A borrowed view accentuates a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick covered in February snow.
The Garden Website for February
New: When to Prune Clematis
New: Lawns: Seeding, Sowing, Renovating
New: Lawn Grub Control
New: Tuberous Begonias 101
New: Dahlias 101
February Introduction - February Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - February Garden Chores
Ask Amanda: Squirrels! - February Garden Stars - Plant Police
Seed Starting Success - Sowing Inside - Sowing Outside
February Lawn Care - Winter Pruning - Geraniums & Fuchsias - Winterhazel vs Chinese Witch Hazel
February Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Fragrant Winterhazel
New: Lawns: Seeding, Sowing, Renovating
New: Lawn Grub Control
New: Tuberous Begonias 101
New: Dahlias 101
February Introduction - February Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - February Garden Chores
Ask Amanda: Squirrels! - February Garden Stars - Plant Police
Seed Starting Success - Sowing Inside - Sowing Outside
February Lawn Care - Winter Pruning - Geraniums & Fuchsias - Winterhazel vs Chinese Witch Hazel
February Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Fragrant Winterhazel
When forsythias bloom you know spring is here - whoohoo!
February Intro
I was pleasantly surprised when 98% of my lavender seedlings sprouted. Wish I hadn't planted so many.
Despite the fact that it’s still winter outside, it’s time to set up the grow lights and make space for some serious seed sowing.
Every year I promise myself not to start too many, but I fail miserably. It all starts with a packet of seeds and the possibilities that lie within: all those yummy homegrown veggies and a garden filled with floral lovelies – ooooh! Alas, my imagination gets the better of me as my house becomes more of grow-op than a home. There are seedlings are in the kitchen, the guest bedroom and in my office. Grow lights shine on from morning well unto the evening and I am positively thrilled with all my babies. Watching a seed I’ve planted poke through the soil is so cool and quite addictive – for me anyway. It’s such a trip watching a seed become a seedling that matures into a something I can either eat, admire or both. It’s magic, pure magic! Cheers, Amanda Ask Amanda: Squirrels That run Amok!
This little squirrel doesn't need to dig up bulbs because theirs peanuts for the taking.
Question: Squirrels- drat them! It is only now in January, when my bulbs are just producing shoots, that the squirrels are digging them up. I obviously did not secure the mesh well enough as they dig under it. They are even digging down deep to my allium bulbs and leaving them exposed with no dirt on when they realize that "oh, I don't like alliums, I'll dig somewhere else and expose another set of bulbs and chew the tops off some crocus" Help please! Any suggestions? Sally
Answer: Hi Sally, sorry about your bulbs being dug up. Squirrels usually don’t like alliums, crocus and narcissus, which makes me think they are digging them up because they are really hungry. Here are a few options.
Prune Your Own Garden
Let Amanda show you how to prune your plants in your own garden.
REGISTER NOW!
If pruning your own plants seems a bit daunting, and you don't know where to start, Amanda will show you how in your own garden! Take the fear and uncertainty out of pruning your trees and shrubs. Your garden will thank you. For more information and to make an appointment click here. Should you Prune your Clematis Now?
Piilu clematis belongs to Group A and should be pruned immediately after flowering.
Clematis don't need to be pruned to flower, but many need taming. When to prune depends on whether it flowers on new or old stems. Click here for more.
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Amanda's Garden Blog & Features
A happy sight is a crocus announcing the beginning of spring.
Check out my blog and articles on my gardening experiments, trials. tribulations and excursions. Click on the items below to be directed to its page.
To subscribe to my blog click here.
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Lee Valley Tools Garden Seminars, Vancouver
Please register early to avoid disappointment. To purchase tickets call 604-261-2262
Location: 1180 South East Marine Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia
Location: 1180 South East Marine Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia
Gardening in the Spring
Thursday, March 19, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Spring is the busiest time of year in the garden. There are seeds to be sown and new plants to be put into beds and borders. Here is your chance to acquire some gardening wisdom before the season starts. Learn about dividing your plants, encouraging healthier plants and fertilizing, and get some tips on pruning.To purchase tickets call (604) 261-2262. Cost: $30. For more info click here.
