The month of February can deliver unpredictable weather, but plenty of “sun breaks”! Be ready to jump in the garden when conditions are right.
For Fresh Color
Bring easy color to porch and walkway: Freshen up window boxes and flowerpots with primroses, violas and/or pansies, and potted spring bulbs like daffodils. Make sure plants under porch and eaves get occasional watering.
Add fragrance with winter-blooming Daphne odora, Sarcococca, or Evergreen Clematis vine.
For the Lawn & Landscape
Plant roses, fruit trees, raspberries/cane berries, grapes, strawberries, rhubarb, and asparagus; usually available mid-month while still dormant and easy to plant.
Control moss growing in flower beds/lawn, driveway, and walkways with Lily Miller Moss Out or Bonide MossMax. Look for thin patches in need of reseeding; apply lime if needed and fertilize as weather warms.
Fertilize spring-blooming bulbs as they come up with G&B All-Purpose [slow-release] Fertilizer (fertilize again after they bloom).
Use a dormant spray for pest/disease control on roses, fruit trees, dogwoods, and other deciduous trees and shrubs that struggled last season.
- Bonide Liquid Copper for disease prevention
- Bonide All-Season Horticultural Oil for insects
For the Edible Garden
Sow edible seeds indoors: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussel’s sprouts
Plant edible and sweet pea seeds outside when soil temp reaches 40–45°F (use soil thermometer).
Till and turn under cover crops and level soil at least 2–3 weeks before planting spring crops, weather permitting.
Maintain slug control: Stay vigilant! Apply Sluggo or Slug Magic every 3–4 weeks to reduce population size and protect tender new growth as it emerges.
In the Garden Shed
Inspect garden tools, especially pruners—clean, sharpen, and oil as needed. Replace worn out blades or rusty springs on Felco pruners; we carry replacements for many popular models.
Basic Pruning List
Prune (mid to late month): roses, summer-blooming deciduous clematis, blueberries, fall-bearing raspberries, fruit trees, twig dogwoods. Cut back dormant ornamental grasses and old foliage on hellebores, epimediums, and sword ferns.
Just for Fun
Pot up and bring a few yellow primroses into the house to add a bit of cheer and fragrance (yellow ones have the sweetest smell).
Visit a public garden for inspiration: The Oregon Garden, Elk Rock Garden, Leach Botanical Garden, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland Japanese Garden
