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Cool-season vegetables go in
- Irish potatoes: Clemson HGIC's guide to growing potatoes schedules planting in late winter. The coast plants first, and the Piedmont and upstate follow into early March. Cut seed potatoes into pieces with at least one eye each and let them cure for a day or two before planting.
- English peas, onions, spring brassicas: per NC State Extension, these are among the first crops of the year in eastern North Carolina and similar zone 8 areas. Set out short-day onion transplants and broccoli and cabbage transplants once they have been hardened off.
- Lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets: sow outdoors when the soil is workable. Row cover protects them during cold snaps.
- North Florida: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions covers what to plant in February there, where warm-season planting begins once frost risk passes. Central Florida's spring window runs February into March (see the March guide).
Don't work soil when it is wet. If a squeezed handful stays in a sticky ball, wait a few days.
By zone: in zones 6b–7b, February is mostly for peas, onions, spinach and potatoes late in the month, with brassica transplants going out under row cover toward March. In zones 8a–8b, the full cool-season list goes in now. In zone 9 and north Florida, the cool-season window is closing fast. Plant quick crops only and start shifting toward warm-season planning, since rising heat cuts the spring cool-season window short (see the March guide).
Last call for indoor seed starts
In zones 7b–8, early to mid-February is the last practical window to start tomatoes indoors for a late-March or April planting. Peppers and eggplant should already be up. Clemson HGIC recommends hardening off all transplants for a week or more before planting, starting with a few hours outdoors in shade and building up to full days. Seedlings that go straight from the windowsill into the garden often stall or scorch.
- Light: keep grow lights a few inches above seedlings and raise them as plants grow. Stretched, pale stems mean the plants aren't getting enough light.
- Damping-off: use fresh, sterile seed-starting mix and clean containers, water from below, and keep air moving with a small fan. Seedlings collapsing at the soil line are the classic symptom.
- Potting up: move tomatoes and peppers into larger pots once they have a couple of true leaves, so roots aren't cramped before transplanting.
Felco F-2 bypass pruners
February is the main pruning month in the Southeast, and sharp bypass pruners make the clean cuts back to an outward bud or side branch that roses and crape myrtles need. See how we chose it.
Bulbs and early bloomers
Daffodils, hellebores, flowering quince and early camellias bloom in February across much of the region. Per Clemson HGIC, let bulb foliage keep growing after the flowers fade, until it yellows on its own. The leaves are building next year's bulb. Cutting, braiding or mowing them early is the main reason daffodils fade out after a few years. Deadhead the spent flowers if you like, and mark clumps that need dividing once the foliage dies back.
February pruning: what to cut and what to leave
Clemson HGIC calls February the month for pruning, and its February garden calendar lists what to cut:
- Roses: per Clemson HGIC's rose pruning fact sheet, prune hybrid teas and other repeat bloomers in late winter as the buds begin to swell. In zones 7–8 that is late February into March. Remove dead and weak canes and cut to an outward-facing bud. Knock Out and other shrub roses can be cut back by about a third. Prune climbers that bloom once after they flower, not now.
- Crape myrtles: finish structural pruning before leaves emerge, without topping (see the January guide and Clemson's crape myrtle fact sheet).
- Summer-flowering shrubs: butterfly bush, abelia, beautyberry and other shrubs that bloom on new wood can be cut back now.
- Ornamental grasses and liriope: cut back before new growth comes up, so you don't clip the new blades.
- Peaches: prune last, in late winter close to bloom, into an open-center shape, per Clemson HGIC.
- Leave alone: azaleas, forsythia, loropetalum, spring-blooming camellias and oakleaf hydrangeas. Prune them after they bloom.
Dormant oil for scale
Scale on camellias, hollies, euonymus and fruit trees can be treated with horticultural oil in late winter, before new growth. The March guide gives NC State's conditions: temperatures above 40°F and below 90°F, with no rain expected for 24 hours. Avoid days when a freeze is forecast. Cover stems and the undersides of leaves thoroughly, and follow the label for dormant versus summer rates.