Thursday, March 19, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Spring is the busiest time of year in the garden. There are seeds to be sown and new plants to be put into beds and borders. Here is your chance to acquire some gardening wisdom before the season starts. Learn about dividing your plants, encouraging healthier plants and fertilizing, and get some tips on pruning.To purchase tickets call (604) 261-2262. Cost: $30. For more info click here.
Garden Design Tips & Techniques
Saturday, April 4, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Turn your garden from drab to fab. This presentation discusses plant selection, creating a basic garden plan, and other key information to assist you in landscape design. Professional secrets on dealing with unsightly, difficult areas and reducing your garden maintenance will be revealed. Cost: $45.00. For more info click here.
Saturday, April 4, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Turn your garden from drab to fab. This presentation discusses plant selection, creating a basic garden plan, and other key information to assist you in landscape design. Professional secrets on dealing with unsightly, difficult areas and reducing your garden maintenance will be revealed. Cost: $45.00. For more info click here.
February Garden Stars
Dutch Crocus, Crocus vernus: low growing spring flowering corm in Feb, March, sun to part shade. Zones 3 to 8.
Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, spring bulb, 10", full sun to part shade. Plant in fall. Zones 3 to 7.
Dwarf iris, Iris reticulata, 3 to 5", sun to part shade, spring bulb planted in fall. Zones 5 to 8.
Winter Treasure Darley heath, Erica x darleyensis 'Winter Treasure', broadleaf evergreen groundcover, 16"-18", flowers Dec to April, sun to light shade. Zones 5 to 8.
Winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, spring bulb, 6", plant in fall, sun to part shade. Zones 3 to 7.
Variegated winter daphne, Daphne odora 'Aureo-marginata', broadleaf evergreen, 3 - 4' x 2 - 4', part shade, fragrant. Zones 7 to 9.
Winter camellia, Camellia sasanqua, broadleaf evergreen shrub, fragrant winter flowers, sun to part shade, 6’ to 14’ x 5’ to 7’. Zones 7 to 9.
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Cotton Candy lenten rose, Helleborus x hybridus 'Cotton Candy', herbaceous evergreen perennial, 18" x 2', part shade to shade. Zones 4-8.
Viburnum tinus, laurustinus, broadleaf evergreen shrub, 6-12’ tall & wide, clusters of white flowers Feb to April, metallic blue berries. Zones 7 to 9.
Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis, 10'-15', fragrant flowers Jan to March, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 8.
Himalayan sweetbox, Sarcococca confusa, broadleaf evergreen, 2-5' x 2-6', part shade to shade, fragrant flowers, black berries. Zones 6 to 8.
Lily-of-the-valley shrub, Pieris japonica, broadleaf evergreen, sun to part shade, 9–12’ x 6–8’. Zones 5 to 8.
Japanese skimmia, Skimmia japonica, broadleaf evergreen, 3-4' x 4'-5', fragrant flowers, red berries on female plants, shade. Zones 6 to 8.
Charity Oregon grape, Mahonia x media 'Charity', broadleaf evergreen shrub, 10’x5’, sun to part shade. Zones 7 to 9.
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February PLANT COMBO
Ornamental kale and English daisies.
This ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) is celebrating its second year as it stretches to support airy trusses of yellow flowers. Kale is a biennial, which means it only produces foliage the first year and flowers the second, then dies. At its feet are a nice thick row of English daisies, Bellis perennis. This grouping works well together as they both enjoy full sun and flower in early spring.
plant police
Sandbags do not make a retaining wall!
Sandbags work as a temporary fix to stop erosion on this narrow, steep bed. The solution is to use blocks, bricks or even wood where the pavement begins. It should be high enough to stop any erosion. Fill in with soil for a nice little planting area that you can actually use.
