February came quick my landscape, and I’ve got a long list of things that I want to do to be ready for a spring green-up. Living on the edge of zone 8b and 9a, I’m relying upon our historical average of the first frost to be mid-March…even though my long-term forecast app says otherwise.
So, if you haven’t already, be sure to clean up and remove fallen leaves, branches, and dead plant material from flower beds and lawn areas. Leaves can smother the lawn and create conditions for excessive moisture and fungus on turfgrass.
Now is still a good time to prune dormant plants. Trim back overgrown shrubs and trees, focusing on removing dead or diseased wood and shaping the plant. Study how to prune your fruit trees as they each will have different requirements for maximum production.
My good friend Steve texted me that his peaches were already blooming. Indeed, our area in East Texas has received 550 to 730 chilling hours as of February 6. The difference between the two numbers depends on which chilling hour “model” you follow. When I explained how many hours we have already had, he remembered that he had planted some peach varieties with low chilling hour requirements.
Take a stroll around the landscape with your loppers and wheelbarrow. You are checking for signs of disease or pest damage on existing plants. Prune this out immediately, toss it in the wheelbarrow, and get rid of it. Don’t just lay those pruned pieces to the side as we want to do everything, we can to eliminate disease and harmful insect eggs from our area.
You still have time to add compost to a new garden or bed to improve soil quality and fertility. But only add fully composted organic matter. If you see stems, bark, or other large chunks, use that material to top-dress the soil. As woody pieces decompose into compost, they’ll take other nutrients away from their surroundings. And now is not the time to borrow needed nutrients away from your spring garden plants.
Divide perennials to expand your landscape and save on money. I’ve been quite successful with everything from canna lilies, to bulbs, to Turks Cap, and more. Dividing overcrowded perennials will rejuvenate the old plants and give you new ones to transplant or share with family and friends.
If you have some bulbs in the garage or garden shed, go ahead and plant them now.
A favorite task I like to do is studying and planning what I want to add to my garden for the new year. Though I’m almost too late to order and start some tomato and other seeds, I can still do that for a fall garden and order plants for the spring seasons.
Lastly, do an irrigation “audit”. Turn on your sprinkler system and check for leaks, clogged nozzles, misaligned nozzles, and proper coverage. When the warm, dry times come upon us, you do not want to be scrambling to save the landscape when some attention now would have averted any problems.
