John Hethrington has been gardening since the age of 9. He spent his early life gardening in Toronto and earned his certification as a Master Gardener before moving to Meaford where he cultivates 2.5 acres with 20 different gardens
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Chase the February blahs away with some gardening chores as you dream about spring blooms and sunshine. There are even some ways to 'cheat' and get an indoor spring early– regardless of any groundhog/shadow situation.
Here's what John Hethrington suggests you should be doing this month to make sure spring is full of flowers and greenery.
If there's a February melt and the snow goes away, mound up all the available snow and any new snow that falls, around tender plants like roses. If you have a few branches left from your Christmas tree, put them over tender plants to catch the snow. It is the freeze/thaw that kills plants, not just the cold. The snow is wonderful insulation!
Start planning your garden projects for 2022. Make a list for the spring, then you will know what you didn’t get done when you check it in June. I have mine done and I am tired already. A garden is never finished!
If you have a few tulip or daffodil bulbs that did not get into the ground last fall, pot them up now, put them in an unheated garage or shed for six weeks and bring them inside to bloom.
If you can find a store with narcissus bulbs, buy five or six and put them in a shallow dish, or a tall narrow glass vase on top of gravel and keep the gravel wet. You should have spring bloom in three to four weeks.
Start propagating stem cuttings of geraniums, fuchsia, etc. by the end of the month.
Plant slow-germinating seeds inside, like impatiens, peppers, eggplants, etc.
As the weather warms, you can start pruning shade trees, fruit trees and shrubs, if you can get to them through the snow. Leave trees that “bleed” like maples and birch until after they have leaves.
Visit local nursery greenhouses to smell the coming of spring.
You can again forget about the big garden shows like Canada Blooms and the Peterborough Garden show this spring. They have all been cancelled because of COVID. Think spring 2023.
