Eleanor Clarke

INDOOR & OUTDOOR GARDENING

Quick Jobs for February

Make the most of any sunny days to tidy up the garden a bit, bring in some colour and set the stage for the arrival of spring. We’re convinced it’s just around the corner…

Outdoors

Divide big clumps of snowdrops

If your snowdrops are congested they’ll produce fewer flowers. Once they’ve flowered, but while they’re still ‘in the green’, dig them up, carefully split into smaller sections with your hands and replant with more space.

Give ornamental grasses a tidy-up

This is a quick and satisfying winter job. Grasses such as calamagrostis and stipa can be looking pretty tatty by now, so snip back the leaves close to the base to make way for new spring growth.

Foxgloves self seed bountifully in the wild

New plants for free

If you spot seedlings you recognise in cracks in paving, in borders or dotted about in gravel, it’s a great time to dig them out and give them a new home. Verbena bonariensis, lamb’s ear, foxgloves, love-in-a-mist and Mexican fleabane are a handful of those you might spot. Of course, leave them be if that’s where you want them. Otherwise pot them up and transplant them later in the spring.

And indoors...

Plan your vegetable patch

Sit down with a pen and paper and decide what you’re going to grow this year and where. We’re all about experimenting with new veg at The Nunhead Gardener, and fennel, artichokes and cavolo nero are all on the list for 2024. Although we won’t be missing out on cherry tomatoes, French beans and courgettes.

If you’re short on outdoor space, there are plenty of indoor options for growing edibles such as thyme, basil, parley, mint and even camomile. Grow them in any containers you have lying around – rinsed out food tins and yogurt pots work well, provided you punch in some drainage holes. Or get your hands on one of our special grow bag kits or recycled bottle containers (Check out Life in a bag) – each one contains all you need to grow your own on a windowsill.

Life in a bag herb vegetable growing kits

Give houseplants a wipe

Glossy leaves welcome a little TLC in winter when light levels are low. Get rid of any dust with a soft cloth dipped in equal parts milk and water. This will also make the leaves shinier, as well as more healthy looking.

Remember, if we don’t have specific plants in stock, just come and ask one of the team. We’ll be happy to suggest an alternative or order it for you, if we can.