What to do in your garden in February

Planting

Blueberries - These healthful berries come on plants pretty enough to grow as shrubs, hedges, or container specimens. Potted plants are available this month. Before planting, amend the soil generously with peat moss to raise soil pH. Or grow in a container filled with an azalea-camellia planting mix.

Rabbitproof color - There are, believe it or not, flowering plants that rabbits dislike. If bunnies are eating most of your blossoms, try growing these plants: agapanthus, catmint, daylilies, gazanias, lantana, pelargonium, penstemon, salvia, society garlic and vinca.

Maintenance

Dormant pruning - Before new growth emerges, prune deciduous fruit and ornamental trees, grape and wisteria vines, roses, and woody summer-blooming shrubs such as butterfly bush and Mexican Bush Sage. Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs such as azaleas and camellias until after bloom. Don’t prune hibiscus or other subtropicals; it’s still too cold to encourage new growth.

Fertilize - Feed groundcovers, shrubs, perennials, trees, and other permanent plants with a slow-release fertilizer such as bonemeal, cottonseed meal, or well-rotted manure to provide gradual nutrition throughout the season. Or scatter a granular complete fertilizer. Also feed cool-season lawns such as Marathon fescue.

Pests and Diseases

Manage ants on citrus - To keep aphids, mealybugs, and other sucking insects under control on citrus trees, stop the ants that feed on the aphids’ honeydew. To keep trees free of ants, wrap the lower trunk with a thick strip of cloth, cover the cloth with plastic wrap, then apply a sticky pest barrier such as Tanglefoot Pest Barrier. Renew the plastic and the coating every few weeks.

Stop weeds - To prevent weed seeds from germinating, apply a pre-emergent herbicide to flower beds and mixed borders. Also apply pre-emergent to turfgrass to prevent the emergence of crabgrass and other weeds.

Tips for all seasons

Annuals and Perennials

The general category of perennials encompasses plants with widely varying habits of growth, but all have at least one thing in common: they live for more than two years, in contrast to annuals, which complete their life cycle within one year. Some perennials die down to the ground at the end of each growing season, then reappear at the start of the next.

Before setting out annuals or perennials, you will want to prepare a planting bed. Good soil preparation is essential.

Begin by eliminating weeds. Then loosen the soil with a shovel; it should be slightly damp when you work it, not wet or bone-dry. Dig down 12 inches if you can, breaking up clods, and removing stones as you go.

Spread a 3 to 4 inch layer of organic matter over the area (our LGM Planting Mix/Mulch is excellent) Also add a balanced fertilizer at this time. Osmocote slow release or Marathon 15-15-15 is best. Follow directions on the label. Incorporate all amendments evenly into the soil and then level bed with a rake.

Cool Season - Plant cool season annuals in the Fall and through the Winter. Pansy, Primrose, Calendula, CA Poppy, Sweet pea, Snapdragon.

Warm Season - Plant warm season annuals starting in May. Marigold, Zinnia, Petunia, Cosmos, Salvia, Impatiens.