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
Despite the earlier freezes from Mother Nature, with the warmer weather, Camellias are blooming their hearts out in our Greenhouses! Many of our plants are in full bloom - and many of them are just about to bloom out. The BEST time to purchase and plant Camellias is when they are in bloom. Our biggest selection at Blackcreek Nursery is between October and March, with our heaviest sales in January and February. If you're looking for a great selection, then don't wait until spring when most of them will be out of stock! We'd love to have you visit!
See Our Camellias Here....
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.