GARDENING TIPS
FEBRUARY is also the month that is full of love so let’s look at how we can love our garden more! Loving encapsulates caring so what do we need to undertake to do this month and show some TLC?
Pic: Laurie Black

PRUNING
Trim back dead or damaged branches on shrubs, roses, and fruit trees to encourage new growth.
MULCHING
Lay down a fresh layer of mulch to protect your soil and keep it warm. Mulch also helps to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature
FEEDING
As plant parents it is now time to feed your Green Babies. Apply a slow-release fertilizer to help your plants grow and strengthen. Use compost to enrich your garden beds. Feed all your late winter flowering plants such as Jasmine with 3:1:5 SR fertilizer or an organic equivalent.

PLANT WITH PASSION
February is a great time to plant cool-season vegetables so get your veggie garden stocked up towards the end of the month with seeds or plants of beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, leeks, lettuces, radishes, rocket, spinach, coriander, peas, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Cut back the long runners to the centre of your strawberry plants. Sow sweet peas at the end of the month in well dug trenches prepared with compost and bonemeal (soak the seeds in water overnight before sowing).


EXPRESS YOUR LOVE
Add a personal touch, like a new garden ornament, a cozy bench, or a pathway of pavers. Write plant labels or tags with quirky, love-themed names like “Mint to Be” or “Thyme After Thyme.”


COMMIT TO HEALTH
Check for pests and diseases and treat plants with organic remedies if needed. Protect your roses from pests and diseases with Rosecare Protector, Koinor or Lidwig’s Insect Spray. Water all your citrus trees well as the fruits are being formed now. Watch out for the citrus psylla (bumps on the leaves) and control with Efekto’s Aphicide.

SET THE MOOD
Add fairy lights or lanterns for evening ambiance. Plan a picnic in the garden or any open green space to appreciate the wonders of nature.
