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While winter is still very much here, subtle signs that spring is on its way are evident in gardens across the country.
Now is the perfect time to prepare for the coming growing season, undertaking essential tasks before the explosion of new life makes some jobs more difficult.
So what should be on your to-do list?
A general tidy-up is an excellent starting point. Wash down garden furniture and ornaments, removing any accumulated grime from the winter months. Turn your compost heap to aerate it and speed up decomposition, providing valuable nutrient-rich material for your plants later in the season. Clean patio pots and containers, ready for new plantings.
Taking stock of your equipment now and addressing any necessary repairs will ensure you’re fully prepared for the busy months ahead. Sharpening tools, cleaning pots, and replacing damaged labels are small tasks that can make a big difference when the gardening season gets underway.
Emma O’Neill, head gardener of horticultural charity Garden Organic, advises: “It’s a great time to tidy, clean and repair, whether it be tools, pots, furniture or even plant labels.”
Here’s some other tips.
Prune fruit
“Prune apple and pear trees. Don’t cut too much off, as you don’t want to put the tree under stress and you don’t want them to produce a load of top growth. Ideally you’re looking for an open goblet shape, with a hand span between each branch. The easiest way to think about it is that the pruning allows a bird to be able to fly through the branches.
“We always start on the laterals on the outside, taking them back to one to two buds. Go for the rule of dead, diseased, damaged and anything that’s crossing. Go back, look at your shape, see what you think, and do it with care,” O’Neill advises.
Beginners should look at a pruning guide to ensure they don’t cut too much off, she adds.
Only prune currants and gooseberries once they are over two years old, she advises.
“Blackcurrants fruit on new growth, while red and whitecurrants fruit on old growth. Again, you’re just taking them back.”
Use green manure
If you’ve grown green manure such as red clover or winter tares, make sure you dig that in to the bed three to four weeks before use. Green manure is any kind of crop which covers and protects the soil, improving soil structure and nutrition.
“If you are going to direct-sow (crops) in March, make sure you’ve dug in your green manure in February,” O’Neill suggests.
If you’ve used rye grass as a green manure, it can inhibit seed germination so wait a month after digging it in before you start sowing, she adds.
Mulch your soil
“It’s always a good idea to regularly mulch your soil to protect it,” O’Neill advises. “If you have your own compost, use that, or alternatively you can get green compost from local authorities.”
Clear your pond
If your pond has been netted over winter, remove the netting and clear any debris including leaves, and cut back pond plants which have died off.
Plant tender perennials in pots for summer blooms
February is an ideal time to get a head start and plant tender perennials like dahlias and begonias in pots, says Hannah Rowson, garden centre manager at bulbs and perennials specialist J. Parker’s.
“By starting these indoors, you can encourage new growth while waiting for warmer weather to transplant them outdoors in spring,” explains Rowson.
She advises: “Make sure to place your tender perennials somewhere safe from frost and with a bit of natural light, such as in a warm, light greenhouse, to promote the growth of new shoots.”
Divide snowdrops
“It is best to divide snowdrops now to help them naturalise over time, leading to more flowers the following year,” Rowson advises.
“You can use a shovel or trowel to lift the flowers out of the ground with their roots, then split through the roots to create two clusters. Plant these halves in your chosen location and watch as they form new colonies in new patches of your garden, creating a beautiful perennial display for years to come.”
Cut back group 2 and 3 clematis
Group 2 clematis flower on old wood in late spring or early summer and again in late summer. They include large flowered types including ‘Nelly Moser’ and ‘The President’. Cut them back in late winter or early spring to a pair of strong healthy buds, leaving around 1m on the plant (or around 30cm if it is a newly planted clematis).
Group 3 clematis including ‘Perle d’Azur’ and ‘Jackmanii’ bloom from summer to autumn and should be cut back in February or March to a pair of strong, healthy buds around 30cm (12in) above soil level.
Tidy deciduous plants
After leaving stems on herbaceous perennials such as veronicastrum, echinaceas and rudbeckias to provide habitat for overwintering insects and seeds for birds, you can now cut them down, as new shoots may already be appearing at the base, O’Neill advises. Climbing roses can also be pruned in February.
Finish planting bare-root trees and shrubs
It’s the last chance to plant bare-root trees, roses and shrubs which you’ve bought in their dormant state, unless the ground is frozen, O’Neill advises.
Carry out repairs
Tidy your shed, repair your tools and make good any structures such as trellis and fencing, which may have come loose or been damaged in the winter, O’Neill suggests. Climbers such as clematis and honeysuckle will particularly benefit from this, so you can tie them in as they grow in the spring.
Stake your plants
“Get all your staking done now if you know what plants are going to need support, particularly in the ornamental garden. We have a plant called baptisia which goes absolutely crazy and it’s much better to stake it now that to try to do it in the growing season.”
Clean the greenhouse
Wash the glass and hose down any crevices because lots of pests may be sheltering there, where it’s warmer. Pick a sunny day, so if you are housing plants you can put them out for a couple of hours while you clean, and dispose of dead plants, which you can put on the compost heap, O’Neill advises. Wash down staging and clean dirty pots.
Tend to containers
Dispose of dead container plants, but if you have permanent specimens which were planted in fresh compost last year, take off the top layer of compost and top dress them with a new layer, O’Neill suggests. If you liquid feed through the growing season, your plants should be fine. Make sure your pots are still on pot feet so the moisture can seep through easily.
Cut back herbaceous perennials in pots, but leave evergreen pruning until spring, she adds.