February Tips
Weather in February can be a bit off-putting but there is still plenty that can be done providing that the conditions are right.
In the vegetable garden preparations can be made for planting and sowings of some early crops. Onion sets and shallots should be planted now and sowings can be made of Broad Bean “Aquadulce” and Pea “Feltham First”. Also Parsnips benefit from an early start. If you normally have poor germination of Parsnips, try the following; sow thinly on wet tissue paper in a suitable dish/container indoors. The seed chits in a few days and then the chitted seeds can be used discarding the rest. It’s easy to remove the seed from the tissue using the point of a penknife (but don’t try it on a windy day!). Obviously after sowing it is important to keep the tissue (kitchen paper towel or paper handkerchiefs are ideal), moist by adding water when necessary. While on the vegetable subject, we must mention seed potatoes. Now is the time to start them chitting. They should be placed in trays (egg trays are ideal or seed trays) with the “rose end” uppermost. This is the end where most of the eyes are. Place them in the light in frost free conditions and the eyes will start to produce growth. This growth should be about 4-5cm long at planting time. Plant first and second early varieties in the first half of March and main crop at the end of March. Full cultural instructions are printed on the back of the bags.
In the greenhouse, early sowings of bedding plants can be made—read the seed packets for full advice because some subjects such as Marigolds shouldn’t be sown too early because they grow quickly and could be ready for planting out before the right time. Also, certain summer flowering bulbs such as Lilies can be planted in containers.
This is the month to buy and plant Snowdrops “in the green”. That means still growing with their leaves but after flowering. Don’t plant too deeply—no deeper than the blanched (white) part of the base of the leaves. Also any large clumps which need lifting and dividing should be done now - much more satisfactory and successful than planting bulbs in the autumn.
If the weather is reasonable, a fork-over and mulch of the borders will be beneficial. Use farmyard manure or a garden compost mix for mulching. Also this month, check the growth on any clematis and prune back if the new growth buds (which will be found in pairs in the old leaf axils) are swelling. Cut all old growth off to leave 2 pairs of buds from the ground on summer large flowering varieties, but leave the spring-flowering types and the Montanas. If you need basic advice on pruning, ask for a leaflet or talk to a member of staff. If in doubt - ASK. Afterwards can be too late!
A problem which causes many enquiries at this time of year is ‘sooty mould’. This can affect many trees and shrubs but a persistent suffer seems to be Camellias. As the name suggests, the mould is from air pollution, leaving a black deposit which sticks to a residue of honeydew on the leaves left by an infestation of aphids, whitefly or mealy bugs etc. Obviously, the answer is to rid the subject in the beginning of any pests, thus preventing the honeydew deposit. Remember also, that this sticky stuff can be dropped from foliage above the affected subject. The black can be washed off with water. Apart from being unsightly, it does block the pores of the leaf.
