I'm professionally-trained in horticulture and an experienced gardener. I earned a professional certificate in horticulture here in Seattle in addition to other botanical studies. That means I know how to care for individual plants and manage a landscape.
Your Winter Reminder
WINTER REMINDER
What's to do in late winter? Lots! There's a lot you and your gardener can accomplish this month in the garden.
Pruning of hardy trees and shrubs can continue as well as general clean-up of rotting perennials and dead material. In late February, more pruning can happen, especially those roses.
If you have happy perennials, this could be a nice time to divide them, or move them around. This is a fine time to plant, especially cool-weather-loving annuals to fill in areas exposed to spring weeds. I would advise not working soil that is sopping wet, but more crumbly and workable. If you haven't done any raking, this is a nice time to gather those composting brown leaves and distribute them as mulch in beds to reduce spring weeds which are just starting to emerge, or to kill grass you'd like to turn into garden. This is a nice time to think about enriching your soil with compost, and mulching, especially before weeds emerge.
It's also a great time to carefully plan your edible garden, then order seeds, and get ready to plant hardy vegetables later in February, including peas and onions. Think about successive planting to have a constant harvest for the year. Consider covering areas you'll be planting soon with a plastic cloche to warm the soil, and allow it to dry out a little to speed up your planting season.
