February is the month of love, a time for getting ready for spring, but more importantly, it’s the peak of Camellia Season and the time for pruning some of the garden plants.

Camellias

Although not native to the USA, the Camellia has become the most beloved winter blooming flower in the south.  For over 200 years it has adorned gardens, tables and lapels.  Once considered a prized possession only for wealthy, it has become a mainstain in today’s southern gardens.

There’s not much you should be doing to your camellias now except to enjoy them!  The gardens should be ablaze with color, with the exception of an occasional freeze.  Get out and enjoy them and bring them inside!  They’re amazing.

Freezes

Don’t let your guard down because as sure as the sun sets, there will be another freeze before St. Patricks Day in March. Keep your plants well hydrated but it’s not too late to start “THINKING” about pruning. We don’t recommend pruning all things, but there are some that you do want to do.

Crape Myrtles – Pruning time, if you have to prune, is February. This allows for you to shape the plant you want and remove any dying or dead limbs.

Tea Plants – February 15 is the date we recommend doing your tea trimming if you are growing your Camellia sinensis for Tea. By trimming in mid-February, it’s not likely to put on new growth soon so you shouldn’t have to worry about freezes too much on new growth. Trimming in February will get the plant ready to send out some condensed bushy growth which is what you want for harvesting Tea. You also want to clean up the plants – removing dead or decaying limbs.

Fruit Trees – February is the time to prune your fruit trees and berry bushes. Keep in mind that some plants will produce fruit on last year’s growth. So if you severely cut them back, you may not get much fruit, but you will get lots of new growth which will give you a better plant yield for the following year. Remove dead or diseased limbs from fruit trees and dead or dying canes on Blackberry, Blueberry, and other fruiting edibles. An easy way to tell if it’s not dead is to gently scratch it with your fingernail. If it is green under it’s good – brown is not. Trim any dead limb back until it’s green.

Fertilizing

It’s still too early to fertilize outdoor plants. Hold off until March before you grab the fertilizer bag. Fertilizing early can encourage new growth which will more than likely be damaged when we have the next inevitable freeze.

Planting

There is nothing wrong with planting in the south in February as long as you are planting cold-tolerant plants. It’s too early for perennials or annuals but it’s the best time for shrubs and trees. It’s also perfect for Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes.