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Monthly Gardening Tips / February
Planning:
- Continue to use garden notes, photos and
sketches to assess areas which need plants
- Finish ordering seeds
- Continue to order plants from nursery catalogues
for later delivery
Chores and Maintenance:
- Check on winter plant protection; add mulch
and adjust plant stakes as necessary
- Continue to inspect ornamental trees and
shrubs for scale insects
- Use wood ashes from the fireplace as a good
source of potash
- Avoid the use of salt to melt snow, as it
is toxic to most plants. Use sawdust, sand
or cat litter instead
- Check on dahlias, cannas and gladiolus bulbs
for rotting and/or drying out
- Keep bird feeders filled throughout winter
Planting:
- Take cuttings of indoor plants now to use
as bedding plants in the late spring; e.g.
lantana, geranium, coleus, heliotrope, fuschia,
begonia etc.
- Sow seeds of annuals which require a long
growing season, e.g. lobelia, petunia, vinca,
browallia, snapdragon, verbena, etc.
Pruning/Fertilizing:
- Continue to prune away storm-damaged branches
promptly. This prevents tearing of the bark
- Prune forsythia, pussy willow, quince, etc.
for forcing indoors
- Prune summer and fall blooming shrubs
Indoors:
- Continue to give houseplants increased humidity;
mist often or place plants over a tray of
moist pebbles
- On frigid nights continue to protect indoor
plants from freezing; move them away from
the glass or cover glass with thick newspaper
or cardboard
- Continue to clean leaves of large and smooth
leaved houseplants like dracaena, philodendron,
ficus, etc.
- Inspect houseplants for insect pests. Remove
pests by hand and spray with insecticidal
soap if needed
- Clean clay pots by soaking overnight in
a solution of 1 gallon water, 1 cup of vinegar
and 1 cup bleach
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