Lawns: crabgrass timing, not fertilizer
Apply crabgrass preemergence before the soil at 4 inches reaches about 55°F. That is late February along the coast and Gulf (zones 8b–9) and early March in the Piedmont, as the March guide explains. Put it down too early and it may wear off before the late flushes of crabgrass. Put it down too late and the crabgrass has already sprouted.
- Warm-season lawns: still no fertilizer. Wait until the lawn is at least half green.
- Tall fescue: NC State's tall fescue calendar allows a light late-winter feeding. Base the amount on a soil test, and don't push heavy spring growth that will struggle in summer.
- Mow ryegrass-overseeded lawns as needed. Hold off on scalping or dethatching warm-season grass until it is actively growing.
Winter weeds are flowering and setting seed now. Pulling or spot-treating henbit and chickweed before they seed means fewer of them next winter, but the real fix is the fall preemergence covered in the October guide. Check any herbicide label for your grass type before spraying. Products that are safe on bermuda can injure centipede or St. Augustine, especially as they start to green up.
Fruit and perennial planting
- Asparagus: Clemson HGIC schedules crown planting for late winter into early spring. Set crowns in a trench in a sunny, well-drained, weed-free bed. It will produce for years.
- Bare-root fruit: finish planting bare-root fruit trees, blueberries and grapes before buds break.
- Divide perennials: late-summer and fall bloomers such as asters and ornamental grasses can be divided as new growth appears.
- Clean up: cut back last year's perennial stems and pull winter weeds from beds before they set seed.
- Strawberries and early fruit bloom: strawberries and early peaches can bloom ahead of the last frost in the warmer zones. Keep row cover handy to throw over strawberry beds on frosty nights. Open flowers are far more tender than the leaves.
Early pests and garden hygiene
Pests wake up on warm February days well before the rest of the garden does.
- Aphids build up quickly on overwintered brassicas and greens. Rinse them off or use insecticidal soap, and pull bolting plants that harbor them.
- Scale shows up as bumps or a white crust on stems and leaf undersides of camellias, hollies and euonymus. Dormant oil (above) is the main tool this month.
- Last year's debris: clear out old vines, fallen fruit and diseased leaves you missed in fall. They carry disease into the new season.
- Tools: sharpen mower blades and pruners now. Dull blades tear grass and stems, and the ragged wounds heal slowly.
Alabama Extension's February calendar has more month-specific reminders for the Deep South.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Consequence | Correct approach |
|---|---|---|
| Pruning azaleas or forsythia in February | Removes this spring's flowers | Prune right after they bloom |
| Pruning roses too early in a mild spell | New growth gets frozen back | Prune as buds swell in late winter, about late February into March in zones 7–8 |
| Applying crabgrass preemergence by the calendar alone | Applied too early, it wears off; too late, it misses the flush | Time it to soil temperature, about 55°F at 4 inches |
| Planting potatoes in waterlogged soil | Seed pieces rot before sprouting | Plant in well-drained beds once the soil crumbles |
| Moving seedlings straight from indoors to the garden | Sunscald and stalled growth | Harden them off for a week or more |
Frequently asked
When should I prune roses in the Southeast?
Prune repeat-blooming roses in late winter as buds begin to swell. In zones 7–8 that is usually late February into March. Prune once-blooming climbers after they flower.
When do I plant potatoes in South Carolina or Georgia?
In late winter. Clemson HGIC schedules the coast first and the Piedmont and upstate into early March. Plant cut seed pieces that have cured for a day or two in well-drained soil.
Is it too late to start tomatoes indoors in February?
Not in early to mid-February for zones 7b–8. Tomatoes need about 6–8 weeks before transplanting. By March, buy transplants instead.
Can I cut back liriope now?
Yes. Late winter, before new growth appears, is the right time. Cut it low, but get it done before new blades come up so you don't clip them.
Sources
- This Month in Your Garden – February 2024, Clemson HGIC
- Forget the Hearts and Chocolates, February Is for Pruning, Clemson HGIC
- Pruning Roses, Clemson HGIC
- Growing Potatoes in South Carolina, Clemson HGIC
- Asparagus, Clemson HGIC
- Planting Winter's First Crops, NC State Extension
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, UF/IFAS Extension Bradford County
- Tall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar, NC State Extension