Gardening in February
Hi everyone, Eve here! As promised, I'm back with February's instalment of Gardening with Eve. For me, February is all about getting your garden ready for spring and summer, whether that’s sowing sweet peas or choosing which summer-flowering bulbs to plant. I've got lots to share this month, so let's get into it!
Planning my summer garden
I love being in the garden no matter the weather, but I do find myself thinking about summer quite a lot at this time of year.
If you're the same, then I’ve got some good news!
Summer-flowering bulbs have just arrived at all British Garden Centres, meaning now’s the perfect time to start planning your summer garden.
I adore summer-flowering bulbs. There’s just something so exciting about planting them in spring, forgetting about them, and then being rewarded with beautiful blooms in summer!
It’s not quite time to start planting bulbs just yet (stay tuned for that in next month’s Gardening with Eve) but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up them up now!
From gorgeous gladioli to dazzling dahlias, we’ve got a kaleidoscope of different types of bulbs at your local British Garden Centre, all ready for you to shop today.
Once you’ve bought your favourites, just keep them somewhere cool and dry and they’ll be perfectly happy until it’s time for planting.
Pruning Roses
If you haven’t already, now’s the ideal time to give your rose bushes a prune.
Not only does this keep them nice and healthy and help prevent disease, it also encourages bigger, better blooms in summer!
New to pruning or just want a quick refresher? Here’s my top tips for pruning roses:
- Use good quality secateurs to ensure a neat, clean cut. I love these Kent & Stowe 2-in-1 Ratchet Secateurs.
- Aim to cut the whole plant back by around a half.
- Trim off any stems that are dead, dying, damaged or diseased.
- Don’t worry about where or how much you cut: roses are tough plants and will bounce back.
- Dispose of stems in your garden waste, not compost, as rose stems can spread disease.
Still a little unsure? Tap here to watch me pruning the rose bush in my garden.
Sowing sweet peas
It wouldn't be summer for me without a pot of gorgeous, fragrant sweet peas.
As well as looking lovely in the garden, they also work really well as cut flowers – in fact, the more you cut the more you'll encourage them to flower!
Here’s my step-by-step guide to sowing sweet peas this February...
1. Pick your peas!
We’ve got a huge selection of sweet peas to choose from, both in-store and online. I’m a big fan of these vibrant Summer Sizzlers, and I also love how elegant these Old Times look. I often plant a few different varieties so that I can get creative with my cut flower arrangements. They look absolutely beautiful in a vase on the table in summer!
2. Properly Propagate
To be successful, Sweet Peas need to develop deep, strong roots. The easiest way to do this is to propagate them in deep root trainers. I love this set of 12 Visiroot Deep Trays as their see-through casing makes it easy to keep an eye on root growth. They’re also fully recyclable!
3. Sow far, sow good
Once you’ve filled your deep root trays with compost, it’s time to sow your seeds. I like to pop in 2 seeds per pot so there's a better chance of germination. Once you’ve sown your seeds, just top them off with compost or vermiculite and give them a good water.
4. Label and leave
I like to label all my seeds so I don’t forget what I’ve planted. These Garland Tee Labels give you lots of space to write in, which is helpful. Once you've done your labels, simply place your seed trays somewhere sunny (but not too hot) and leave them to work their magic!
Growing your own
As well as sweet peas, now’s the perfect time to sow edible peas!
This time of year is great for getting ahead of the game and sowing lots of small batches of seeds indoors, ready to plant out once spring has arrived.
I’ve always found it a bit confusing knowing the best times to sow, plant and harvest all the different edibles, so I made a little guide to make it super simple!
Tap here to download a copy so you can refer back to it anytime.
Once you’ve decided what you want to grow, it’s time to get sowing!
Sowing seeds indoors is super simple. All you need is some multi-purpose compost and a container with a clear lid to help your seeds germinate.
If you’re on a budget, there’s nothing wrong with taping a plastic bag over an old yoghurt pot! As long as you’ve poked some holes for drainage and you keep your soil moist and warm, just about anything can be used to germinate seeds.
But if you do want to make things easier for yourself, we’ve got a great selection of propagators available in-store and online.
I’m a big fan of this Perfect Propagator from Smart Garden – it’s got space for 9 seedlings and has a self-watering base so there’s no risk of your soil drying out.
Happy sowing!
Time to ‘chit’ seed potatoes
I absolutely love new potatoes, and I can’t wait to tuck into my own this summer!
If you’ve never grown seed potatoes before, you’re in for a treat. As well as being super fun and easy to do, they taste absolutely amazing – so much better than what you get in the supermarket!
Seed Potatoes are available online and at your local British Garden Centre, and we’ve got an amazing selection of varieties for you to choose from…
If you’re growing First or Second earlies, now’s the time for chitting!
Keep reading to find out more, or tap here to watch my "chit chat"
Don’t worry if you’ve never chit seed potatoes before - it’s really simple.
All you need to do is pop your seed potatoes in an egg box or tray with the side with the most ‘eyes’ facing upwards.
Then simply place them somewhere, cool, frost free but still light and let them work their magic.
In around 6 weeks’ time they’ll have sprouted and be ready to plant.
Check out some of my favourite varieties below: the Sharpe’s Express are to die for!
Thanks for reading.
