February Gardening
February 7, 2014
By Joel Gillespie
February 7, 2014
February, over the years, has become just about my favorite month. I can’t actually think of a month I like better here in South Carolina. In February we may have a week in the mid-70’s or we may have a foot of snow! February is the one month where there seems to be the most tangible sense of seasonal change, and it is that transition from winter to early spring that makes February so enjoyable for me.
Lots of plants bloom in February, and I don’t mean camellia, tea olive, daphne, mahonia, or quince which bloom in the heart of winter. I mean new season, or spring blooming plants – forsythia, Japanese magnolia, daffodils, henbit (my favorite early spring weed), Carolina jasmine, some crab apple trees, lenten rose, red maples and so forth. In addition, there are all the swelling buds of trees and shrubs ready to burst into flower or leaf soon enough in March.
Henbit, in February
February is also an important month in the garden. There is so much to do in February it can be dizzying, but every little bit helps the rest of the gardening year go well.
So, what to do…
By the time it gets to February (that is, late fall is gone and winter is passing), February itself is now the best time to plant shrubs and trees until next fall. To be sure shrubs and trees can be planted any time of the year, even in the middle of the summer. But planting in summer means constant watering, and a hot week with no rain and no watering can mean a dead plant. In February the plant is still pretty much dormant, but even in dormancy, shrub and tree roots grow, and the more roots can set, produce root hairs and start taking in water, the more likely the plant will survive and even thrive in the coming summer.
There are lots and lots of plants which bloom in the spring and summer off buds set the previous summer and fall. If these plants are pruned in early spring they won’t bloom the upcoming spring or summer. One thinks of azaleas, forsythia, quince, most hydrangeas, gardenia, rhododendron, spirea, dogwood, But even for those plants blooming off last year’s growth, it is good to prune out dead, dying, or diseased wood.
Now of course all plants bloom, so I am talking about the ones we grow for the sake of the blooms. For those shrubs and trees that are not planted for their blooms per se, February is a good time to prune. This means pretty much most foundation shrub – cleyera, aucuba, pittosporum, all sorts of hollies, wax myrtles, photinia, etc.
Now is really the ideal time to prune back overgrown sasanquas or fall/winter blooming camellias. It can take a few seasons getting one of these camellias back into shape but now is a good time.
If you have not yet cut back lantana, ginger lily, hibiscus, angel trumpet, do that now before spring growth begins. You may also cut back butterfly bush and beauty berry, as these plants do bloom off new season grown, and will come back quickly when it warms up.
February is the best month both to prune and to plant roses. As to pruning, it depends on which kind of rose of course, and I can’t cover all the possibilities here. The popular knock out roses should be cut back pretty hard by late February, then fertilized in March. Let climbing roses bloom first before pruning.
I would’t really call it pruning, but February is a good time to cut back liriope and mondo grass. It’ll be glad you did. Same goes for cast iron plant that has not been pruned back in a few years.
February is a great time to divide and replant crowded perennials like daisies, black eyed susans, coneflower, or even crowded ferns. And though fall would have been better for dividing day lilies, if your lilies are so crowded that they did not bloom well last season, it is better to divide them and replant them now than wait until next fall.
Of course, as I always like to say, before spring really gets juiced up, it will really help your plants and trees if you get rid of ivy, wisteria, smilax, grape, five leaf akebia, cross vine, and virginia creeper growing atop small trees, and even our own yellow jasmine which can totally smother small trees and shrubs. Even when the de-vining has casualties like a few broken twigs or limbs, the trees and shrubs, unencumbered, will flourish in the spring and summer, and reward you with lots of new growth filling the spaces once dominated by the vines. I guarantee it!
And your azaleas will be happy if you get down on your hands and knees and clean out the dead wood, the piles of leaves and straw in the plant crown. It’s good to do that when there aren’t as many critters lurking, and do please wear safety glasses!
If you like tulips, now is a good time to plant them. And, although fall is much better for planting daffodils (which may well also be blooming now), I have seen daffodils planted this late yet still manage to bloom this season, just later than usual.
I was in Lowe’s the other day and saw their bins of spring planting bulbs like dahlia, various lilies, caladium, canna, and elephant ear. They also have bare root stock plants like hydrangea, grape, raspberry, blackberry, and red bush honeysuckle – all at pretty good prices.
Speaking of Lowe’s (and Home Depot), pretty soon you will be hearing ads on the radio about it being time to fertilize or weed and feed your lawn. Just ignore the ads. It does no good to fertilize dormant creeping grasses, and often those ads are really for Piedmont areas growing fescue type grasses.
If you are itching to fertilize, fertilize your pansies…
Well, more could be said… I have not even brought up veggies and fruit. But that should be enough for now. February gardening blessings…
Joel Gillespie
Gardening and Such
[email protected]
joelgillespie.com
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