Garden Planning for February: What to Plant and What to Do

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February is an exciting time in the garden. After a long winter, you can finally start to plan and prepare for the upcoming gardening season. From planting flowers to tending to your existing plants, there’s plenty of work that needs to be done this month.

If you live in the UK, February is one of the best times of year for getting started on your garden projects. You can begin sowing seeds indoors or outside if temperatures are mild enough as well as pruning trees and shrubs before they start growing again.

So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, now is the perfect time to get out into your garden and make plans for what will soon be blooming!

What flowers should you plant in February?

Agapanthus

If you’re looking for something special to brighten up your garden this February, agapanthus is a great choice. Easily grown in containers or your flowerbeds they offer statement-making greenery with beautiful floral spikes.

Planting agapanthus couldn’t be simpler – 8 to 10 cm deep in quality compost and spaced 10–15cm apart will give them the perfect soil for thriving. When spring arrives make sure you move your plants outside into a warm, sunny spot and enjoy those beautiful blooms come summertime!

Cosmos

Cosmos are an easy flower to grow, and you can have these cheery blooms in your garden this blooming season. They look particularly beautiful across the lawn and tucked in border edging.

To get them started, the seeds need some light during germination – an indoor window sill is a great place to sow them in February as they will be getting plenty of sunshine there.

Using a tray or pot filled with peat-free seed compost gives them the best chance of thriving, and once plants are large enough to handle, simply prick out into individual modules ready for planting. These cosmoses will add fantastic colour to any outdoor space!

Liatris

If you are looking for some beautiful and hardy blooms to plant this February, Liatris might be the perfect choice. Easy to care for and bees and butterflies love them too! The vibrant colors of pink, purple, and white provide a stunning display that can brighten up any garden.

When planting your Liatris bulbs, make sure the soil is light and free-draining – about 5cm deep should do it. Alternatively, if the soil in your area is prone to becoming waterlogged, try planting your bulbs in pots Instead.

Lilies

Planting lilies in February is a great way to create brilliant summer borders or bouquets. It’s important to choose a well-drained sunny spot for them to grow, with the bulbs around 15-20cm deep. Make sure you improve the soil by adding compost if needed, and if your soil type is heavy and wet then use pots initially instead of planting directly into the ground.

Salvias

February is a great time to start sowing your salvia seeds. For best results, use peat-free seed compost and lightly cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost or vermiculite. Keep the pots in a warm, bright spot, and ensure the compost stays moist. Salvias are perfect for adding extra structure and height in your garden – happy planting!

Sweet peas

February is the ideal time to start planting sweet peas, as they prefer a cool climate and night temperatures of less than 10 degrees Celsius. Planting individual seeds in biodegradable pots or cardboard tubes helps to minimise root disturbance when they are eventually planted out.

Keep them sheltered in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame and harden them off before planting outside as this will help them adjust to outdoor conditions. With just a little care and attention, your sweet peas can provide an abundance of beauty and fragrance for your summer garden.

February garden jobs

Flower garden jobs

• Prune deciduous ornamental grasses that remain in the winter season before new shoots emerge to ensure a healthy and vibrant appearance.
• Create healthy, vigorous new plants at no cost by dividing congested bunches of herbacious perennials and grasses.
• After your snowdrops and winter aconites have bloomed, split the large clumps of them into smaller pieces and plant in different areas to help create new colonies.
• If your clematis blooms in late summer, prune its stems back to healthy buds near the base of 30cm or less.
• During dormancy, transplant deciduous shrubs that are in the wrong location for optimal growth.
• Refresh your outdoor planters with sturdy spring blooms, like primroses, wallflowers and forget-me-nots for a vibrant splash of color!
• To encourage healthy blooming next winter, prune your flowering mahonia, winter jasmine and heathers immediately after their blossoms fade!
• For a bounty of blossoms come springtime, reduce the side shoots of your wisteria to just three buds from its base.
• Prune elder and buddleia to the base in order to ensure that these strong shrubs do not grow beyond their intended size.
• Enhance the bloom of roses and other flowering shrubs by sprinkling slow-release fertilizer around their base.

Good gardener jobs

• Ready to jumpstart your spring garden? Invest in a cold frame, or create one yourself, and get those young plants accustomed to the outside world with ease.
• Make this year’s gardening simpler by organizing your seeds according to sowing date! Gather a box with dividers and place the seed packets, categorizing them month-by-month. This extra step will save you time in the long run – trust us!
• Ensure that your fleece or additional insulation is still wrapped around any of your flower pots and plants on the brink of tenderness.
• Tempt blue tits to your garden by setting up fat ball feeders among the roses, which will not only give those birds a tasty snack but also serve as natural pest control for overwintering pests.
• To cultivate the soil, cover flower beds with a layer of organic fertilizer or well-aged manure and aerate it by using a gardening fork.
• Get your canes, plant supports, and cloches organized and cleaned for use this spring!
• Ensure your mowers and garden power tools are in prime condition for the upcoming spring season with some cleaning and servicing!
• To create plant supports in the years to come, prune your coppice hazel down to its base. This will spur plentiful new shoots that can be put into use when mature enough.

Other February garden jobs

• During a snowfall, it’s essential to brush the powdery accumulation off of evergreens, hedges and conifers to avoid broken branches due to excessive weight.
• Firmly secure any plants that were lifted by frost or loosened by wind-rock.
• Make sure to keep your pond’s margins clear by removing any old plant debris and scooping out the leaves that have collected in the water.
• Don’t forget to take down any pond netting that was put up in the fall season for catching leaves!
• When there’s a frost, it is essential to avoid treading on the grass as its blades become more delicate and fragile.

Conclusion

February is a great month to start preparing your garden for the upcoming season. Whether you’re tackling flower beds, power tools or fat ball feeders, there are plenty of activities and jobs that can be done during this time. From pruning deciduous shrubs to cleaning off evergreens from snowfall, it’s important to make sure all tasks are completed in order to ensure a healthy and vibrant looking summer garden!

So get out into your yard today and tackle some of these February garden jobs so you can enjoy the fruits (and flowers) of your labor come springtime!