What to do in February...

1. February is time for Pre-Emergent - Not Weed and Feed

   • Apply Dimension pre-emergent herbicide to lawns and flower beds to stop weeds before they sprout. This must be done before soil temperatures reach 55 degrees.

   • Hold off on the Weed and Feed until you mow twice (usually well in to Spring). Applying too early will waste the expensive fertilizer because the grass is still dormant and not able to use the nitrogen.

   • Kill existing weeds this month using a post emergent herbicide.

2. Valentine's Day = Rose Care

   • Plant new roses, and prune established plants.

   • Shrub roses like Knockout Roses and Drift Roses should be cut back by 1/3 and fertilized.

   • Wait to prune climbers and once-bloomers, like many old garden roses, until after they flower.

3. Pruning Party

   1. Prune deciduous and evergreen plants that bloom in summer (panicle hydrangea, roses, crepe myrtle, butterfly bush)

   2. Wait to prune spring bloomers until after they bloom (azaleas, forsythia, spirea, camelia japonicas)

   3. Trim dead or mushy growth on perennials but be careful not to cut emerging growth

   4. Trim dead growth on ornamental grasses before the new growth begins

4. Time to revive the Pansies and Snapdragons!

   1. Deadhead and fertilize cool-season plants like pansies, snapdragons and dianthus with Fertilome Bedding Plant Food.

5. Growing your own food...

   1. Plant transplants of such cool-season veggies as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and onions.

   2. Plant seeds of tomatoes and peppers inside under lights so you’ll have transplants ready to set out in spring.

   3. Plant fruit trees and bushes, such as figs, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.