Gardening by
the Moon Cycles
Southern
Hemisphere
FEBRUARY 2008
Gardening Jobs
in FEBRUARY
February is usually the hottest month and at times can be sultry. With controlled watering and adequate moister in your garden, vegetables, and annuals will grow quickly and respond to light feedings of fertilizer, preferably in liquid form during the recommended Moon cycle time, especially dahlias and roses. Cut back your petunias after flowering and watch them bloom again. Pelargonium should also be hard pruned and don’t forget to save some cuttings for propagation. Also include cuttings from browallia, aucuba, daphne, cuphea, rhododendron, azalea, photinia, magnolia, camellia and viburnum. Hydrangeas can now be pruned. Potted coleus and impatience may need nipping back and use the pieces for cuttings. Remove flower stalks from lavender when the blooms are finished. Cultivate and fertilize the soil with a mixture of dynamic lifter and a nitrogen base lawn starter whilst you rotary hoe, rake and prepare pre-autumn lawns. Don’t plant lawn seed until next month. Eucalypts leaves should be gathered and used as mulch or saved and mixed with other materials for making compost. If you wish to grow last year’s cyclamen corm, remove all dead roots and soil and plant in a pot with a good soil mix, keeping the crown just above the soil level. Fruit trees can now be budded. Feed lawns with half rate application and water well. Spray for fruit fly, aphids and red spider mite especially on azalea and vine moth on fuchsia.Adequate watering is essential whilst abiding your local water restrictions. Deep watering and early in the morning is more beneficial but don’t waste precious water. A light organic feeding of all plants and shrubs is recommended on the appropriate days with an all-purpose garden fertiliser, whilst watering on appropriate days. Mulching your garden is an excellent way to retain moisture, make good use of compost, leaves, straw, seaweed, aged sawdust, lawn clippings or shredded newspaper mixed. Regular cultivation of soil around your plants is helpful to retaining moister. Now you can tip prune fuchsias to promote growth for late summer. Give roses a light prune and watch your roses bloom in autumn. Mow lawns higher to prevent root burning and drying out. Divide iris or other types of plants that require thinning. Watch for caterpillars on cabbage, tomatoes and sweet corn. Spray aphids and white fly on roses, beans, cucumbers, marrow, peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes. Prune dead twigs and damaged branches on fruit trees. Planting vegetables in FEBRUARY:
Now is the time to sow a variety of beans, peas, carrot, parsnip, beetroot, radish, onion, turnip, Swede, kohlrabi or plant seedlings of lettuce, silver beet, spinach, celery, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli, eggplant, potatoes, herbs, mustard, cress, chicory and pumpkins.
Planting flowers and shrubs:
Plant petunias, ageratum, alyssum, cineraria, Iceland poppy, impatiens, marigold, celosia and cockscomb. For seedlings to plant out for Autumn pansy, viola, stock, cornflower, larkspur, sweet William, wall flower, calendula and primula. Cuttings of evergreen shrubs, azalea, Boronia, camellia, cistus, coleus, daphne, escallonia, fuchsia, grevillea, marguerite, pelargonium, rhododendron and veronica. Bulbs can also be planted, especially daffodil, freesia, Dutch Iris, hyacinth, Christmas lily and Watsonia.
Planting trees: All Australian and New Zealand natives, flowering cherry, crab apple, dogwood, magnolia, agonis, bauhinia.
Flowers and Shrubs
(depending on your climate)    
Passion fruit vines, bamboo, orchids can be re-potted, Boronia, roses, petunias, impatience, marigold, aster, salvia, gomphrena, das zamia varieties in rock gardens, poppy-flowered anemone, Canna, pineapple lily, spider lily, iris, begonia, bougainvillea, columbines, evening primrose, fuchsia, lavender, azaleas and rhododendrons.
Planting Trees  
An excellent month for planting evergreens and most trees, especially fruit trees such as avocado, crab apples, citrus and olive trees, in cooler climates, conifers, taxus aurea, pines, oak, ash, elm, magnolia, Taiwan cherry, flowering almond and a variety of wattles and all Australian natives. Cuttings of hibiscus, English box, croton and ixora can be planted in warmer areas.
Planting of
above
ground vegetables and shrubs   
Best days: 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 17Th, 18Th.
All leaf or stalk vegetables, lettuce, celery, eggplant, cucumber, marrow, melon, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, silverbeet, spinach, Chinese cabbage, peas, beans, herbs, tomato, endive, sweet corn, chicory, capsicum, asparagus, leek.
Planting
of below ground crops & transplanting trees &
shrubs    
Best days: 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th.
Carrots, onion, beetroot, turnip, parsnip, radish, potato, sweet potato, swede.
Garden maintenance     
Best days: 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th, 6th. For all types
of spraying, destroying pests, killing weeds, pruning, preparing
or cutting lawns, turning soil and preparing garden beds for
planting, fertilizing, spreading compost, making new compost,
conservation, watering and irrigation, sharpening your garden
tools and taking all rubbish to the tip.
Happy
Gardening!
You will have the best
garden in your street!
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