Seed Starting Success
To grow sturdy healthy plants provide them with extra lighting for 12 to 16 hours
Green thumbs are not born, they are made so if you’ve had mixed results or no success starting plants from seed, hopefully these tips will help pave the way to a success. First off, don't be hard on yourself: no one, no matter how green their thumb is, has 100% successful germination. To learn how to grow robust healthy plants from seed, click here.
Timing is Everything Sow the following seeds indoors now to plant outside in March or April: Veg: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, kale, leeks, lettuce, Swiss chard, fennel, leek, onions, parsley, artichoke Flowers: pansies, columbine, sea holly, Joe-Pye weed, lobelia, sweet peas Sow the following seeds indoors now to plant outside in mid April at the earliest: Veg: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, strawberries Herbs: basil, cilantro, lavender, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme Flowers: hollyhocks, delphinium, English daisy, gaillardia, snapdragons, cone flower, black-eyed-Susan, foxglove, globe thistle, sunflowers, violets, zinnias, wax petunias, begonia, coleus, petunia For more information on how to set up your seed starting station check out Growing Seeds Indoors. Sow Outside
Soak pea seeds for a couple of hours until they plump up to hasten germination.
Sow cool season crops when the conditions are right: a handful of soil shouldn’t drip water when squeezed and soil temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees F). Check seed packets when to plant and other pertinent instructions. *Cool season crops include peas, celeriac, spinach, leeks, lettuce, cauliflower, onions, cabbage, kale and chard. (You can also start them inside if slugs and snails are a problem). For more information on sowing seeds outdoors (direct seeding) click here.
Lawns:
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February Garden ChoresClick on any green items below to be redirected.
Spray fruit trees and other insect and disease prone woody trees & shrubs.
Kill Overwintering Insects & Diseases: Apply dormant oil & lime sulfur combo before leaves and flowers appear. Dormant oil kits are available at garden centers and home hardware stores. Read more.
Frost protective covers are needed for early flowering plants when frost is predicted.
Frost Protection: As plants emerge from their winter sleep, freezing temperatures may injure tender and early flowering plants such as camellias and dogwoods. Watch for severe frost, especially at night. Protect vulnerable plants with layers of burlap or other breathable fabric.
Plant Flowers: Plant pansies, primrose, potted flowering spring bulbs and other early flowering plants in garden beds and planters. Check your local nurseries for their floral selection. Plant: As soon as the ground can be worked (squeeze a handful of soil should drip water when squeezed), sow broad beans, kohlrabi, raspberry canes, onions, shallots, lettuce, spinach, peas, Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, asparagus crowns, radishes, roses, shrubs and trees. Bare-root trees & shrubs: plant as soon as possible. Place in a bucket of lukewarm water and transplanting fertilizers and allow to soak for 8 to 12 hours, then plant in their permanent location. Water with the remaining diluted hormone solution from the bucket. Add more if necessary. 
Spring Bulbs: Watch out for bulbs poking out of the ground when walking through the garden. Release any trapped ones that are wound up in fall leaves.
Perennials: Divide overcrowded perennials just as they start to grow. Replant or pot them up to pass on to friends or sell them. Select ones that bloom from mid-summer to fall in spring, preferably before new growth starts and when the soil isn’t dripping wet. This includes astilbes, bee balm (Monarda), cone flowers (Echinacea, Rudbeckia), coral bells (Heuchera), tickseed (Coreopsis), pinks & carnations (Dianthus) and ornamental grasses.
Prepare spuds before planting next month by chitting.
Potatoes: Prepare seed spuds by chitting them first. Place seed potatoes in egg trays. Place the end with the most eyes facing up. Once the eyes start to grow, leave 3 or 4 of the strongest and rub off the smallest. Once the ground can be worked, plant them outside in a foot apart in a 6 inch deep trench. As the plants grow, pull up the soil around the bottom of the stems. Continue to add soil to the stems as they grow. Potatoes also grow well in containers and grow bags, so treat yourself!
Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia): Cut off all stems to only 6 inches. Cut just above an outward facing bud. If you want a taller plant, don’t cut back so hard.
Cover Crops: Dig in cover crops (crimson clover or annual rye) this month or March, when soil isn’t dripping wet. Don’t remove them from the beds as you want them to decompose and replenish the soil.
Winter Pansies: remove spent flowers to prolong their flowering. Gutters, Drains & Catch Basins: Keep them free from debris to allow water to drain more freely. 
​Slug & Snails: Protect plants, especially seedlings and new plants, with copper mesh, slug bait or hand pick them on rainy days and during the evening. Pop them in a cup full of salty water them discard.
Dandelions: Dig down and remove asap before they go into flower and spread their seeds.
Weed: Get them while they are still weak. If you see their seedlings popping up, use a hoe or cultivator to dislodge them. If they are big enough to gather, do so and discard. For horsetail control click here. Kill Weed Seeds: Apply corn gluten meal (organic product that also contains nitrogen) to kill weed seeds in lawns and beds before they germinate. Don’t apply to areas where you have sown desirable seeds. 
Birds: Clean bird houses and feeders and make sure they have fresh food and water.
Dead plants? We've still got a ways to go before winter is over so hold off hauling them out of the garden. There might be life left in them yet. The thermal heat of the earth keeps plant roots warm so while the top of a plant may show little or no signs of life, the plant may very well be alive. If they haven’t sported new growth by mid-March, then it is time to toss them.
Hellebores, Lenten roses: Remove brown spotted diseased leaves from plants and discard. Refrain from using as a mulch and don't compost.
Frost: Avoid touching and walking on plants when they are frozen, this includes walking on lawns.
Lawn Mowers: Service, sharpen and clean blades. Lawns: If the soil is too cold and too wet wait until March for aerating, liming and top dressing lawns with compost. It is way too early to apply a high nitrogen fertilizer (the first number on fertilizer labels) as frost will damage any new growth. Clean Tools Etc.: Clean and disinfect used pots, drainage trays, label and all surfaces in the greenhouse. Clean all tools and sharpen where necessary. Icy Paths & Driveways: Refrain from using salt on paths as it injures lawns and plants, and contaminates soil. Use sand or a ‘green’ alternative that is non-toxic to plants, soil and animals. Plan: If you haven’t already done so, start planning veggie garden etc. 
Cloches work well to warm things up and to keep insects at bay.
Cloches: To warmup the soil place a cloche over the bed. Once seeds and/plants are planted, the cloche will protect them from light frosts and from flying insects such as carrot rust fly, cabbage moth and leaf miner. Cloches are easily made with wire hoops, PVC, hula hoops and covered with spun bonded polyester (Remay) that allows air and water through.
Compost Prep
It's time to tend to the compost.
Turn the compost and put the less decomposed material from the outside of the heap to the middle. Add some water to moisten the mix then cover. If it’s too wet, added shredded newspaper or fall leaves if you have any remaining. In a couple of weeks it should be ready to the garden. Sift it first to remove any non-decomposed material and place them back in the compost pile or bin to begin again.
Tuberous Begonias
New sprouts indicate that tuberous begonias are ready for spring.
Stored Tuberous Begonias: Check on them to make sure they are intact and healthy. Discard rotten ones and water dry ones. If they have started to sprout, repot and add a slow release granular fertilizer, water and place in a sunny window. Don’t place outside until all the danger of frost has passed. For more on tuberous begonias click here.
Dahlias
Plant stored dahlia tubers in pots when they start to sprout.
The earlier dahlias are potted up, the sooner they will flower. Start them in February and March and don’t delay if they have already sprouted.
