Jamie Shipley, gardening expert and managing director of Hedges Direct, said: “While February is still winter, temperatures are slowly but surely starting to rise, meaning that your garden is beginning to come back to life.
“Your main outdoor jobs this month are to keep pruning any plants that you didn’t get around to in January and to stay on top of general maintenance tasks ahead of spring.”
1. Prune deciduous shrubs
According to the expert, it’s best to prune winter-flowering shrubs straight after they have bloomed to give the shrub plenty of time to regrow in the summer.
Jamie said to bear in mind that the exact time of year for pruning will vary from species to species so double check before giving it a haircut.
The pro noted: “Pruning helps to promote plant growth for the year by removing dead and diseased branches and to encourage the formation of new and healthy shoots.”
Some winter-flowering species that benefit from pruning this month include Daphne mezereum and viburnum x bodnantense dawn.
2. Prune evergreen shrubs and hedges
The gardening expert said: “If there are any evergreen hedges that you didn’t get around to pruning in January, look to get these ticked off your list this month.
“Most healthy evergreen hedges are fairly sturdy and can handle being pruned in the colder months it’s recommended as they tend to be dormant in winter and are less likely to bleed.
“Bleeding is when the sap escapes from a pruning cut and causes plants to become damaged and more susceptible to disease when cut back.
“However, I recommend waiting until the worst of the frosty weather is over to avoid frost damage.”
3. Lawn maintenance
February is a great time to start preparing the lawn for spring, including starting to mow it on a high setting to avoid cutting it too short.
Mowing very close to the sward weakens grass growth as there is less leaf surface area to take in oxygen and sunlight, slowing root movement.
Jamie continued: “By mowing your lawn on a low setting, the blade could even damage the crowns of the grass plants, weakening the lawn and increasing the threat from weeds, insects and disease.
“Even if you avoid physical damage, short grass provides little shade, exposing your lawn to damaging summer heat or frost in winter.
“Grass is still dormant in its dormant state in February so keeping its leaves as long as possible will give it more surface area to photosynthesise sunlight, particularly towards the end of winter when there are fewer hours of daylight.”
4. Plant flower bulbs
The gardening expert recommended planting out some flower bulbs in February too, including alliums, lilies and crocosmia.
Crocosmia, if planted now, will flower from summer through to autumn and they should be planted in groups.
Make sure to space them out around 10cm to 20cm apart as they will expand over time, according to Jamie.
