What to do in your garden in February

Sunset, Feb, 2005 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

SHOPPING

* Living valentines. Sunset climate zones 7-9, 14-17: Give your sweetheart a valentine that will live on long after February 14. Tie a red ribbon around a lemon tree or put a bow on a bare-root rose. Or choose a flowering plant that can go outdoors after bloom is through. Choices include azaleas, camellias, carnations, gardenias, and Oriental lilies.

PLANTING

* Evergreen vines. Zones 7-9, 14-17: Good choices include fragrant, yellow-flowered Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens); white-flowered evergreen clematis (C. armandii); purple Hardenbergia violacea 'Happy Wanderer'; pink H. v. 'Rosea'; fragrant pinkish white Jasminum polyanthum; pink or white Pandorea jasminoides; and violet trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides). All are easy to grow, reaching 15 to 20 feet long.

* Roses. To perform well, these sun lovers usually require six to eight hours of direct sun per day. But some varieties also grow well in partial shade. The following are a few good easy-care choices. Shrubs: 'Carefree Beauty', 'Carefree Delight', 'Flutterbye', 'Marjorie Fair'. Climbers: 'Altissimo', 'Blaze', 'Coral Dawn', 'Fourth of July'.

* Tomatoes. Zones 7-9, 14-17: Some of the tastiest varieties for Northern California are 'Brandywine', 'Early Girl', 'Gardener's Delight', 'Green Grape', 'Stupice', 'Sun Gold,' and 'SunSugar' (available from Tomato Growers Supply Company, www.tomatogrowers.com or 888/478-7333). 'Ace-High Improved' and 'Celebrity' are flavor favorites in hot, inland areas. Start seeds this month for planting outdoors in late March or April.

* Vegetables. Zones 7-9, 14-17: Set out roots of artichokes and asparagus, and seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery (zones 15-17 only), green onions, kohlrabi, and lettuce. From seed, plant beets, carrots, chard, lettuce, peas, and spinach. Sow seeds of eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes indoors using bottom heat to speed germination (try a heat mat, or set containers on a water heater until seeds germinate, then move them into bright light); allow six to eight weeks to reach transplant size. Zones 1, 2: Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower indoors or in a greenhouse at the end of the month. When seedlings are ready to go outside (in six to eight weeks), plant them and drape with floating row covers.

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MAINTENANCE

* Cut back woody shrubs. Zones 7-9, 14-17: To stimulate lush new growth on artemisia, butterfly bush, fuchsia, and Mexican bush sage, cut back woody stems to within a few inches of the ground. If left unpruned, plants become leggy and scraggly-looking.

* Repot cymbidiums. If your cymbidium orchids are bulging out of their containers or the bark has decomposed, it's time to repot them. Do this between mid-February and early July to assure bloom next season. Remove old bark, cut off dead roots, and discard soft or rotted bulbs. Repot the plant into a larger container, or divide plants into groups of three to five pseudobulbs (bulbs with leaves). Replant in mediumsize bark or purchase a cymbidium mix.

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Planting strawberries

To grow strawberries in garden beds, choose a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil. Then follow one of the two methods described below. Set out plants this month in mild climates; in cold climates, wait until late April or May to plant.

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* On hills. Rake the soil into long mounds about 6 inches high, then space plants 12 to 14 inches apart (above). Mulch with straw and remove runners as they appear. This method is best for everbearing varieties; it produces a small yield of big berries on large plants.

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* In matted rows. Set plants on level ground 18 to 24 inches apart, in rows 48 inches apart (above). Allow runners to root in all directions, forming dense mats of plants; trim off those that grow beyond the boundaries shown below. This method usually results in a higher yield of large berries.

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