February is a great month for planning for spring 2016. Here’s some tips and websites to check out for information on everything from the winter weather to classes on spring planting.
- Remember to water your potted plants and pansies. During the winter months, plants that are watered effectively will be more likely to survive severe cold. We have been very fortunate this winter and have had a lot of rain. You can still water your pots of pansies if the temperatures are cold, just use warm, not hot, water. Pansies should be watered weekly. This coming week’s weather is a perfect time to water all your pots. Check out the tip for winterizing your pots on the PJCBG website- February newsletter – Garden tip by Adrienne Roethling. Adrienne will also be hosting a Lunch and Learn class in March on growing perennials for our area.
- If you are wondering about any damage to your shrubs, trees or plants from our 2 snowfalls, check out 2 articles at kerry@provenwinners.com on pruning winter damage. This will also help you to identify if you have an damage.
- February is my month for cleaning out my garden room and mine is a disaster! Organize pots and clean them so they are ready for the new season. Clean, sharpen and properly store your gardening tools. Check your stock of sprays for the coming year. Here are 3 of my favorites: Natria, a Bayer product, Insect, Disease & Mite control – Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap and Spectracide Immonox fungicide. Also remember to buy a bag of milorganite the deer repellant/fertilizer. Several gardeners in our area have had wonderful results using this deer repellant. Pinterest has lots of articles on How to Clean, sharpen and store your garden tools as well as some articles on organizing your garden room. Love my Pinterest boards. Feel free to take a look!
- The NCSU website – extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu has it’s winter edition of the Extension Gardener with articles on Tool Sanitation and Storage and Native Plants Sustain Overwintering Birds.
With the beautiful weather in store for this weekend, I’m sure all us gardeners will be thinking of Spring!