FEBRUARY LANDSCAPE CHECKLIST
February is the month full of landscape projects that must be completed before spring arrives. Have you started on your list of projects? To help you out just a little, I will try to touch on a few things/jobs that may need to be done over the next few weeks.- Flower & Shrub Border Maintenance
- Mulch and Re-edge
- February Pansy Care
- Design a new Border
- Late Winter Lawn Care
Flower & Shrub Borders
Finish raking those leaves out of the landscape bed areas. At this time of the year, after the wind has been blowing for a couple of months, there are probably many leaves and small fallen twigs and branches that need to be cleaned out of the shrub beds or perennial boarder. It will also be a good time to remove the extra organic litter from fall seeded lawn areas.The tops of most perennials can be removed this time of year. Rudbeckia, sedum, verbena, daylily, lantana, cone flower, sages, salvia and many herbs are all good candidates for cleaning up. Add the tops to the compost pile.
Liriope and mondo grass: Raise the mowing height on the mower for large beds or use a string trimmer to cut the tops off. Don't cut down into the crown of the plant, the growing tip will be damaged if you do.
The tops of ornamental grasses are still helping make the winter landscape interesting. But, it's time to cut them back and look forward to new spring growth. Remember to wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt to protect your skin. If the clump is too large or the center is dying out, now is a great time to dig it up and divide.
Check the daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs, are the green tops up about 2 3 inches out of ground? If they have grown up this length, then lightly fertilize the bed area with 101010. back to the list
Mulch and Re-edge
After you finish cleaning the beds, you'll probably need to add more mulch. Pine needles, pine bark, compost or hardwood bark are aesthetically pleasing and functional. At this point consider if you need to reedge the beds. If the plants have grown out over the mulch edge where the lawn mower will hit the plants, I suggest either pruning the shrub or enlarging the bed. I personally like about 12 18 inches of mulched space between the turf and the plants in the bed. Reedging and remulching should be done twice a year. back to the list
February Pansy Care
Pansies are by far the most popular winter landscape annual in North Carolina. If properly planted and maintained, they will have minimum problems while performing all winter long. Just to remember to deadhead the old flowers once in a while. This saves energy for the plant by stopping seed production. Also, think about adding a little fertilizer around the 1st part of February to help stimulate growth and flower production by March. Once the active growth begins, plan on fertilizing about once a month. back to the list
Design a New Border
Develop a new and/or different space for the garden. Think about the design of your old landscape. Instead of just adding a few more of the same old plants to your landscape, take a few minutes and develop some new spaces. Ideas to consider would be a mixed border, multispecies screen (get away from the "row" of evergreens), water garden, night lighting, use of "oletime-y" plants, plants with fragrance, or build something for the garden. After a few years of these type of projects, you'll have a well rounded garden and not just a landscape. back to the list
Late Winter Lawn Care
Cool season lawns in the Piedmont are beginning to green up this month. As soon as the weather warms, it will be time to fertilize, apply preemergence herbicides and reseed any thin areas in the cool season lawns. (Don't use any herbicides in the area you plan to reseed or it will kill the seed). back to the list
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