What To Do In Your Southern California Garden in February

It is that time of the month again (or a little later) when being a Landscape Designer in Santa Clarita means I send you my list of chores for the month.  Read through, select what you need to do and discard the rest.  February is the reason that I moved to Southern California, we are the lucky ones working out in our garden while others are digging themselves out of the snow.  (My family included)


Here is the link for your February To Do List, so enjoy the sun, the breezes, and yes... the chores - we're lucky to have them. 

In addition to planning your veggies (#9) don't forget that it is a great time to plan some beautiful Container Designs, and you might even pick up some pottery on sale since the new shipments will be coming in to nurseries during this next four weeks. 

If you live in another part of the country, please tune in to the show I just taped with Joanne Mathis on the BlogTalk Radio show Artist's Designers, and Things, Oh MY!  and find out what you can be doing to Prepare for Spring. 
 

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden in February

February is the reason that I moved to Southern California. After a few years of traveling here on business, and friends that had moved to entice me, the weather was the final punch that knocked me onto the left coast. I love NY don’t get me wrong, but February’s cold and slush can get old and now here I am giving gardening advice to my friends, clients, and fellow garden lovers in February. Lucky me.



1. Rose Pruning - Super bowl Sunday has been a benchmark for me regarding rose pruning. It’s an easy way to remember when to prune here in Southern California (as long as you don’t go by the lawn janitor’s timing). I know, the Giants are playing this year, however I think you can take some time in the morning to prune your roses. Don’t forget to apply that dormant spray!



2. Fruit Trees - You can plant bear root fruit trees and you can even plant citrus, they will benefit from our winter rains (if we ever get any) to help them establish. If you are planting subtropicals (like citrus and others) make sure that you think about frost protection. Leave some room between the trees and sink some 1”x1” wood into the ground on all four sides so you can drape some frost cloth around them should there be frost warnings. Make sure that you cover at night and uncover in the morning so they can get the benefit of the beauteous sunshine we have here! You can also use the Christmas light solution – stringing some around to raise the air temp – but don’t use both methods at the same time; I think the frost cloth is probably combustible!



3. Save Money on Roses - Bare root roses might still be available, buy some now and save a bundle. Once they are in cans they will be pricier! Take a look at my bare root primer post.



4. Don't Fight the Muck - Buy some new rubber boots or shoes. With the weather we have the stores think that it is springtime and lots of the winter gear is going on sale. Take advantage of it!.

5. Prune Winter Bloomers - By the end of the month some of your winter blooming shrubs and vines like hardenbergia and ceanothus may have finished blooming. If they have, you can prune them. If not or you hear it is going to be cold again… wait a little while.



6. Peach Leaf Curl - If you haven’t sprayed for peach leaf curl and your peach is less than 10% in bloom, you can still spray. If more than 10% - you missed the window.



7. Pruning Tip - You can prune your peach and nectarine trees now, even if they are in bloom. If you are planning to prune for size to create a backyard orchard that is easy to maintain – now’s the time. Take a look at my Backyard Orchard Culture Post for some insights.

8. Cool Season Color - You can plant cool season annuals like primrose and pansies, just remember they will still need to replaced when it warms up – but don’t worry they will let you know it’s time.

9. Plan Ahead - If you plant summer veggies from seed (and not seedlings) you can start some seeds now.




10. Get Healthy! - You can still get another crop of baby greens in. Select fast growing varieties or ones that you like to eat small. Mesclun, mache, and sorrel are some of my favorites. My pup dug up a bunch of sorrel a couple weeks ago, but I just shoved it back in and it seems to be doing well. I guess his toy wasn’t underneath my plants after all!



11. Time to Prune? - If the weather holds through the month, you can prune evergreen shrubs as far north as Santa Clarita, Lancaster & Palmdale – I’d wait a little bit.

12. Enjoy the weather! If it is sunny and warm, take your beverage and a book outside and enjoy, if it’s raining thank the rain g-ds and curl up on the couch.

If you would like to hire me to beautify your life, think about creating a beautiful garden with me. Call 661-917-3521, contact julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In February

No matter how long I live in Southern California February never fails to amaze me – I spent many slushy, cold Februarys in New York so the clear blue skies, sultry breezes, and puffy white clouds of Southern California are such a gift. I don’t have to wear boots or rubber shoe covers every day. I can wear Ugg boots one day, clogs the next, and sandals the third; a true shoe junkie’s dream!



Since we are lucky enough to have year round gardening chores, it’s time to get out there and get crackin’! Here’s your list for the month.

Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday, so for those of you that have waited to prune your hybrid tea and grandiflora roses… have at it! For my rose pruning post click here:



Speaking of shoes, if you don’t have a pair of good rubber mud boots now is a great time to get them. The winter things are going on sale, and the end of February and March are generally our wet months.

You can order seeds for upcoming planting (those seed catalogs are calling your name) pick some up or browse online.



You can still plant winter crops; lettuces, broccoli, greens, sugar snaps, and cabbage.

Plant those bare root fruit trees and vines, if you need more information check out my post on bare root plants.



Don’t forget your bare root roses, there should still be some around, soon they will be put into cans and they will be quite a bit more expensive!



You can also plant Citrus trees and please be sure to plan ahead to protect them from frost damage. Your subtropical fruit trees would also benefit from a little extra attention. When I plant a new subtropical I like to leave some room around it and put four stakes around it. I buy stakes that are taller than the tree and I place them so that when I drape my frost cloth over them, none of the cloth will actually touch the tree – I run out in the early evening and tent my babies and remove the frost cloth in the morning as it warms up. You can also protect the plants by stringing Christmas lights near them, and turn them on when you know the temps are dropping. Please don’t tent a tree with the lights on… I don’t want you to burn anything down!

You can still plant cool season annuals, and winter, spring and summer blooming bulbs.

If you like to plant seeds, you can start sowing warm season annuals. If you are planting annuals at this time, take a little bit of time to make sure that you select varieties that will last for a while. If you pick ones that are happier in the cooler weather they won’t last much longer as our weather heats up. It is often better to wait a couple of weeks and plant annuals that will take you into the summer.

Time to think about pruning your evergreen shrubs, in Santa Clarita, Antelope valleys as well as other colder areas you probably want to wait until late in the month or early March. Where it is warmer the pruning will give your plants a little longer to get into shape for spring.



Pruning winter flowering vines and shrubs like Hardenbergia and some Ceanothus after they bloom gives them a nice clean look, and a head start on next year.



Peach trees can be sprayed for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight and canker.

You can prune peaches & nectarines while they are in bloom – of all the fruit trees they will benefit from this but you must wait until you are sure that the blooms have matured enough so that there is sure to be winter survival.

If your cacti or succulents need to be repotted, it’s a nice time for that – just make sure that they have finished blooming.



Don’t forget your houseplants… they could use a little bit of fertilizer now that it’s starting to warm up.

I hope this gives you enough to do, remember those cold weather gardeners are VERY jealous!

For more on my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

February in the Garden - SCV, Southern California

I’m a little late… so shoot me. Finish up whatever you can’t get done in the next week in early March. I thought it would be nice if you had a list of things that you can do this month. I touched on some earlier in the month.



Buy rubber boots so that you can garden in the rain – or at least go out there and check things that look like they need some help. They might be on sale now, so you can put them in the potting shed or garage for next year.


Photo by Christie Gelsomino - Vision to Be Organized

Repot cacti and succulents after bloom if they are pot bound






Planting time for bare root fruit trees
and bare root roses
and bare root shrubs and vines
and bare root trees



Plant citrus trees

Watch for frost… protect citrus and other subtropicals like Plumeria from frost damage – details on 1/29/10 post

Cut back Ornamental Grasses – details on the 2/13/10 post

Plant Gladiolas, Tuberose, and Gloriosa Lilies --- Summer blooming bulbs

Keep an eye out for snails and slugs… as it warms up they come out. Try copper strips, or decollate snails for some non-toxic ammunition in your war against the garden pests. A little FYI – opossums actually eat snails, so if you have some as nighttime visitors you are receiving back up troops

Prune evergreen shrubs

Prune winter flowering shrubs and vines after they bloom (think Hardenbergia – Lilac Vine and gelsemium – Carolina Jessamine)

Prune flowering fruit trees while in bloom

Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals

If you like to plant from seeds you can sow seeds for warm-season annuals



Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming



Plant or transplant cool-season vegetable seedlings



If you like to plant from seeds you can sow warm season vegetable seeds
Weather permitting, divide perennials



It’s not too late to plant the following Spring Flowers:
o Anemone
o Ranunculus – bulbs that will come back
o Delphinium – these can be planted all year because they are not light sensitive. They are perennials but are best replanted every year here in California. So save your money and buy them small and locally. Don’t waste your time on mail order Delphiniums from back east… they won’t last here. They are a high water plant so if you add some water retaining polymer to the soil when you plant them, you will be able to mix them in with other less water hungry plants.
o Iceland Poppy
o Pansy
o Primrose
o Stock
o Sweet William – very long lasting