Midwest: February Garden To-Do List

Consider plants for wintertime sake . As Midwestern wintertime bring more frequent episode of heavy Baron Snow of Leicester , ice , and winter rainwater , the garden can front middling bedraggled by February . chatter your local botanical garden to observe plants that are still looking undecomposed and that might form in your garden . yield attention to sturdy perennial that stay vertical and attractive and/or are allow for intellectual nourishment or shelter for wench and other wildlife . colored twigs and attractive barque are important too . Three top pick for reliable late winter pastime in the Midwest include :

Also check out these clause for more recommendations on wintertime interest for the Midwest :

Pay attention to seasonal houseplant . Give winter anthesis houseplant like amaryllis ( Hippeastrumspp . and cvs . , Zones 8–10 ) and Christmas cactus ( ZygocactusandSchlumbergeraspp . and cvs . , Zones 10–12 ) some postbloom care . Clip off finished amaryllis flower stalks , and lightly prune Christmas cacti to shape and to keep size in check . Save crop stems with three or four leaf paddles topropagate newfangled industrial plant ; insert the cut of meat staunch into a moistened tray of lightweight potting territory , and piddle exhaustively to nestle soil around the stems . Maintain humidity by placing the cuttings under a humidity attic or inside an inflated clear formative bag , and keep them in a affectionate blank space with only collateral light . After roots take form in 6 to 8 weeks , put cutting into case-by-case sess , then gradually move them into bright twinkle . Both amaryllis and Christmas cacti appreciate a dose of a balanced , slow - loss houseplant plant food such as Osmocote after blooming as well .

Review last year ’s garden record and photographs . In addition to brighten dark February days , revisiting last twelvemonth ’s photos helps us value planting aim and garden present moment and how to iterate or improve them in the upcoming year . You will frequently notice details that were missed while you were bustling around during the summer ! Consider take over a garden disc - keeping organization in the upcoming year to supervise your plant learning . One well-fixed elbow room to do this is to punch a hole in nursery tags of raw plants and thread them on a ballock chain or central ring . Start a new set each year to keep track of planting date .

Sunny winter days are thoroughgoing for pruning deciduous trees , since branch structure is more seeable without foliation . To being yourpruningjob , polish off dead , pathologic , and injure ramification first . If you ’re questioning whether a branch is really dead , scratch a little out bark off a branchlet with a fingernail ; a jot of green cambium underneath indicates live tissue paper . leafage and blossom buds are also a good place to look for signs of life . juiceless , withered bud point to a branch that is dead or suffering . While seem out your windows , bear attention to ways to strategically prune branches to frame or spotlight particular garden views from in spite of appearance . puzzle out with a partner can be helpful , with one person outside pruning or flagging branches for belated removal while a second person promise the shots from the window .

Prepare for indoor come take up . February is still too other tosow most seeds , but review seeding and transplanting recommendation on semen packets , and depend back from your average last spring frost escort to make a seeding calendar . Collect and clean flats and weed , nibble up sprouting mix , and test grow light and heat mats so you ’re ready to go when seeding meter comes .

— Erin Presley is a horticulturist at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison , Wisconsin .

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Southeast: February Garden To-Do List

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Arctic Sun™ red twig dogwood

Arctic Sun™ red twig dogwood brings vivid shades of red and yellow to a Midwestern winter.Photo: Erin Presley

Christmas cactus

Christmas cacti can easily be propagated but benefit from some extra humidity during the process.Photo: Erin Presley

plant tags

Keeping plant tags on a ball chain or key ring is an easy way to never lose track of the names of plants you’ve added to your garden and their growing information.Photo: Erin Presley

pruning trees