Roses in February
Februum is a Latin word meaning purification; the ancient Romans used to perform a cleaning festival called Februarius on February 15, before beginning their most important season – springtime.
In Old English, February was called Solmonath, meaning mud month – for rather obvious reasons. We dont´ seem to have had any mud here for rather a long time!
Important days to this month are: 14 February Valentine’s Day 25 February Mardi Gras/ Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday
And of course the moveable feast that is Carnival!
Although roses loom largely in February, two other rather old-fashioned flowers are symbolic – violets, indicating loyalty and faithfulness, and primroses show someone that you cant´ live without them!
Talking roses: as many of you know, we are now replete with bare-rooted roses – this is the best time to buy and plant. If you want one with a significant name for Valentine’s Day, try the dark reds of Deep Secret or Lovestruck, the classic pretty pink L’Aimant, the fabulously perfumed and copper-orange of Fragrant Delight or, to celebrate always, Champagne Moment, a bubbly froth of creamy apricot. Bare-root roses settle in well and quickly. They are ready-pruned, just ready to remember plant – you dont´ even have to turn them out of the pot!
Planting: Don’t plant during freezing conditions but most trees, climbers and shrubs do well planted now. The consistent rain that we are all still hoping for eliminates the need for extra irrigation. If you live in a particularly cold position, you may want to leave things like mangos, avocados, palms, bananas and bougainvillea another month or so.
For trees, in a perfect world of soil and no rocks, you would dig out 1m3 Lesser gardeners dig lesser holes but you do need to be looking at an absolute minimum of twice the pot size, both width and depth. Width is more important because it is the fine lateral roots that will venture out first, searching for water. Backfill your planting hole with a good quality compost and normal garden soil, mixed 50/50. Plant to the same level on the trunk as it was in the pot. Stake, firm in and water well.
Whilst planting: incorporate mycorrhizal fungi. It comes in fine granular form and the fungi increase the spread of the roots, thus increasing their own ability to take up water and minerals. Stronger, healthier plants and decreased water bills.
Pruning: catch up on what you didnt´ do last month – deciduous trees, shrubs and climbers. If you are a wary pruner, now is a good time to get out there; as leaf and flower buds swell, you can see what is dead wood and prune it away. Even with almond trees, that are now in full bloom, you wont´ do any harm if the wood is dead. It’s a good month to prune hedging to thicken it – myoporum (or transparente as it is commonly known), oleander (extremely poisonous, remember), cypress etc will all benefit.
Irrigation: As much as feasible, turn off or certainly minimise irrigation at this time of the year. New plantings, however, will need watching and especially in windy conditions. Don’t water palms, yuccas, bananas and other semi-tropicals during cold weather – they are not in active growth and their roots can rot.
Vegetables and companion plants: Spring is just around the corner, light levels are increasing and temperatures are sporadic. It’s a good time to plan your vegetable and herb plot, especially if you’re new to it. Check your planned situation – you need plenty of sun for most crops, though some summer shading is useful for soft leaves like lettuce, rocket, coriander, basil, parsley etc. Bring in as much compost or manure as you can and work it into the soil. Plant barrier shrubs that will protect from drying winds and encourage pollinators and beneficial insects whilst deterring pests. Things like lavender, rosemary, marigolds and nasturtiums are ideal. Many of these are also good companion plants. The allium family, for instance, give good protection to carrots and tomatoes; nasturtiums and marigolds help cabbages, cucumbers, aubergines and lettuce. Many of the strong-smelling herbs such as mints, southernwood, basil, thyme and sage deter a range of garden pests and flies. Utilise the potager idea where useful ornamentals are used to line pathways and bring additional beauty to your veg plantings.
First Sowings: You can make first sowings of hardy annuals if you have a greenhouse/conservatory/propagator/warm windowsill. Some seeds take 2 or 3 weeks to germinate, by then we’ll almost be into March. Summer veg, too, can be started – tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers and courgettes.