With the promise of spring in the air, February is a great time to spend more time outside in the garden. Although the nights can still be cold, the days are getting warmer and it is an ideal time of year to get stuck into some pruning.

Roses are on the pruning priority list at the moment. Hybrid tea and floribunda roses flower on the new year’s growth, so can be pruned quite hard and actually be better off for it. Always cut just above a new bud – I usually start with removing any damaged, dead or diseased stems and then tackle the crossing branches. The end result should aim to roughly resemble the shape of a hollow goblet, but a well-balanced ball of stems can be just as pleasing.

Shrub roses require a little less finesse and trimming these with a hedge cutter or a sharp pair of garden shears can prove effective and efficient.

February is also a great time to prune elder and buddleias. These also flower on new growth, so the harder it is pruned, the more it will be stimulated to produce new growth and thus have a greater display of flowers.

Deciduous grasses left standing over winter can now be cut to the ground before the new shoots begin to grow. Evergreen grasses are not cut back but combed through with a rake or your fingers to remove the majority of old growth that should come away quite easily. Pampas grass can now be cut right down to a low mound to offer more light to the emerging new growth.

Prepare now for a spring harvest

February is a good time to get going in the veg garden too. You can begin chitting potatoes and sowing broad beans inside, and once the soil warms up these can be transferred outside for a spring harvest. Autumn fruiting raspberries should be pruned now – cut the old canes right down to the ground to give the emerging new shoots the best chance to get going and be strong enough to support the crop later in the year.

Looking after your garden’s wildlife

The majority of the wildlife in your garden will either be still hibernating or clinging around your bird feeders, so do keep those topped up. But on the warmer, sunny days, bumble bees may venture out. To ensure they have something to feed on, you could consider buying some potted crocuses or primroses as they are a vital source of nectar for the early risers.

The birds may be starting to display some courtship rituals later in the month, so if there’s a space calling out for a new nest box, put it up now so they
can familiarise themselves with it before they begin making their nests.