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February reminds me of a "bridge" month, with winter shivering on one side and spring smiling on the other. Even now tips of bulbs poking through mulch, and buds swelling on willow trees remind us of the coming season.
Despite the relatively warm days of January 2001, it's still possible for hard freezing days to land on the maritime Northwest. Stay cautious as you begin to feel that "winter's over" sensation. Even if the weather continues mild, don't remove mulches or unwrap roses in the first two or three weeks of February. Leave the garden winterizing protection in place. February often brings a week or so of bright, freezing weather. Plants can adapt to the change, and the new bulb shoots will recover from intermittent freezing and grow normally when the weather warms.
Begin planning now to provide for garden care during what may be a summer with low water supplies. When installing new plants, choose those with capacity to manage summer drought. All plants will need moderate irrigation during their first year in the garden, but those with genetic capability to manage drought will be great additions for future water-saving years in the garden.
The moderate winter climate here in western Washington allows growth of many broad-leaf evergreens that will adapt, as they become established, to needing very little irrigation in the summer. A few waterwise favorites from my garden include: Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree), a relative of the madrona with handsome shiny leaves, soft pendant white flowers, and red globe berries in late fall. I also grow Daphne odora, which lives up to its name with powerfully fragrant flowers in February, flowers combining the scents of citrus and sweet jasmine. Both the strawberry tree and the daphne look handsome year round and require no additional summer irrigation.
Keep the garden mulched. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch will prevent soil-borne weed seeds from germinating and will also help reduce water loss from the soil. In my garden, a simple soaker hose laid under mulch helps me irrigate efficiently when needed (around a few rhododendrons and around newly-transplanted or installed plants.)
Warmer weather and stronger light toward the end of the month will get vegetable gardeners out and working. Before digging or planting, check the soil condition. Pick up a small handful of the garden soil and squeeze hard. Open your hand and poke at the resulting tight soil wad. If the soil mass breaks up easily into smaller clumps and crumbs, the garden is probably dry enough for digging and working. If the soil mass is gooey, sticks together, and retains the impression of your hand when you poke it, soil is still too wet to work. Clay soils can be damaged if tilled when soggy.
Plant and maintain tree fruit --apples, pears, plums, and peaches -- this month. Check local nurseries and catalogs for fruit cultivars which ripen well in cool-season summers. It's vital to purchase fruit well adapted to growth in western Washington, because the time invested in caring for a fruit tree needs to be rewarded with harvests! Some cultivars of apples which are recommended by Washington State University WSU Extension fruit researchers are 'Liberty,' ' Akane,' and 'Chehalis.' Ask the nursery about the "rootstock" for the trees. Growers graft fruit trees on to rootstocks that restrict, or somewhat control, the eventual size of the tree. For example, the rootstock called "EMLA-27" produces an apple tree that, with proper pruning care, can be kept to a 4 to 6 foot height.
Two publications from Washington State University WSU Extension are invaluable for learning about control of insect and disease problems on tree fruit. For apples and pears, request EB0846 "Apples and Pears: Spray Schedule for western Washington." For peaches, plums, cherries (both fruiting and ornamental flowering), EB0918 "Peaches, Apricots ... Spray Schedule for Home Orchards." A useful bulletin on pruning fruit trees, PNW 400 "Pruning and Training the Home Orchard, " is also available from WSU Extension county offices. Call your county WSU Extension office to order.
Hortsense: Managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management
