February

Lawns
If necessary give the lawn a high cut, when it is dry and windy.

Begin digging over and levelling areas intended for seeding or turfing in April.

Pruning and Training
The large-flowering summer clematis need pruning now. Those which flower in early summer and again later only need a tidy up and the removal of any dead stems. Those which flower in late summer only can be cut hard down to knee high. Don't worry that you may lose some new shoots at the top in the process. The more rampant spring-flowering Clematis montana should be left alone just now. Cut back last year's long wands of wisteria to 2-3 buds, and tie in any new stems required to fill spaces.

Prune roses according to their type. As a rule of thumb, prune hybrid tea roses hard, go more gently on the taller floribunda or cluster roses, and just tidy up and thin old fashioned shrub roses.

Check the ties on wall-trained shrubs such as ceanothus and chaenomeles, before they start to grow again.

Flowers
Divide snowdrops and winter aconites now, while the leaves are green or even if they are in flower. Split them into groups of 1-20 bulbs for a natural effect, and remember they are as happy in grass as in bare soil. No need to water them in. They will pick up again in a few days.

Gardeners with a heated greenhouse or conservatory can begin to sow the first bedding plants now, starting with the ones which are slow to germinate and grow on, like begonias and lobelia. For most gardeners relying on poorly-lit window sills it is still far too early to start sowing.

Divide soft perennials which will come into leaf early, before they can wilt too much. E.g. pulmonarias, brunnera, doronicum, and Euphorbia griffithi.

Kitchen Garden
Run a hoe through any early weed seedlings, for a clean start to the season.

Under glass you can start to make the first sowings of lettuce and radishes.

Time to give any granular feeds required to apple, pear and plum trees.

Buy seed potatoes ready for sprouting.

What to do when is brought to you in association with