February is usually a month when active gardeners get a little stir-crazy and look for something to do in or for the garden. Often the weather fluctuates wildly, cold wintry days intermixed with tantalizing warmer sunny ones. We have given you some garden chores for February that can be done outdoors, as well as ones that can be performed in the barn, basement, or garage.
Outside Projects
1. Go outside and notice where the spring bulbs are emerging from the soil. Take paper and pencil and make a diagram of where and what they are. Note the areas where there are no bulbs at all. This will help when you place your bulb order for next fall.
2. Dormant pruning of deciduous shrubs and trees can be performed as long as the temperature is not too cold. Pruning when temperatures are far below freezing is not a good practice, tissue bruising on stems can occur. Now is the perfect time to remove suckers, crossed and/or diseased branches, and water sprouts. Shrub rejuvenation can be performed as well.
Ornamental Grasses in Winter
3. Cut down ornamental grasses before wind and rain causes them to shatter and litter your lawn or planting beds.
4. If the soil is not frozen, or too muddy, edging and mulching can be done. Remember, apply a layer of mulch no deeper than two inches, and keep the mulch away from stems and trunks of trees and shrubs.
5. Divide and transplant perennials.
Inside Projects
1. Clean and repair birdhouses and birdbaths.
2. Service lawn mowers, tillers, blowers, and other power tools. Clean and sharpen hand tools.
3. Plan your vegetable garden and purchase seeds. Some cool weather vegetable seeds can be started in pots indoors.
4. Plan your lawn program. Remember what your lawn looked like in late fall and make a nutrition and management scheme now.
5. Build something for the garden. Do you want a trellis, coldframe, arbor, tool shed, fencing, or screen?
Remember, just because the weather is a little unpredictable, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the garden. Now is the perfect time to get a head start on the new season.