February in the Garden

• Clean up deciduous and evergreen shrubs by cutting off dead, damaged or diseased branches.
• Remove last year’s flower heads from Hydrangeas by cutting back no farther than 2 sets of fat healthy growth buds from the top of the stems.
• Lift, divide, and replant late-blooming perennials if desired.
• Lime lawns using a ‘prilled’ lime like Dolopril.
• Improve soil in flower beds and vegetable gardens digging in Keefer’s West Coast Soil Energizer, composted manure or your own homemade compost.
• Hunt for slugs and snails.  They will already be chomping on new emerging foliage, especially Primulas, Hosta leaves and Bleeding Hearts.
• Fruit trees and berry bushes arrive mid-February.  Get digging!