flower well last year and have formed congested clumps it would be a good idea to lift and divide them, replanting only the healthy new portions from the sides of the clump. This is especially good for asters and flocks which are prone to mildew disease as they get older. Sowing Seeds Q&ASome customers are keen to make a start on sowing bedding plant seeds. Is now a good time to do it? February is indeed a good time to make a start on some summer bedding plants - but as long as you can provide the right temperature and light conditions they need for germination and growing on. If they become too tall and spindly due to low light levels, they won't be worth planting out and it would be better to wait until next month or even April. Plants that you can sow this month include: sweet peas, dianthus, lobelia, ageratum and bedding geraniums. All of them except the sweet peas will need to be germinated in a heated propagator. The right temperature will be given on the seed packet. After germination, they'll need a temperature of about 50°F / 10°C for the young plants to grow on unchecked. If they get too cold they'll receive a shock and won't grow to maturity properly, and so won't flower well or at all. Pruning Q&AAre there any plants in the garden that would benefit from being pruned this month? There are several plants that can and should be pruned this month, such as winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering. This includes winter jasmine, which should have flowering side shoots and some of the older shoots removed. Deciduous viburnums which should have some of the flowering shoots thinned out. Mahonias that have grown too tall or that didn't flower very well can be cut back by around one third, or more if they've become very tall and spindly. Summer flowering spiraeas can have all their shoots cut back to a few inches from ground level. This is also the time to cut back bush roses, dead or dying stems should be removed first. Then cut back the remaining stems by half to two thirds. The thinner the stems, the harder they should be pruned. Then later this month you can prune clematis, apart from the spring flowering Montanas, alpinas and macropetalas. Those varieties that start to flower in May and June can be cut back by about a third. Those that start to flower in July or August and the autumn flowering types can be pruned harder, cutting them back to about 15-24 inches from the ground. After pruning it pays to feed with a controlled release or slow acting fertiliser to ensure healthy re-growth and lots of bloom during the next flowering season. Its good to use a rose fertiliser for flowering shrubs. Vegetables Q&AAs more people are growing their own vegetables, what can we recommend they do now? Don't to be too impatient to start sowing outside, it's too cold for most seeds to germinate and they'll simply rot in the soil. But, you can help get next months outdoor sowings off to a flying start by warming the soil by covering it with sheets of clear polythene and putting up cloches. However I plant my shallots outside now, but in cold areas it's best to start them in pots of compost in a cold-frame or greenhouse and then plant out in March. You can also sow broad beans outside but the soil should be covered with cloches to aid the germination. If you have a greenhouse or a conservatory or even a warm window sill you can sow seeds of summer cauliflowers and leeks to ensure earlier crops, but as long as you can provide adequate warmth and light. Most types will need to be sown with heat, so you'll need a heated propagator. After germination, you'll also need a temperature of about 50°F/10°C for the young plants to grow on unchecked. Later in the month you can also sow aubergine, pepper, cucumber and tomato seeds in a propagator to produce plants for growing on in the greenhouse. Sow the seeds in small pots of good compost, but if you want plants for growing outside the seeds should be sown in March.
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