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February is the time to plan your spring garden
Staff Report
Splash! magazine
In Florida, springtime weather begins to arrive by the end of the month. Even in colder locations, the average last-frost dates occur during the later part of the month.
February is one of the best gardening times of the year because the cool-season plantings are finished and you can begin to add warm-season color. It is one of the few times you might have cool-season plants like pansies, snapdragons, and dianthus growing alongside warm-season plants like marigolds, verbena, and salvia. Here are a few things you need to do this month to prepare for new plantings:
c Decide where you need new flower beds or which present gardens you want to replace.
c Have the soil pH tested, and adjust with lime or soil sulfur in needed.
c Sketch on paper the new spring plantings.
c Plan a bed with either on type of flower or a collection of different types.
c Where multiple varieties are used, plan to place taller types in the center or back of the bed.
c Select flowers according to light level.
c Use lower-growing flowers near the front of the bed.
You can purchase your plants from your local garden center in container ranging from 4” to 5” containers or bigger plants in gallon containers. The larger plants will need to be placed closer together since they are already matured.
You can also grow your plants from seed. In Florida, very few seeds are sown directly in the ground. Some say the local soils eat seeds! What they mean by this is that seed often fails to germinate. This may be due to the dry and sandy conditions, rot organisms, and insects living in the ground. If you have a plant that is up and growing in a container, you will be able to see it’s off to a good start when you place it in the ground.
Planting
February is rejuvenation time for most annual flower beds. As you remove the old plants, try to determine if they had any problems. Some things you might notice:
c Nematode damage to the roots. This is evident as swollen areas along the roots.
c Leaf spot fungal damage that might affect the next crop.
c Rotting stems and roots.
c Cutworms and other plant-destroying insects.
* Perennial weeds that my affect new plantings.
These types of problems could affect the next flowers you add to a garden. Begin rejuvenating your beds following these steps:
1. Remove all plant portions from the old flowers. You may want to clean out the flower bed completely, even if some flowers are still providing good color.
2. Spray green-growing weeds with a nonselective herbicide that permits replanting after the weeds turn brown. Or, you could hand dig the weeds from the garden.
3. Till the soil deeply and remove any remaining plant portions.
4. Work in liberal quantities of organic matter and manure to enrich the planting site.
5. Adjust the soil acidity if needed.
6. Till all amendments into the soil.
7. Smooth out the bed and plant.
8. If nematodes are a major problem, select nematode-resistant plants.
This is the last time to plant some of the flowers that really need the cool weather. Finish up all pansy and viola plantings; they will fade from the garden at the first sign of warm days. Add only large plants of hollyhock, foxglove and delphiniums…small plants won’t have enough time to mature and produce attractive flowers.
Fertilizing
If you are using a general garden fertilizer or liquid fertilizer, it’s time for the monthly application. Even plants that are in full bloom need nutrients to maintain their green leaf color and the extra nutrients may encourage additional blooms. There is no need to fertilize beds that you plan to remove.
Pest Control
Check for cutworms when preparing a new bed. Caterpillars and mites remain winter problems. This should be done weekly to help eliminate them from your garden. Check your local nursery for effective pest control products.
Happy Gardening….
From Month-By-Month Gardening in Florida.
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