February Gardening Jobs

Spring is in sight! The days are getting longer and early narcissus and crocuses are poking up through the bare soil. It's the perfect time to plan out your garden for the coming year, order seeds and spring-flowering bulbs and prune dormant plants.

February can be a frustrating month for many gardeners. You're itching to get seeds sown and plants in the ground, and a sunny, mild weekend may tempt you to kick off the planting season early, but be patient! Winter may still have some extreme weather to throw at us. Order your summer-flowering bulbs and seeds now, but work back from the last frost date in your local area to determine the best time to plant them.

What you can focus on this month is planning any changes you want to make to your garden this year. Whether you want to completely redesign your space, move pots around or add to an existing border, February is the ideal time for this essential job.

Make the most of any sunny days by carrying out pruning and tidying jobs and planting any bare root trees or shrubs you want to get in before spring. 

 

Flowers, shrubs & trees

The soil is still cold and wet this month, but you can get some plants off to an early start by sowing seeds under cover. Order dahlia tubers, summer-flowering bulbs and flower seeds this month to get the best choice. There's plenty of pruning and renovating to do, as well as cutting down the perennial seed heads and ornamental grasses you'd left for winter interest. 

What to plant in February in the UK

• Sow sweet peas and keep them in a cold frame, greenhouse or cool room. If you planted seeds at the end of last year, the seedlings should be ready for potting on.

• Take advantage of mild weather to plant bare root roses, ornamental trees like flowering cherries and acers, and bare root shrubs while the plants are still dormant.

• You can start sowing hardy annuals like cosmos and cornflowers undercover to get early flowers. Spread sowings out over the next few months for a longer flowering season.

• In mild areas, you can plant dahlia tubers and lily bulbs in pots to give them a head start. If you live in a colder part of the country, wait until March or April, depending on the likely date of the last frost.

• Larkspur needs a cold period to germinate but doesn't like wet soil, so plant seeds in pots in an unheated greenhouse.

Propagating and dividing

• Lift, divide and replant snowdrops after they've finished flowering. Choose a large clump and carefully detach the offsets from the parent bulb. Plant the offsets in plants or back into the ground, bearing in mind you'll have to wait a few years before they flower.

• This month is your last chance to take hardwood cuttings of shrubs like cornus (dogwood), salix (willow) and forsythia.

• Pot up rooted hardwood cuttings taken last year.

Pruning and cutting back

• Winter prune wisteria by cutting shoots back to two or three buds. February is also a good time to carry out hard pruning on older plants.

• Prune summer-flowering shrubs, including buddlejas, mophead and lacecap hydrangeas and fuchsias, in February or March.

• Most winter-flowering shrubs should be pruned immediately after flowering, but leave choisya until mid-spring.

• You can prune Group 2 and 3 clematis this month. Find out more about clematis pruning in our plant care guide.

• Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine) can be cut back once flowering is over. Shorten side shoots to 5 cm and tie in new shoots. 

• Give winter heathers a light trim with shears after they've finished flowering.

• Cut back old foliage from ornamental grasses and autumn-flowering perennials before fresh growth appears.

• Cut back ivy and Virginia creeper before the nesting season begins.

General maintenance

• Weed borders on dry days to get rid of any perennial weeds before they get established.

• Mulch roses and shrubs with well-rotted manure, and unless the soil is saturated, add a layer of compost or other mulch to beds.

• Check recently planted trees and shrubs for frost heave and firm back in if needed.

• Continue to protect tender plants with fleece during cold snaps.

• Top-dress container plants by scraping a couple of inches of soil off the top and replacing it with fresh compost.

Planning ahead

• Order seeds and summer-flowering bulbs, including ranunculus, dahlias, gladioli, lilies and begonias.

• Is this the year to overhaul your garden? Read our five-part guide to designing a garden and start planning now.

• Plan out new borders or colour schemes and make a list of what plants you'll need. Read this post on how to design a border and find plants to suit your colour scheme and conditions.

• Clean and organise seed trays and pots ready for planting next month.

 

Fruit and vegetables

It's at this time of year you wish you had a crystal ball, so you'd know what the weather was going to do over the next few months and whether to start sowing early or hold off until winter has passed. Personally, I like to hedge my bets, which in a good year means I end up with way more plants than I need, though that's not a bad problem to have. If you're taking the cautious approach or you live in a cooler part of the UK, focus on preparing your beds for the year ahead.

What veg to plant in February

• Sow slow-growing plants like chilis, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes. They need heat to germinate, so use a heated propagator or place them on a sunny windowsill. If you're planning on growing your tomatoes outdoors, hold off sowing until March or April (work backwards from when you think you'll be able to plant out the seedlings).

• In mild areas, you may be able to sow broad beans outdoors, but if it's a cold month, start them off indoors.

