To Do List
• Outdoors, the ground is softening, and you can begin to dig. Start cleaning out
any perennial beds that are showing signs of life but do so cautiously. Leave a little
mulch in place for frost protection. Add organic matter to soil where you want to plant
in the spring or early summer.
• Try solarizing soil where you expect annual weeds to be a problem. See
"Soil Solarization for Weed Control" in the "Garden Talk" section of this book.
• Your evergreens would appreciate a strong spray from the hose to clean off soot
and insects.
• Container-grown plants that have been kept outdoors can be set out anytime
the ground is not frozen.
• Continue shopping for seeds at nurseries and in catalogs and among
seed-saving friends.
• On nice days remove the frost protective cover on cool season veggies that
you planted last fall, and raise the lid slightly on your cold frame.
• Apply dormant oil spray to deciduous trees and shrubs to kill
over-wintering insects, eggs, and larvae.
• If you have shrubs or small trees that you want removed from your yard, tell
a friend who needs plants that now is the time to come and dig, or call the
Master Gardener Hotline and leave a message for the Plant Exchange Coordinator. You
may find someone who is willing to come and dig up what you don't want. New
gardeners and homeowners on bare lots are eager for plants!
• Feed fruit and nut trees with a granular fertilizer; work it into the soil and
water thoroughly.
Watering. Increase watering to two or three times a month as temperatures go
above 50 degrees. Be sure to water irises from now until they finish blooming.
Weather
It's about ten degrees warmer than it was last month. February average temperatures are in the
high 20's at night to mid-50's during the day. Actual temperature variations may be extreme this month.
There's almost as much snow as in January, and it's mostly sunny.
Gardening begins this month. The daytime temperatures warm up, and it feels like spring must be
just around the corner. Alas, it's not! February is a tease because the March-through-May winds lie ahead.
Make the best of this brief respite.
What's Blooming
In bloom are more Crocus, snowdrops
(Galanthus), pussy willow, Iris
reticulata, and winter jasmine (J.
nudiflorum). In south-facing beds, you will see daffodils beginning to open and the earliest
forsythia. Apricot trees begin their bloom.
Xeric Blooms
Prostrate rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis
`prostrata') is covered with tiny blue flowers if grown
in
a protected sunny spot. Tiny tulips, daffodils, and Crocus—species bulbs, not
their giant cousins—make a colorful early display now through March.
Garden Activities for February
On a warm day, go outside and see what is happening in the garden.
Pay attention to protected areas of the yard. Is there an enclosed patio or
south-facing area of your yard that enjoys milder temperatures? Could you grow
more tender plants here or get earlier blooms from spring bulbs? Check under leaf piles
for hidden signs of spring - new growth, an undetected bloom?
Cut a few branches of Forsythia and other early-flowering shrubs to
bring indoors. Just put them in a vase of water, and they will soon flower for you.
Many plants begin to show some signs of activity this month. If you go
looking, you'll find some early swelling buds on trees and shrubs and new green growth
pushing up from roots and bulbs. Your children will enjoy this activity;
they
can be taught to keep looking for first signs of spring and to follow the
development of plants growing around them.
Go by the Albuquerque Garden Center at 10120 Lomas Blvd. N.E. and
check out the courtyard to see a warm microclimate and early blooming plants.
While you're there, take a look in the library, do a little research or catalog browsing,
and look at the many garden books in the gift shop.
Garden Tip!!! Dig up and divide summer and fall-blooming perennials such as daylilies, Asters,
Chrysanthemums, etc. now through March. Here is an easy way to remember when to divide: If it blooms in the
fall, divide or move in the spring. If it blooms in the spring, divide or move in the fall.
Pruning. Continue pruning. Some shrubs need to be pruned hard: Butterfly bush, Russian sage,
and ornamental grasses (except blue fescue) need to be pruned almost to the ground. Cherry sage can be
pruned fairly hard at the end of the month. Many shrubs should not be pruned at this time. If you know the names
of your plants, you can find out what sort of pruning each requires. A call to the Master Gardener Hotline
will give you the information you need to know how to prune each plant. Or use a good reference, like
the Sunset Western Garden Book or Enchanted
Gardening. See listings of reference books in
"Information Sources" in this book.
Planting.
• Continue planting seeds indoors; start tomatoes and other frost sensitive plants at the end of the month.
• Outdoors, mid-to-late February is the time to start planting sweet peas, garden peas and roots of
asparagus and rhubarb. In the warmer areas, if you didn't plant in the fall, late February is the time to plant
lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, and cabbage.
• TIP! Intersperse onion sets as you plant a row. They'll be visible to mark the row.
• This is also the ideal time for setting out bare root trees, shrubs, and vines while they are dormant.
Plants may come from catalog orders, local nurseries, Plant Exchange contacts, and friends' yards. Keep the
bare roots moist and covered; don't expose them to drying winds and sun. Roses can be moved now, but
cover with mulch for another month after moving.
• In the warmer areas of Albuquerque you can begin setting out bachelor buttons, calendulas,
cyclamens, primroses, snapdragons, stock, and wallflowers.
Houseplants. Celebrate Valentine's Day! Buy flowering houseplants or pansies for your Valentines
and take one home for yourself. Spending time in a greenhouse is a time-tested cure for the midwinter blues.
If you repot your purchases, you can get your hands dirty, too!
Around Town in February
The MASTER GARDENER HOTLINE opens February 1st. The phones are open Monday
through Friday, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM and weekends 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Phone 292-7144 for answers to
your gardening questions.
There will be MASTER GARDENERS AT SELECTED CITY LIBRARIES each Saturday
beginning February 1st, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Call the Hotline, 292-7144, for the name of a library in your area.
YOUTH GARDENING PROGRAMS are offered year round through 4-H projects. Children
learn about gardening and plant and soil science. Contact the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service
(243-1386) for more information.
Classes at the RIO GRANDE BOTANIC GARDEN are offered
January through April. Geared to children, families, or adults. Varied topics. Call
848-7172 for a schedule.
Plan to attend the NEW MEXICO XERISCAPE CONFERENCE.
Topics include Planning, Design, Construction and Management. The program is
sponsored by the New Mexico Xeriscape Council and The Water Conservation Alliance.
It features lectures by renowned experts from throughout the Southwest. Call
243-1386 for details or to register. The conference is held in spring (February/March) in
even-numbered years, alternating with fall (September/October) in odd-numbered years.
Grow trees for fun and profit. Become a backyard tree farmer! If you
own fewer than ten acres of land, you can qualify. Attend the annual Backyard Tree
Farm seminar, TREE PLANTING AND FOREST HEALTH; it is held the first Saturday
in February at Roosevelt Middle School in TIJERAS. Call George Duda at
New Mexico State Forestry Division for program details: (505) 476-3332.
(book excerpt used by permission) | 
