Alison Standing at Peacehaven Horticultural Society shares her gardening tips for February - now is the time to prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering including wisteria, buddleias and evergreen hedges.
If you would like to have sweet peas later in the year now is the time to sow them under cover.
Plug plants are available to purchase from most garden centres.
Prepare vegetable seed beds, and you can start to sow early vegetables under cover.
It’s important with early potatoes to 'chit' the seed potatoes before planting. This means allowing them to start sprouting shoots. Early varieties are ready to harvest much sooner than main ones and are what is called 'new potatoes'. Main crop varieties are in the ground a lot longer.
Hardy annuals can now be sown in pots to provide colour.
Cut back deciduous ornamental grasses.
Continue to deadhead winter pansies, and they should carry on flowering into spring.
If you have hellebores don't forget to cut off the old leaves.
Prepare the ground for new roses.
If you have been storing dahlia tubers over the winter now is the time to start growing them, place them in a light, warm place to sprout before planting. Do not let them dry out.
Check tree ties and stakes, replace them where necessary.
Happy Gardening!
Alison Standing at Peacehaven Horticultural Society: www.facebook.com/peacehavenhorticulturalsociety