Here are the things to do for your garden in February!
Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information!
February 2022:
Here are the things that you should have done before we had all the snow. Just in case we get a mild spell and some rain to wash away the snow, here are a few things you still can do.
- There is now lots of snow cover. But if we get a February Melt and the snow goes away, mound up all the available snow and any new snow that falls, around tender plants like roses. If you have a few branches left from your Christmas tree, put them over tender plants to catch the snow. It is the freeze/thaw that kills plants, not just the cold. The snow is wonderful insulation!
- Start planning your garden projects for 2022. Make a list for the Spring, then you will know what you didn’t get done when you check it in June. I have mine done and I am tired already. A garden is never finished!
- If you have a few tulip or daffodil bulbs that did not get into the ground last fall, pot them up now, put them in an unheated garage or shed for 6 weeks and bring them inside to bloom.
- If you can find a store with narcissus bulbs, buy 5 or 6 and put them in a shallow dish, or a tall narrow glass vase on top of gravel and keep the gravel wet. You should have spring bloom in 3 to 4 weeks.
- Start propagating stem cuttings of geraniums, fuchias, etc. by the end of the month.
- Plant slow-germinating seeds inside, like impatiens, peppers, eggplants, etc.
- As the weather warms, you can start pruning shade trees, fruit trees and shrubs, if you can get to them through the snow. Leave trees that “bleed” like maples and birch until after they have leaves.
- Visit local nursery greenhouses to smell the coming of spring. Stop by the Garden Gallery just west of Barrie on Hwy 91 on the way to Angus just to inhale the SPRING.
- You can AGAIN forget about the big garden shows like Canada Blooms and the Peterborough Garden show this spring. They have all been cancelled because of COVID. Think Spring 2023.
John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Beaver Valley Probus Club