Garden Checklist for February

by Mary Jane Bosworth

• Anxious to get out in the garden, then this is the time to trim and prune.  Most trees and ornamentals prefer to be shaped at this time of year. Remove diseased and dead limbs. Shape, keeping in mind that there will be growth in the spring. Do not shear…meaning cutting all branches to one length; but instead, cut branches at various lengths for a natural look.
• Remember, in your enthusiasm to trim, that you must not cut any spring flowering plants that bloom on last year’s wood, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, forsythia, spirea, flowering quince, pieris and others.
• Ornamental grasses should be cut back before new growth appears.
• To control wild garlic, spot treat with 2,4-D Amine.  Add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to act as surfactant to cling to narrow leaves. Use EXTREME CAUTION as 2,4-D can cause severe damage to ornamental, fruit and vegetable plants.
• Clean up garden debris.
• Add mulch to gardens.
• Plan for warmer months by spending time with gardening books and seed catalogs.  Get new ideas and purchase something that will make you happy.