• Sow peas in guttering in a greenhouse to minimise root disturbance when moving them to their final home.

• Plant shallots and garlic if the soil isn't waterlogged.

• Give leek and onion seeds a head start by sowing them indoors.

• Sow purple-sprouting broccoli, Brussel sprouts and kohlrabi indoors to transplant out in mid-late spring.

• Chit early potatoes by standing them eye-up in an egg box or other container and placing them in a bright, cool place.

Harvesting

• Continue to harvest leeks, kale, sprouting broccoli, celeriac and parsnips as you need them.

• Winter cabbages and cauliflowers can be left in the ground or brought indoors to store in a cool place.

• Continue planting and harvesting winter salad leaves. If growing crops outdoors, they'll need to be in a cold frame or under a cloche for protection.

Fruit bushes and trees

• This is your last month to plant bare root fruit trees and bushes.

• If you haven't already pruned your fruit trees and bushes (gooseberries, currants, blueberries), do it now. Leave it any later and they may bleed.

• Cut autumn-fruiting raspberry canes down to ground level. Summer-fruiting raspberries fruit on the previous year's new growth. If the shoots are too tall, you can trim the top or bend them over and tie them to a support.

• Apply a high-potash fertiliser around fruit bushes and trees, then add a layer of well-rotted manure. Make sure the manure doesn't tough the trunk or stems of the plants.

• Peach, nectarine and apricot trees may blossom this month. Keep a careful eye on the weather and protect them from frost and heavy rain.

• Forcing strawberries can give you an early crop a month before most plants fruit. The best method is to move the strawberry plants into a heated greenhouse in February, though you can also use an unheated greenhouse or cover plants with cloches to warm up the air around them. Whichever method you choose, make sure you allow for pollination.

General maintenance 

• Dig over your beds, incorporating compost or well-rotted manure. Alternatively, you can spread the compost or manure over the top of the bed and let the worms mix it for you.

• You can also prepare a trench for runner beans using kitchen or garden waste or part-rotted compost. Mark the position of your trench and dig down to about 60 cm. Fill the bottom of the trench with a mixture of manure, compost and kitchen waste (veg peelings etc.) and cover with soil. The mix will rot down, ready for your hungry runner bean seedlings.

• Rake over seedbeds and cover with cloches or cardboard to help the soil warm up.

Planning ahead

• Plan out your vegetable garden, bearing in mind crop rotation and companion planting.

• Order your seeds! Buying early gives you the widest choice. Browse our range of vegetable seeds, including all your favourites, such as tomatoes, carrots, salad, herbs, cucumbers, beans, squashes, root veg and brassicas. 

 

Lawns and hedges

The lawnmower is still packed away for the winter, and there's little to do in terms of lawn care other than stay off it. If you're planning on sowing a new lawn from seed, you can prepare the ground this month and mark out the area you want to plant using lawn edging.

If you need to renovate a deciduous hedge, do it now while they're still dormant and before birds begin to nest. Wait until March or April to renovate evergreen hedges.

 

Other garden jobs for February

Take advantage of wet days to do some armchair gardening and plan any changes you want to make to your garden or new plants you want to grow. Part of this may involve some research, such as checking the pH of your soil.

• Follow our step-by-step guide to designing a garden to plan a thriving garden that works for you.

• Use a soil testing kit to check the pH of your soil and squeeze a handful of soil into a ball to determine whether your soil is sandy or clay. You can filter based on soil type when browsing our outdoor plants, which is an easy way to find plants that will grow well in your garden.

• Keep feeding the birds! Don't forget to clean bird feeders weekly with hot, soapy water and a brush to prevent the spread of infection.

• Turn your compost heap and add a bit of water if it's looking dry.

 

FAQ

What flowers can I plant in February in the UK?

It's too early to plant most perennials, though you still have time to plant bare root roses and other flowering shrubs. February is the perfect time to sow sweet peas and give other hardy annuals a head start. In mild areas, you can plant lily bulbs and dahlia tubers in pots this month and keep them in a frost-free place before planting out in April.

What seeds can I sow in February?

You can sow sweet peas, snapdragon, cosmos, geranium, stock, nemesia, cornflower, larkspur and verbena seeds in February. Most of these will need to be sown indoors and transplanted once temperatures warm up in spring. February is still a little early to sow seeds in colder parts of the country, but you can do multiple sowings over the next couple of months to hedge your bets.

What bulbs can I plant in February?

It's too early to plant summer-flowering bulbs outdoors, but in mild areas, you can plant lily bulbs and dahlia tubers in pots indoors to get started. You can also lift snowdrops once they've flowered and separate the offsets from the main bulb. Replant these in the ground or pots to expand your collection.