February Feats

Feats for February

Bitterly cold winds, snowfall and freezing temperatures.  February tends to be our coldest month up here in Yorkshire.  

Tasks for this month include:

Begin pruning roses.  Aim to complete this before new growth begins in March.

Begin pruning clematis.  If in doubt, remember if it "flowers before June do not prune".  If you are still unsure, leave it for this year and make a note of when if flowers for next year's regime.

Group 2 clematis.  Remove weak and dead stems back to a healthy bud.  Do not prune hard or this year's flowers will be lost.

c. Nelly Moser

c. Comtesse du Bouchard

c. Niobe

Group 3 clematis.  This is a hard prune down to the healthiest buds around 6 inches from the base.  New growth will then be able to be tied in laterally to encourage more flowering.

c. Star of India

c. Princess Kate

c. Warsaw Nike

c. Royal Velours

Prune wisteria shoots to a finger's length or to 2-3 buds.  These are the shoots that were pruned by half in the summer.

Deadhead flowers from violas, cyclamen coum and wallflowers to promote further flowers.

Continue to water containers and pots.

Remove leaves from hellebores if showing signs of leaf spot.

Cut down old stems from sedums

Prune viburnum bodnantense after flowering. 

Continue to feed the birds and remove ice from the bird baths.