While they're often planted out in spring, you can get ahead by planting them in February. As a rule of thumb, bulbs prefer a light, well-draining soil, so wet, heavy soils are best avoided. Don't worry if this is the case in your garden, as you can instead plant all the bulbs shown below in pots and containers.
They won't survive out of the ground indefinitely. Even if you find an unplanted sack of tulips or daffodils in January or February, plant them and take your chances. No matter what, they're better off giving it a fighting chance in the ground or a chilled pot than wasting away in the garage or cupboard.
Flowers to plant in FebruaryYou still have time to start seeds of cool-season annuals (indoors) such as pansies, dianthus, calendula, English daisy, ranunculus, monkeyflower, annual poppies, primula, Veronica, and forget-me-nots this month. Giving them an early start ensures you'll have blooming plants this spring.
Winter flowering pansies will flower well into the late spring. Planting winter pansies in late autumn and winter will produce a great flush of spring flowers. They just take a little longer to flourish as the spring temperatures improve.
They will be gathering their energies ready to leap ahead come February when the days noticeably lengthen so long as the greenhouse is at least frost free.
- Potatoes.
- Broad Beans.
- Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages and Cauliflowers.
- Garlic.
- Spring Onions.
- Shallots.
- Bulb Onions.
- Early Peas.
Most people prefer to buy pre-grown lavender plants, but if you're on a budget or enjoy a challenge, you can grow your own lavender plants from seed. Sow lavender seeds from February to July on the surface of moist seed compost.
When to plant rosesBare-root roses: Plant in late autumn at leaf fall, and from late winter to early spring, before growth resumes. Avoid planting in the middle of winter when the ground is frozen. Containerised and container-grown roses: Plant all year round, provided the ground is neither frozen, nor very dry.
When to plant sunflowersWhen growing sunflowers, you can generally plant the seeds from early March to mid-May, but this will differ by variety so always check the seed packet.
The Best Time to Plant Your GardenFor most of the United States, the best time to start spring crops is, well, now. But to get more exact planting recommendations based on your area, use this handy calendar. (As a general rule, you should plant hardy greens and cole crops a few weeks before your final frost.)
Gardening in January and February: This is absolutely everything you need to do. Get digging, feeding, mulching and pruning. It's time to prune deciduous shrubs and fruit trees, before the sap starts to rise and the buds break. Cut out anything that's dead, diseased or damaged.
Wildflower seed mixtures are best sown from late March to late October, but for those eager to begin their wildflower meadows a late February sowing in mild weather will not cause any issues.
If you have light (sandy) soil and live in a mild part of the UK, you can sow broad beans, carrots, parsnips, early beetroot, salad onions, lettuces, radish, peas, spinach and summer cabbages outside under cloches.
How to Sow Seeds Outdoors
| Early Spring: Soil temperature is cool, but past the last hard freeze or heavy frost. May still have light frost. |
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| Late Spring: Soil has begun to warm, and danger of frost is past. |
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| Early Summer: Soil temperature and night temperatures have warmed. |
All throughout February you can sow the following vegetables directly into the beds:
- Beetroot (Pablo F1, Boltardy)
- Carrots (Namur F1, Amsterdam Forcing)
- Oriental brassica salads (various types)
- Peas, Mangetout (Sweet Horizon)
- Radish (Short Top Forcing) – small quantities at regular intervals.
But start too late, and plants may never have the chance to bloom or fruit by the end of the season. Seeds started too late may never get large enough for transplanting outdoors until it's too late. From there, simply count backwards the number of weeks required for seeds to be ready for transplant.
It can be planted all year long if the soil is not frozen and you can water well when conditions are dry. Mid March to April and mid September to October are the best times to plant potted Lily of the Valley.
- Cut back evergreen hedges.
- Pruning of deciduous trees & shrubs can continue – but avoid doing so in frosty conditions.
- Divide & transplant herbaceous perennials & snowdrops.
- Transplanting of small & medium sized plants can be done.
So what can you move? Anything that's only been in the ground for a year or two is safe to transplant. And you need to do it now while the plants are dormant over the winter period. They don't need a lot of their root systems at the moment, so you won't do any major damage if you lose some of the roots in the process.
Five seeds to sow in February
- Cosmos.
- Kale.
- Sweet peas.
- Tomatoes.
- Salvias.
Planting. You can continue (or start) planting any early-season crops, plus tomatoes, squash, melons, eggplant, peppers, sweet corn, cucumbers, potatoes, and herbs. Water and mulch any new transplants with care. If choosing to sow directly in the garden, start your carrots, beets, and radishes.
Top 10 jobs this month
- Divide herbaceous perennials.
- Pick autumn raspberries.
- Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals.
- Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them.
- Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway.
- Keep up with watering of new plants, using rain or grey water if possible.
