Guides / What to plant
What to plant in February
Light increases before the weather warms. Crocuses and primroses open on mild afternoons, sweet violets flower in shade, and the aloe on the windowsill may start growing again after its winter pause.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is August.
In the garden
Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
How to identify ash, Fraxinus excelsior. The black winter buds, ash dieback and what it means for your tree, and whether to fell or wait.
Chinese Wisteria
Wisteria sinensis
How to grow Wisteria sinensis. The two-stage prune that produces flowers, why a seedling may never bloom in your lifetime, which way the stems twine, and where it is a listed invasive.
Dwarf iris
Iris reticulata
How to grow Iris reticulata. Planting deep enough to stop the bulbs splitting, keeping them dry in summer, and why a brilliant first year is so often followed by grass.
Hazel
Corylus avellana
How to grow hazel, Corylus avellana. Coppicing on a seven-year cycle, planting two for a crop of cobnuts, the catkins in February, and losing the lot to squirrels.
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
How to grow the native primrose, Primula vulgaris. Planting, dividing, pin and thrum flowers, and which primulas cause a rash.
Spring Crocus
Crocus vernus
How to plant and naturalise spring crocuses. Planting depth, why the leaves must stay, why sparrows shred the yellow ones, and how to tell them from the dangerous autumn crocus.
Sweet Violet
Viola odorata
How to grow sweet violets, Viola odorata. Shade, spreading by runners, the hidden flowers that set the seed, and why the scent seems to vanish.
Winter aconite
Eranthis hyemalis
How to grow winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis. Yellow cups in February, why dry tubers rarely establish, and planting it in the green instead.
Herbs and edibles
Aji Pepper
Capsicum baccatum
How to grow aji peppers, Capsicum baccatum. The Peruvian chilli with a fruity flavour, the tall plant it makes, and the spotted flowers that identify the species.
Aubergine
Solanum melongena
How to grow aubergines, Solanum melongena. The heat they need and how to supply it in a cool summer, stopping at five fruits, red spider mite under glass, and picking while the skin still shines.
Broad Bean
Vicia faba
How to grow broad beans, Vicia faba. Autumn against spring sowing, pinching out for blackfly, and the inherited condition that makes this bean dangerous for some people.
Celeriac
Apium graveolens var. rapaceum
How to grow celeriac, Apium graveolens var. rapaceum. The six-month season it needs, removing side shoots and lower leaves, and lifting through the frost.
Cherry Plum
Prunus cerasifera
How to grow cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera. The first blossom of the year, why the fruit is worth more than its reputation, and its use as a hedge.
Chilli Pepper
Capsicum frutescens
How to grow bird's eye chillies, Capsicum frutescens. The upright fruit that gives tabasco its name, growing it as a perennial, and picking the small hot pods.
Chilli Pepper
Capsicum annuum
How to grow chilli peppers, Capsicum annuum. Sowing early enough, where the heat sits in the fruit, overwintering a plant, and what to do about capsaicin on your hands.
Grapefruit
Citrus paradisi
How to grow grapefruit, Citrus paradisi. The citrus that needs the most heat and the longest season, and the one with a genuine medical caution attached.
Habanero
Capsicum chinense
How to grow habaneros, Capsicum chinense. The long season and heat they need, why the species is not Chinese, ripening under glass, and handling capsaicin safely.
Kumquat
Citrus japonica
How to grow kumquat, Citrus japonica. A small citrus eaten whole, skin and all, and among the most cold-tolerant of the group.
Leek
Allium porrum
How to grow leeks, Allium porrum. Dropping seedlings into dibbed holes for a long white shank, earthing up, and dealing with leek moth and allium rust.
Peach
Prunus persica
How to grow peach, Prunus persica. Keeping peach leaf curl off with a rain shelter, hand pollinating in February, and thinning the fruit for size.
Pomelo
Citrus maxima
How to grow pomelo, Citrus maxima. The largest citrus and one of the three ancestral species, needing more heat than a temperate summer gives without glass.
Sea Kale
Crambe maritima
How to grow sea kale, Crambe maritima. Forcing the shoots under a pot in February, growing it from thongs, and the shingle beach habitat that explains its needs.
Seville orange
Citrus aurantium
How to grow Seville orange, Citrus aurantium. The bitter orange behind marmalade, hardier than a sweet orange, and the source of neroli oil.
Sweet orange
Citrus sinensis
How to grow a sweet orange, Citrus sinensis. Container culture outside the subtropics, the watering that kills more trees than frost, and fruit that takes a year to ripen.
Indoors
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
How to grow aloe vera indoors. Watering, light, dividing the pups, the difference between the gel and the yellow sap, and whether it is safe for pets.
Chinese evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
How to care for Aglaonema commutatum. Why cold does more damage than low light, watering it correctly, and why the pink varieties need brighter conditions than the green ones.
Flamingo Flower
Anthurium andraeanum
How to care for Anthurium andraeanum, the flamingo flower. Light, chunky compost, humidity, watering and repeat flowering.
Noble dendrobium
Dendrobium nobile
How to grow Dendrobium nobile. The cool dry winter rest that makes it flower, why the old canes must be kept, and the keikis that grow instead of buds.
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
How to grow ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata. The swollen base that stores water, why it needs watering monthly rather than weekly, and its slow growth.
Sago palm
Cycas revoluta
How to care for Cycas revoluta. Watering a cycad that stores its own water, the one flush of fronds a year, treating cycad scale, and why it is lethal to dogs.