February

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Make a list of herbs you often use and plan the garden to include them. For more information,see our fact sheet on this topic.

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Use only sterile seed starting mix.

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Start seeds of slow growing annuals such as ageratum, sweet alyssum, browallia, geranium, petunia, annual phlox, snapdragon, lobelia and verbena. For more information, see our fact sheet on this topic.

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Look your orchids over carefully before new growth starts. Repot if necessary. Orchids need excellent drainage. For more information, see our fact sheet on this topic.

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Have your trees professionally pruned.

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Look for leaf drop on house plants - use room temperature water. For more information, see our common houseplant troubles fact sheet and our symptoms chart.

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Monitor your hemlocks for hemlock woolly adelgid. For more information, see our fact sheet on this topic.

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Bulbs and fall-planted perennials may heave out of the ground. Press back into the ground.

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If you see cankers on rose canes, prune out infected canes and disinfect cutting tool between cuts. For more information on rose pruning, see our fact sheet. For more information on rose problems, see our fact sheet.

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Sharpen mower blades and other cutting tools.

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This is a good time to prune summer flowering shrubs whose buds develop in the spring. For more information, fact sheet.

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Try to refrain from pruning "bleeder" trees now. These include Maple, Beech, Dogwood, Elm, and Sycamore. Wait until they are in full leaf.

Last updated June 29, 2021