We are in the hottest month of the year and there is much to do in the garden. However, before you grab your sunhat, weeding tools, and watering can, do take some time to enjoy the fruits of your labour and to delight in summer's bounty!
This month in the garden you will be focussing most of your efforts towards protecting your garden and crops against the summer's heat. Mulching is most definitely at the top of the list. Dig into the article below for more garden to-dos to check off your list this month.
Garden tasks to take care of in February:
MUST dos in the garden this month:
- Keep your plants protected from the heat by topping up mulch where needed.
Not sure what mulch is? Dig into the article below to learn more.
- Take softwood cuttings of Fuchsia, Pelargonium, Felicia, Osteospermum, Lavender, Rosemary, Begonia and Verbena.
- Agapanthus is the star of the midsummer garden show. Be sure to plant late-flowering hybrids to extend the flowering season.
- Keep an eye open for the flowering Silk Floss Tree this month.
General tasks
- Effective watering is crucial - walk through your irrigation system weekly and inspect for leaks or blockages in fine sprinklers; water only evenings or early mornings; prioritise the thirstiest plants and only water them.
- Keep on top of weeding!
- Mow lawns weekly to make lovely soft picnic areas, and feed with organic fertiliser or granular fertilizer (2:3:2, 3:1:5).
- To sustain healthy summer growth, feed your garden with slow-releasing organic plant fertilisers.
- Keep things neat and groomed by pruning shrubs and plants that grow oh too joyfully.
- Feed and disbud dahlias if you want large blooms, and stake if necessary. Read more about caring for dahlias in the article below.
- If Hydrangeas are past their best, remove weak stems and deadhead.
- Deadhead annuals regularly, feed fortnightly with liquid manure and keep them well-watered, especially during dry spells.
- Plant annuals like Calendulas, Vincas, Verbenas, Sage, and Portulaca to add instant colour to your late summer flower beds.
- Plant indigenous bulbs like Lachenalia (Cape cowslip), Veltheimia (Forest lily) and Amaryllis belladonna (March lily).
- If you want to propagate Agapanthus from seed, remove the seedheads, collect the tiny back seeds when ripe and sow in seed trays.
Rose care
- Feed roses at the end of the month to prepare for the autumn flush.
- If you haven't done it in January, give your roses a light summer pruning before autumn's flush.
- Maintain a thick mulch and water deeply and regularly.
Tip | When watering, ensure that you keep water off the leaves as a preventative measure against mildew and black spot.
- Read more about caring for your roses this month in the article below.
Food garden
- Harvest early morning and late afternoon - picking and harvesting will stimulate growth.
Tip | harvest excess vegetables and herbs to freeze, bottle or preserve for the winter days ahead.
- Continue to feed summer vegetables that are still producing good crops.
- Feed winter crop seedlings like cabbage, broccoli and Brussel sprouts with a fertilizer high in nitrogen.
- Lift mature potatoes and harvest garlic cloves before the leaves turn yellow.
- Cut back artichokes to encourage growth for next season's crop.
- Remove vegetables that are past their best and start preparing the soil for winter planting.
- Keep your eye on ripening seeds of coriander, dill, fennel and caraway to harvest before they fall.
- To prevent rotting and mildew, lift pumpkins, marrows, cucumbers and squash off the ground.
- Give these crops a go this month: carrots, seed potatoes, loose-leaf lettuce, and Cape Gooseberries.
- Give deciduous trees their final summer pruning.
- Feed deciduous fruit trees like apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and quinces with a general fertilizer, and water thoroughly.
- Pick figs as soon as they are ripe and feed with a general fertiliser.
Indoor plant care
- Feed Anthuriums, Staghorn Ferns and Cymbidium orchids with a liquid fertiliser.
Pests and diseases
Keep an eye out for these active critters this month:
- Red spider mites thrive in the hot, dry weather.
- Armyworm, lawn caterpillar and mole crickets in lawns.
- Mildew on squashes, pumpkins and cucumbers.
- Tip-wilters on Dahlias.
- Rust on roses and bulbous plants.
- Hawkmoth caterpillars on fuschias and impatiens.
Tip | To prevent pests from making themselves at home in our garden, maintain general hygiene by harvesting ripe fruit and picking up any fallen fruit.
February's flowering favourites
Annuals
Hollyhock
Alcea rosea
Queen Anne's Lace
Ammi majus
Begonia
Begonia spp.
Cornflower
Centaurea cyanus
Queen Anne's Thimble
Gilia capitata
Globe amaranth
Gomphrena globosa
Impatiens
Impatiens spp.
Petunia
Petunia spp.
Annual phlox
Phlox drummondii
Portulaca
Portulaca grandiflora
Hairy Coneflower
Rudbeckia hirta
Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
Mullein
Verbascum spp.
Perennials
Bulbs
Climbers
Shrubs
Trees
