Teetering between Winter and Spring, February is that month where the sky may still be grey and the air may still be frosty, but there is a fresh breeze that passes through your garden every now and then. It might seem like there isn’t a lot you can do in your garden at this time, but in reality, February is the best time to start preparing for your spring and summer gardening adventures! Make sure you wrap up warmly and pull on some protective gardening gloves before you get out in the refreshing air.
- Clean up: February is the time to trim back dead branches and plant heads leftover from summer. You can also dig up any flower beds and turn over the soil, ensuring they’re clear and fresh for when you start planting later.
- Rake up any debris that has scattered across your lawn during the winter. This will probably mostly be dead foliage, and can be used in a compost heap to help feed your future plants!
- Check over your garden ornaments. If any have become too battered by the winter winds and rain, it may be time to trash them, and start looking for new ones to ensure your garden is truly artful when the sun starts shining properly. Alternative, if some are only slightly damaged, you might be able to fix them up yourself with a new lick of paint or some particularly creative upcycling.
- Plan your planting: Once you’ve tidied everything up, its time to start surveying your garden and figuring out which flowers or vegetables you want to grow that year. If you’re super organised, you can write up a timetable of when each will need to be planted.
- Some could even be planted now! If you’re looking to start off some plants indoors, February is the perfect time to get them going. Seeds such as poppies, cabbages, sweet pepper and really benefit from an early indoor planting to get them off to a strong, warm start before you transfer them come late spring.
- Start setting up bird feeding stations: As spring draws nearer, birds will start to venture out of their winter homes and you may see them fluttering about your garden. Check our articles on how to Help Birds After The Big Freeze and Attracting Wild Birds To Your Garden to get more tips on how to care for our winged, wild neighbours.
To get yourself really prepared, check out some of our top gardening tips for April, May, and June, so you'll know what you'll be doing all spring and summer long!
