February To-Do's

• Start ordering seeds now to take advantage of early discounts and good selections. 

• Start slow-growers indoors. Celery, leeks, and onions need several months before they are ready to be transplanted outdoors. You can also start small-seeded flowers, such as petunias and begonias. Keep the seeds warm to encourage development of a strong root system.

• If you are forcing bulbs indoors, now is a good time to check them out. If the tips have started and there's a couple inches of growth, move them to a cool, bright room. For more on forcing bulbs, check out our post, "Baby It's Cold Outside."

• You can start forcing spring bloomers forsythia, dogwood, and crabapple by cutting the branches and putting them in warm water. Make long slanted cuts when collecting branches. Re-cut the stems to increase water absorption , and change the water every four days. Give them about 3 weeks to bloom.

• Feed your houseplants. Dilute the strength by half. Houseplants will tend to become leggy this time of year, continue to pinch back new growth 

• Now is a good time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs.