February – Tips For Your Garden
When does spring really begin? If you’re a meteorologist, spring begins on 1st March. If you’re an astronomer, it’s 1st February.Paraic Horkan
Spring has certainly started earlier this year after possibly the mildest and driest autumn and winter on record. Many garden plants have kicked into growth three weeks earlier than normal. So its time to kick start your gardening year and here are my top tips on things to do in February:
1.Its time to select and sprout this years early seed potatoes for a bumper crop of great tasting new potatoes in early summer. One of my favourite Irish varieties is Colleen. Easy to grow, fantastic flavour and a heavy cropper make Colleen an all round top variety. Also consider Red Duke of York and Sharpes Express for outstanding flavour and perfect for growing in patio pots and potato planters.
2.Lawn moss starts to grow in February ahead of your lawn grass, so now is the perfect time to control lawn moss with an application of Zero lawn treatment. Simply mix in water and apply to the entire lawn area. Zero kills lawns moss quickly without blacking your lawn grass. Its easy to apply and very fast acting.
4.Add spring colour to your home window sills by planting up a window box with spring flowers including Primulas, spring pansies, dwarf daffodils, scented hyacinths and spring flowering heathers. Fill your window box with Growise compost and add a handful of MiracleGro Continuous Release_Plant Food before planting.
PHOTO BY HELLO-JULIE 
5.Grow your own scented flowers, ideal for cutting as cut flowers for your home this summer. Simply plant a selection of Suttons Sweet Peas seeds now indoors on a bright window sill in Growise compost. Sweet peas produce an abundance of long stemmed scented blooms in mixed colours from June to early autumn. Sweet pea flowers will provide you with scented blooms all summer long – you will need a couple of packs of Sweet pea seeds, a bag of Growise multipurpose compost with added John Innes, Gro sure slow released plant food and some bamboo canes.
6.Plant a family apple tree – family apple trees produce more than one type of eating apples as they usually produce two to three different types of apples on the one tree and are ideal for growing in pots or borders even in small gardens. Plant a family apple tree in your garden this Spring and you should get some great tasting apples this Summer – you will need a family Coronet apple tree, large terracotta pot, Growise compost and Slow release fertiliser.
7.Red sticked Rhubarb is easy to grow and provides you with fresh sticks of great tasting rhubarb every spring and summer. When planting Rhubarb Plants add some Growise compost and Osmo Fertiliser to the planting soil. You will need six Rhubarb plants for the average garden.
8.Plant Garlic bulbs outdoors now. Garlic is available in different varieties depending on flavour and this easy to grow vegetable will reward you with large clumps of garlic by early autumn if planted now. Remember you can also grow garlic in large pots, window boxes and raised vegetable beds.
9.Send Irish Shamrock to friends and family abroad. Horkans Shamrock is now ready for shipping to your family and friends in the UK, Europe and the USA. Just click Horkans Shamrock and send freshly Irish grown shamrock to your friends and family abroad.
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