February Tips for Trees and Shrubs

Wondering what to do during the month of February when it comes to trees and shrubs? February is a great time to prune, plant and completely evaluate the condition of your trees and shrubs. Luckily, we've had a mild winter but there's still some cold weather left, and even a small snap of frigid weather can effect what's going on.

People often ignore February when it comes to their landscape, but it's actually one of the more important times of the year, particularly if you want to ensure your yard looks it's best during the the spring and summer months, and well into fall.

To help you out, we've come up with a list:

• Cover all your tender plants before a freeze.
• Prune trees or shrubs damaged by winter storms and freezing temperatures.
• Leave winterized roses covered until the danger of a hard frost has passed. (A hard frost, also called a radiational freeze or frost, occurs when the winds are calm and the sky is clear, allowing in inversion to form because of rapid radiational cooling at the Earth's surface. When this happens the ground gets below freezing, and can damage or kill plants.)
• Prune summer flowering shrubs now. If they are spring bloomers, the produced their buds last fall, so pruning them now will result in the loss of flowers. Prune the spring flowering shrubs AFTER they have finished flowering.
• Prune fruit trees prior to the start of new growth.
• Transplant deciduous shrubs and trees that are still dormant. Do not wait for the buds to swell. Do it now.
• Plant new trees.
• Plant new shrubs.

It may be February, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. Take a walk around your yard this weekend and make a list, or give a landscaper a call and let them help you evaluate what needs to be done this month.

February Clean Up & Maintenance

Yes, we've had a couple of chilly days this past week, but we've moved on and are ready to get those clean up and maintenance items checked off our February lists.

These are the items we feel need to be addressed:

• Avoid using salt on frozen driveways.
• Start up power tools, such as your lawn mower, chainsaw, or weed trimmer.
• Sharpen and oil garden tools.
• Don't forget to water!
• Start seed flats indoors.
• Feed the birds. They will help control insects when the warm weather arrives.
• Create a garden calendar to help keep track of items that need to be completed.
• Till your garden soil and work in amendments.
• Read garden magazines and blogs to find ideas for your spring landscape.
• Repair and paint window boxes, lawn furniture, and other items.

And most importantly, enjoy your outdoor space. Even if the temperatures are cool, bundle up, head outside and take a walk around your yard. You might be surprised to see what's already popping up.