February Gardening and Landscaping Tips

Despite the massive amounts of snow we have received within the last week, today we will be talking about some gardening tips for the month of February. It is never too late to start preparing for spring and lightening your to do list for the warmer weather!

Prepare Yourself

Do inventory and order seeds:

Be sure to check your seed supplies. The earlier you order your seeds the better the selection will be! Do not forget to plan for your fall plantings as well! 

Inspect and maintain your tools:

Get ahead of the game by sharpening your cutting and digging tools now. For any sharpening jobs that you cannot do, take your tools to a local hardware store that offers blade sharpening. Make sure your power tools are running as they should be.

Review your gardening supplies:

There are other items to think about other than seeds and plants! Purchase your potting soil, weed cloth, mulch, plant markers, frost blankets, and other supplies that may be running low.

Toss the trash:

Inspect any tubers, roots, or corms you stored for winter. Compost any that are growing mold or going soft. 

Prepare Your Yard

• Pick a warm day to prune your landscape plants. Remove any dead or damaged branches. Thin any plants with heavily branched interiors.
• Do not prune shrubs or trees that flower in the spring until after they bloom. If you prune them to early, you will be cutting off the blossoms!
• Do not prune oaks and walnuts until July to help avoid wilt disease.
• Some trees will bleed sap profusely if pruned in the spring. It doesn’t harm the tree, but it will make a mess. Wait to prune maple, birch and dogwood trees until early summer.