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February 2008 Garden Tips

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As the snow gets deeper, there are fewer natural food sources available to birds. Continue to monitor your bird feeders, keep them full, and be sure to knock the snow off them when it builds up.

• Order your Valentine flowers early to get the best delivery time and availability.

• This is an excellent time of year to take measurements and photos and consult with a landscape designer. By scheduling an appointment with a landscape designer now, you’ll be ready to start your project as soon as the ground thaws in the spring.

• Check with local nurseries and garden centers for upcoming seminars or workshops that you can attend to advance your knowledge.

• Prune trees and shrubs, both ornamentals and fruit.

• Check evergreens for signs of desiccation (drying out).

• If the weather permits and there is a February thaw, get out and water evergreens in the landscape as a way to help prevent drying out during the rest of the winter. You can also reapply anti-desiccation spray to susceptible evergreens and rhododendron and magnolia buds.

• Check outside plants and trees for animal damage. Treat as needed. Adjust your fencing, use scare tactics (like coyote urine or whirligigs), or reapply repellants.

• If you potted daffodil or tulip bulbs in fall for forcing, by now they have received the required three months of cold (40º F) temperatures. Move them back into the light and water sparingly to encourage bloom.

• If you didn’t find time to force bulbs last November, take advantage of the wide selection of potted flowering plants available this month at your local florist shop. While most were forced for Valentine’s Day, who says you need a sweetheart in order to buy plants? Treat yourself to a blooming azalea, hyacinth, or pot of red, white, or bi-colored tulips.

• Repot houseplants as needed. The rule of thumb is to increase the pot size by not more than 2 inches in diameter. For repotting large pots, spread a sheet or tarp on the kitchen floor to make clean up easier. Use a well-draining soil mix available at your garden center. Get ready to begin fertilizing again in March.

• Some of us are getting spring fever already. Use this time to look through seed catalogs and other magazines to find the perfect plants to add to your landscape beds.

• Join a local gardening club: Check out what your community has to offer and attend a meeting to see if you would enjoy being a member.

Resources

All Seasons Garden Center
701-746-7777

Drummers Garden Center
507-388-4877

The Mustard Seed Landscaping & Garden Center
952-361-9954

Villa Landscapes
Burnsville:  952-894-1553
Maple Grove:  763-425-9277
Oakdale:  651-773-7440