Gardening

Laidback Gardening: What to Do in February?

In February, gardeners in the northern hemisphere don’t have much to do other than fill bird feeders or, from time to time, cut branches broken by wind and snow. In fact, a thick layer of snow can help us reach branches inaccessible in summer, provided we’re wearing snowshoes. This forced pause affects us all differently. For some, it’s a good moment of rest; for others, it’s boredom.

Contemplation and Preparation

For those who take a more relaxed approach to gardening, February is a time for contemplation and quiet preparation. Instead of rushing into laborious tasks, they take advantage of the arrival of seed catalogs to dream about their future gardening projects. Leafing through these catalogs (or websites) from the comfort of their favorite armchair, they can visualize the lush gardens that will take shape when spring arrives.

Even laidback gardeners use this time to reflect on the successes and failures of the past year. This reflection makes it easier to plan for the next season without stress, by adopting new techniques or trying out different varieties, while savouring the slow pace of winter.

Of course, some days the urge to get back to the soil can be strong, but it’s important to remember that patience is also a virtue in gardening. This urge can be satisfied by indulging in simple activities, such as indoor gardening, which don’t require much effort, but bring great satisfaction.

For example, growing microgreens and caring for houseplants are perfect ways to stay connected to nature without too much effort. However, we have to be careful not to start our seedlings too soon or over-water our houseplants, simply because we’re bored!

Maybe, Eventually…

As for me, I’m still taking advantage of all the joys winter has to offer: winter sports, walks in the woods, ice fishing… After all, there’s nothing wrong with a little downtime! All the same, I’m taking the opportunity to read a few good gardening books, dreaming about maybe, eventually, starting to think about planning my garden for this summer. But for those of you who just can’t wait, I’ve got a few ideas of things for you to do!

Seedlings

Photo : pixabay
  1. Sow plants that like an early start: The indoor sowing season starts mainly in March… and so much the better, because the light reaching our seedlings is low in early February, so they almost necessarily have to be sown under a horticultural lamp to be successful. Here are a few seedlings that appreciate an early start.
  2. Planning indoor seedlings for spring: This is a good time to think about the seedlings you’ll want to start indoors this winter and spring. Don’t wait too long!
  3. Prepare your sowing calendar: You can do this on graph paper or in a spreadsheet on the computer.
  4. Organize your seeds: Before buying seeds at your local seed festival, sort through the ones you already have and find a way to organize them, like a seed binder.
  5. Clean your pots and containers: Wash and disinfect your pots to prevent disease during your next planting.
  6. Cold-treat your seeds as needed: many seeds require a period of cold before germination, from 2 weeks to 4 months, notably most temperate-climate trees and shrubs, but also many perennials and even some annuals. This treatment is called “vernalization”, “cold stratification” or “cold treatment”. Normally, we start the treatment in January or February, so as to have plants to transplant in the garden in spring.
  7. Perform a germination test: Most seeds can germinate for at least 2-3 years after harvest, and some can remain good for 7 years or more. A few weeks before the sowing date, perform a germination test.

Ornamental Gardens

Forced forsythia branches.
  1. Reflections on landscaping: Take advantage of the slower season to think about any improvements or changes you’d like to make to your garden this spring.
  2. Prepare a plan of your garden: Sketch plans by hand or on the computer.
  3. Force branches for an early spring: Spring can’t come soon enough for you? Well, you can “force” twigs from spring-flowering trees and shrubs to bring extrahasty blooms into your home. The technique is useful for all spring-flowering trees and shrubs, such as willows, forsythias, serviceberries, magnolias, ornamental almonds and fruit trees. They can be forced as soon as their buds start to swell. They also bloom very quickly when forced, often within a week.

Houseplants

Photo : Karolina Grabowska 
  1. Houseplant care: Make sure your plants get enough light. Adapt watering: some plants need less water in winter, but dry air can increase their requirements. Reduce or stop fertilization during this period.
  2. Increase atmospheric humidity: Place a humidifier near plants sensitive to dry conditions caused by indoor heating. But don’t overdo it! This can cause condensation.
  3. Pest detection: Inspect leaves and soil regularly for insect pests, which can proliferate in winter.
  4. Care for Christmas plants: Place them in a well-lit environment, away from draughts and heat sources. Water moderately, only when the soil surface is dry.
  5. Prune your hibiscus: If you’ve had a Chinese pink hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in your home since early winter, it’s time to give it a good trim. Pruning it in late February or March will stimulate it to produce more flowers over the summer, while keeping its often exuberant growth under control.
  6. Experiment with microgreens: Grow microgreens on a windowsill for quick and easy nutrition.
  7. Take cuttings from your houseplants: As winter draws to a close, under the influence of the increasingly long days, the growth of our houseplants begins, or else it will begin very soon. The best time to take cuttings is usually between mid-February and the end of August.

Other

Photo : Aaron J Hill
  1. Clean and store tools: If you haven’t already done so, December is a good time to clean, sharpen and store your gardening tools so they’re ready for the next season.
  2. Bird feeder maintenance: February is National Bird Feeding Month in the U.S., but this concept also applies to Canadian gardeners. It coincides with the most difficult time of the year for birds in the Northern Hemisphere. By this time, they have used up most of the fat reserves built up over the summer and autumn to survive the winter. Finding enough food becomes a real challenge. Installing a bird feeder in your garden can make a big difference to their survival.
  3. Check your stored bulbs and tubers: inspect stored bulbs (such as dahlias or gladioli) and tubers for signs of rot or desiccation.
  4. Start indoor composting: Try vermicomposting to produce homemade compost over winter.

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Mathieu manages the jardinierparesseux.com and laidbackgardener.blog websites. He is also a garden designer for a landscaping company in Montreal, Canada. Although he loves contributing to the blog, he prefers fishing.

1 comment on “Laidback Gardening: What to Do in February?

  1. Laurie Macdonald

    Thank you for the reminder to check stored bulbs & tubers ! Last year for the first time I stored some of my white & lemon geraniums bare root in paper bags, I had about a 70% success rate so I am curious to how they are doing this year !

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