In February, it's almost the last straight line before the thaw:the days are getting longer little by little and it's time to get back to gardening. While waiting for spring, we can already start sowing, planting, transplanting...
On frost-free days, it is quite possible to indulge in this "re-starting" work - weeding, cleaning, cuttings etc. – to prepare for the return of sunny days.
In privileged regions, you can start sowing beans from the end of February! Sheltered from the weather, arranged under frames in deep buckets, you can harvest your first vegetables towards the end of April. Patience... Otherwise, it's also time to plant your asparagus (sandy soil) as well as the pink garlic and the shallot; Be careful, the latter prefer soils with little humidity. Push the bulbs in with your finger, respecting a gap of 15 cm between each plant.
On the fruit side, consider treating stone fruit trees (peaches, apricots, nectarines) against leaf curl and pruning your apple and pear trees. Finish with light hoeing at the foot of the trees, to aerate the soil.
We can continue planting perennials, and above all, do some cleaning:remove the blackened leaves on your hellebores, bergénias and brunneras. Snip the grasses out using a hand shear. This is also the time to sow cobes, these charming climbing plants (in a terrine, warm); once germinated, they can be installed in place at the end of April. At the same time, remember to clean your sowing equipment – buckets, terrines…
But back to our perennials; do not jostle the bulbs already in place, nor the flowers which are beginning to pierce:they are still fragile. Divide the feet that have become too large using a spade fork.
It's high season for planting bare-root roses, as long as it's not freezing. Prune the shrubs that flower in summer:tamarisk, buddleia… Remove the withered ends and old stems of your hydrangeas, cut the tamarisk (and other small spring trees). Finally, prune your roses:leave few branches, each with 3 or 4 beautiful buds. Clean up dead wood as you go.
During the winter, your compost pile has inevitably mixed up and no longer looks like anything:all the dry winter debris on top and, packed below, the material harvested since autumn. It is time to "raise the pile":to do this, remove the upper dry part (twigs, dead leaves); when you reach decomposed organic matter, take it out and dispose of it in a wheelbarrow. Shovel and spread it immediately on your perennial beds. Then take care of the dry matter:you have to crush all the twigs, raise the pile in layers and water (if necessary, add compost activator); let ferment. Stir evenly after 3 weeks.
