As we welcome in February the weather is its usual mix of cold, warm and showery, nevertheless there's lots to start doing on the garden. You'll find this month's list of what to do at the bottom of this post.
SNOWDROP LOVE February is traditionally the month when snowdrops appear and they are already in hedgrows around Colyton. One of my favourites, is the beautiful double snowdrop (Galanthus Nivalis - Flore Pleno) which I remember from my childhood.
Snowdrops are best bought ‘in the green’, but do ensure that they are obtained from a reputable source.
Be Kind to birds
This month we continue to be in the 'hungry gap' where birds find it quite difficult to find food. Be kind to our feathered friends and help them in your garden with bird feeders and water supplies. We've got plenty of great products for birds in our Barn (opposite the main shop) should you need anything.
The Peat Free Debate
You may already be aware of the great debate over peat free composts. All retailers of compost that contain peat products, are banned from selling them now. I have spent many hours researching the best way forward for us to move to a peat free alternative that does not contain coir (a by-product of the coconut industry, which is great, but it has to be shipped in a container from the tropics with all the associated emissions of diesel ships, which to me is not a sustainable solution).
We are now stocking RocketGro who are based on a farm near Bridgewater. They grow the essential ingredients there; put them into an anaerobic digester to compost them down by natural microbes. This produces biogas which is used to power the farm and around 8,000 other homes per day. The digestate is then used as the core ingredient for all the products or returned to the land to feed the soil for the next crop. Completely organic, 100% child, pet and even worm safe and totally free of animal products and a natural and sustainable cycle.
This enables us gardeners to embrace the importance of soil health (healthy soil = healthy plants), leading to better flowers and greater yields of vegetables and fruit. The packaging is also fully recyclable and made from 30% recycled materials. I hope you will agree with me that providing a locally grown, harvested, sourced and manufactured product is the best move forward to a peat free solution. If you would like some more information, please ask in the Shop.
Sue
THINGS TO DO IN FEBRUARY
Try to avoid walking on the lawn if it is frosty or covered in snow as this will kill the grass beneath.
Top up the food and water supplies for garden birds on a regular basis. Water is especially important if we have a cold spell. Support a container on bricks with a tea light underneath to keep it from icing up.
PRUNE
Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering.
If summer-flowering shrubs flowered on new wood, prune them back to promote new growth in the Spring.
Prune hardy evergreen trees and shrubs.
Prune jasmine and later-summer-flowering clematis.
Top-dress or re-pot shrubs in containers.
Prune off old stems of herbaceous perennials.
PLANT, MULCH & FEED
Continue planting fruit trees and bushes.
Mulch fruit trees after feeding. Use chipped bark or good garden compost.
If newly planted trees and shrubs have been lifted by frost firm them back into the ground. Mulch with chipped bark to suppress weeds and keep them warm.
Apply organic-based fertilisers such as well-rotted manure to mature, permanent beds.
Start dahlia tubers into growth by nestling into trays of moist compost. Once shoots are 3” tall they can be taken as cuttings to increase stock.
Divide and re-plant snowdrops once they have finished flowering and setting seed.
Prepare seedbeds for vegetables (only if the ground is not waterlogged).
Lime vegetable plots if necessary. Remember to rotate your plots annually to prevent disease.
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO….
Cut back overgrown shrubs and hedges before the nesting season starts.
Finish pruning fruit such as raspberries and gooseberries. Mulch with organic matter and they will love you for it!
GET IN FRONT….
Make sure that hanging baskets, pots and seed trays are clean.
Check your stocks of pots, compost and labels.
Check tools, equipment and plant supports are sound.
Get tools such as mower blades, spades and hoes sharpened for the coming season. We have a regular sharpening service, so call us and we can let you know when the next visit is due.
FIND US AT : King Street, Colyton, Devon EX24 6LF Email: info@colytongardenshop.co.uk
Tel: 01297 551113
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