There's signs of Spring in the garden with bulbs pushing through the soil and green leaves of herbaceous perennials starting to appear. Now is the time to reshape and prune back in preparation for the new season's growth. Here's my top 5 jobs in the garden for February.
Prune Winter flowering shrubs
Once they have finished flowering, cut back Winter flowering shrubs including Winter Jasmine, Mahonia and Heathers to encourage growth next season.
2. Cut back deciduous grasses
If you left your ornamental grasses to provide structure and wildlife food over the Winter, now is the time to cut them back to allow the new Spring growth through.
3. Turn Compost
February is a great month to give your compost heap a final turn to reveal the compost underneath, which can be used as a mulch in the Spring
4. Cut back Clematis
For Clematis that flower in late Spring or early Summer lightly prune down to a pair of strong buds.
5. Divide Snowdrops or Winter Aconites
Divide large clumps of Snowdrops or Winter Aconites now to encourage vigour and create new drifts.