This month – A game of two halves
For me February is where the gardening year begins...twice!
First - Reaping last year’s rewards:
If you were industrious in the autumn, you could now be benefiting from a lovely display of snowdrops (Gallanthus) and Irises. My favourite snowdrops are G ‘Atkinsii’, which are tall with long, graceful flowers and G. nivalis ‘Viridapicis’ with sweet, green tipped flowers. It’s said they’re best planted ‘in the green’ in Spring but I’ve had lots of success with packaged bulbs planted in the autumn so they’re definitely worth trying. As for irises, the deep blue Iris ‘Joyce’ is hard to beat especially on my poor, free draining soil.
I planted a witch hazel as soon as we moved into our present house; Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’. I can’t live without fragrance in my garden and at this bare, drab time of year the wonderfully scented pale-yellow flowers lift my spirits.
I discovered we’d inherited an evergreen Clematis (C. armandii). I’d never grown it before but it’s worth seeking out. It needs a warm wall or fence and well-drained soil then rewards you by being frost-hardy and producing lovely creamy, scented flowers at this time of year.
Second - Planning this year’s display
Perhaps you didn’t manage to plan ahead last year. But don’t panic; the beauty of gardening is that the seasons keep rolling round so make sure you use February to ensure your summer display is top notch. February is definitely the month to start sowing seeds.
Fill pots or seed trays with seed compost then firm and level the surface. Sprinkle seeds on to the surface of the compost then cover with a layer of fine grit. Water well with a fine spray. Cover with clear plastic (a polythene bag will do nicely) and remove it once the seeds germinate. Learn from my mistake one year and don’t forget to label the pots!
Potting up summer bulbs is generally left until late spring, but I always pot up one or two pots in February. It allows them to get established and provides a nice early display for my patio.
Happy gardening.
By Rachael Leverton