There's lots to learn about growing beautiful dahlias, the different flower types, staking, how to store them over winter, check out the new article on Dahlias. February Arrangement
Lenten rose, winter heath and
snowdrops.
The long pink flower clusters throughout are winter heath (Erica carnea). The large light pink and maroon flowers with golden stamens are lenten roses (Helleborus x hybridus). The drooping white blossoms at the front are snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).
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February Plant of the month
Fragrant WinterHazel, Corylopsis glabrescens
Fragrant winter hazel flowers attract hummingbirds.
A fragrant winter hazel flowers on bare stems in February and March.
These woody shrubs feature many clusters of hanging yellow blossoms.
Blossoms of the fragrant winterhazel, Corylopsis glabrescens.
Buttercup winterhazel, Corylopsis pauciflora.
Buttercup winterhazel, Corylopsis pauciflora.
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Common Name: fragrant winterhazel
Botanical Name: Corylopsis glabrescens Form: multi-stemmed upright, vase shape Family: Hamamelidaceae Genus: Corylopsis Species: glabrescens Plant Type: deciduous shrub Mature Size: 8 to 15 feet tall and wide Growth: medium Origin: Japan, Korea Hardiness Zone: Foliage: simple, ovate, 2”to 4” long, cordate base, dentate leaf margins, pubescent, dark green summer, gold to yellow in autumn Flowers: 1½ ” long flower clusters (racemes), fragrant, yellow in February and March Fruit: not showy dehiscent capsule Stems: alternate leaf arrangement, brown thin stems that zigzag along branches Exposure: full sun to light shade Soil: moist, acidic, well-drained Uses: winter interests, fragrance, massing, borders, foundation plant, woodlands, hummingbirds Propagation: seeds, cuttings Pruning: after flowering Problems: late frost damage flower buds Comments: Protect from intense afternoon sun and strong winds. They benefit with a 3 inch layer of mulch around the plant, but not against the stems. Water in the summer. Winterhazels offer delightful fragrance, and butter yellow flowers that provide heavenly nectar to hummingbirds when there’s not much out there. They are a positive delight to see and smell during the dark days of winter. During the summer, they still look good with their zigzag stems, appealing shape and simple foliage that turns a brilliant yellow to gold in fall. These are well-behaved plants with little issues, no diseases or bugs. Their only problem is the flowers may become damaged with heavy frost. Another fragrant wonderful winter flowering winterhazel is the buttercup winterhazel (C. pauciflora). This dainty shrub bears smaller flowers and leaves on plants that are only 4-6' tall by 6-8'. It is vase shaped that becomes flat topped with age. It’s very cute. 
Buttercup winterhazel, Corylopsis pauciflora.
Buttercup winterhazel, Corylopsis pauciflora
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Winterhazel versus Witch Hazel
Buttercup winterhazel, Corylopsis pauciflora.
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Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis
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Their common names are similar, both are deciduous shrubs, both flower on leafless stems during winter into early spring. An easy way to tell them apart is their flowers as they are totally different. Winterhazel (Corylopsis) blossom are a soft yellow and bell-shaped that hang in drooping clusters. Winterhazel stems are arranged on the plant in a zigzag pattern.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) flowers resemble spiders with long thin petals. Size and colour depend on the variety. Witch hazels grow much larger than winterhazels, up to 20 feet.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) flowers resemble spiders with long thin petals. Size and colour depend on the variety. Witch hazels grow much larger than winterhazels, up to 20 feet.
Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis
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Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis
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Need Help?
Need help figuring what to do in your garden? Make an appointment for Amanda to come to your garden to show you how to grow food, sow seeds, prune, design beds etc. Need help trying to figure out how to get the garden ready for spring? Get Amanda to teach you the ropes by making an appointment here.
Job Postings
For landscapers looking for work and landscape companies looking to hire.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
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Container Growing 101Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction Mulching & Types Introduction |
for the tropical Gardener
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here.
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