Care guides › Melbourne › February

February in the Melbourne garden

Late summer in Melbourne. Cool temperate: frosty winters and warm, dry summers. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.

What to plant 5
What to harvest 31
Feeding 4
Pruning and deadheading 20
Watering 20
Pests and diseases to watch for 9
Frost and weather 2
Tidying up 5

What to plant in February

Kale, Broccoli and Cabbage

Plant seedlings in late summer to autumn
Lettuce

Sow or plant every few weeks for a steady supply
Carrot

Sow seed direct every few weeks
Cauliflower

Plant seedlings in late summer
Silverbeet

Sow or plant seedlings

What to harvest in February

Tomato

Pick as fruit colours; it finishes ripening indoors
Carrot

Pull from about 12 weeks after sowing
Cucumber

Pick young and often
Capsicum

Pick green, or leave to colour fully
Zucchini

Pick at 15-20 cm, every few days
Runner Bean

Pick pods young and often
Potato

Dig once the tops die back
Sweetcorn

Pick when silks brown and kernels squirt milky juice
Eggplant

Pick while the skin is still glossy
Apple Tree

Pick when the fruit twists off easily
Pear Tree

Pick firm and ripen indoors
Plum Tree

Pick when soft at the stalk end
Fig Tree

Pick when soft and drooping on the stalk
Blueberry Bush

Pick berries a few days after they turn blue
Raspberry Cane

Pick every couple of days
Basil

Pick often; take the lot before the first frost
Grape Vine

Pick bunches when the grapes taste sweet
Rhubarb

Pull (do not cut) the stalks; never eat the leaves
Silverbeet

Pick outer leaves as needed
Warrigal Greens

Pick the soft tips often; blanch before eating
Lemon Myrtle

Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
Rosemary If you have time

Snip sprigs as needed; it keeps it bushy
Thyme If you have time

Snip sprigs as needed
Mint If you have time

Pick often to keep it leafy
Sage If you have time

Pick leaves as needed; best before it flowers
Chives If you have time

Snip leaves to 5 cm; the flowers are edible too
Parsley If you have time

Pick outer stems first
Dill If you have time

Pick fronds, then seed heads as they brown
Fennel If you have time

Pick fronds as needed
Oregano If you have time

Pick sprigs; dry a bunch before it flowers
Lemon Verbena If you have time

Pick leaves for tea as needed

Feeding

Citrus

Citrus fertiliser, watered in (late winter and late summer)
Cool-season vegetables

Dig in compost before planting
Summer vegetables If you have time

Liquid feed every 2 weeks while cropping
Annual flowers If you have time

Liquid feed every 2-3 weeks while flowering

Pruning and deadheading

Cherry Tree and Plum Tree

Prune after harvest in dry weather (winter cuts invite silver leaf)
Wisteria

Summer prune: cut whippy new shoots back to 5-6 leaves
Boston Ivy

Trim back from gutters, windows and the roof
Lilly Pilly

Clip in late spring and late summer
Fennel

Remove seed heads before they drop: it self-seeds aggressively
Agapanthus

Cut off spent flower heads before they seed: it is weedy
Brachyscome If you have time

Shear back lightly to refresh it
Dahlia, Marigold and Cosmos If you have time

Deadhead to keep flowers coming
Rose If you have time

Cut spent blooms back to a leaf to keep flowers coming
Echinacea If you have time

Deadhead, or leave late heads for the birds
Geranium If you have time

Snap off spent flower heads
Basil If you have time

Pinch out flower spikes to keep leaves coming
Butterfly Bush If you have time

Cut off spent flower spikes
Yellow Buttons If you have time

Snip off spent flower heads
Dianella If you have time

Cut old flower stems once the berries drop
Salvia If you have time

Cut spent spikes back to the next buds
Rudbeckia If you have time

Deadhead for more flowers, or leave heads for birds
Paper Daisy If you have time

Snip spent flowers for more
Billy Buttons If you have time

Cut spent stems at the base
Native Bluebell If you have time

Cut spent stems back to the leafy base

Watering

Natives

Established plants: only in a heatwave or after 3 weeks without rain, then a deep soak
Shrubs and perennials

Deep soak weekly in dry spells
Azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers

Shallow roots: deep soak weekly in dry spells
Citrus

Deep soak weekly, more while fruit is setting
Fruit

Deep soak weekly in dry spells, more as fruit swells
Summer vegetables

Deep water 2-3 times a week; uneven watering splits fruit
Herbs and annual flowers

Water when the top few cm are dry
Red Flowering Gum and Red Flowering Gum (Dwarf)

Young trees: deep soak weekly in summer for the first two years
Hydrangea

Thirsty: water deeply in heat, it wilts first
Japanese Maple

Keep moist and shelter from hot wind: the leaves scorch
Tree Fern

Water down the top of the trunk into the crown, daily in heat
Daphne If you have time

Keep just moist: it hates both wet feet and drying out
Smoke Bush If you have time

Water deeply in dry spells while young
Kidney Weed If you have time

Water in dry spells or it browns off
Blue Stars If you have time

Keep it moist in summer; it likes damp spots
Hop Goodenia If you have time

Water in long dry spells; it likes moist ground
Adenanthos If you have time

Water in long dry spells, but never overwater
Boronia If you have time

Keep the roots cool and moist; mulch well
Rock Orchid If you have time

Water weekly in summer; keep almost dry in winter
Native Violet If you have time

Water in dry spells

Pests and diseases to watch for

Tomato, Capsicum and Eggplant If you have time

Fruit fly: check fruit for stings and set traps
Cucumber and Zucchini If you have time

Powdery mildew: water the soil, not the leaves
Rose If you have time

Black spot and aphids: bin spotted leaves; hose or squash aphids
Mint If you have time

Mint rust: cut off spotted stems and bin them
Viburnum If you have time

Thrips silver the leaves in summer; hose the undersides
Crepe Myrtle If you have time

Powdery mildew: water the soil, not the leaves; prune for airflow
Clivia If you have time

Lily borer: check for chewed leaves and pick off caterpillars
Lilly Pilly If you have time

Psyllids pimple new leaves: cut off affected growth
Finger Lime If you have time

Citrus leafminer: cut off silvery curled new leaves

Frost and weather

Fig Tree and Grape Vine If you have time

Net against birds as the fruit ripens
Magnolia If you have time

Mulch over the shallow roots to keep them cool; do not dig near it

Tidying up

Kangaroo Paw

Cut spent flower stems right down to the base
Silver Falls If you have time

Trim runners to keep it tidy
Iris If you have time

Divide crowded clumps after flowering
Strawberry If you have time

Trim runners; pot up the best for new plants
Lemon-scented Gum If you have time

Clear shed bark and fallen twigs

Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.