iron. Green sand and sulfur will help to cure this deficiency.
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2. Plant fruit trees. Peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, apricots,
pomegranates, and apples do well in this area. For those with limi-
ted space, or with an appetite for novelty, try a ‘four-in-one’ graf-
ted apple or pear. They have four different varieties grafted on the
same tree. For those without a yard, you might try a dwarf peach.
They are easy to grow in a pot or whisky barrel.
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3. Plant vegetables in kitchen garden. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower, cabbage, pod peas (sugar snaps), Swiss chard, carrots,
lettuce, and asparagus crowns. Also onions, such as the white
Texas Supersweet called Contessa.
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4. Plant winter hardy herbs. Thyme, oregano, Italian and curled
parsley, rosemary, winter and summer savory, garden sage, and
chives. Herbs like to have at least a half a day’s sun in a well-
drained location.
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5. Plant flowers in the garden. Calendula, pansies, stock, cyclamen,
violas, dianthus, bluebonnets, nasturtium, flowering cabbage and
kale, and larkspur. For a great show, plant snapdragons now for
April and May color.
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6. Plant a rose. Besides some good old standbys like the peace rose,
Mr. Lincoln, climbing Don Juan, and Blasé, there are some interest-
ing newcomers to look for, such as the Knock Out series, Home
Run and Belinda’s Dream. But let’s not forget our charming anti-
que roses as well. Antiques are disease resistant, hardy, and can
shower our landscapes with very beautiful, showy flowers.
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7. Prune your roses. A mid-month activity. A word of caution: make
sure you know what kind of rose you have before you begin to cut
them back. Most shrub roses bloom on new wood, so a pruning
will help to force new growth and blooms. Climbing roses bloom
on old wood, so this means a pruning back of climbers will remove
all the flowers before they have a chance to bloom. Please give me
a call if you have any questions about this. I have some weighty
rose books that have most of the answers.
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8. Control lawn weeds. Spread a pre-emergent weed killer over the
yard and water it in. We recommend corn gluten. This is an effect-
ive organic pre- emergent that will not poison waterways and aqui-
fers. If you spread it over the lawn, it will control those spring and
summer weeds before they have a chance to germinate. You can
safely use it in the garden or in flowerbeds.
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9. Maintain garden tools. Repair and maintain your garden tools.
Change the oil on the lawnmower, and have the blades sharpened.
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10. Garden plan. Put something down in a book, a diary, or even
on a scrap of paper that you tape to the wall. This will help you
plan your weekend activities and get your plants in the ground at
the correct time of the year.
Wouldn’t you know it? February is the shortest month with so
muchto do. Happy gardening everyone!❦
