Blog

February 4th 2026

In February, winter's grip on the land begins to slowly loosen, the ground might begin to thaw and transform from its hardened winter state into something more fluid, strongly scented and alive. Right now, frogs, hedgehogs and insects are hibernating or semi-dormant, and early plants are forming their buds under our feet. If it ever stops raining, we can begin to look forward to seeing the first daffodils poking through, the vanguard of spring heralding the return of daisies, bluebells, primrose and spreading some much needed colour across our landscape.

It's a great excuse to get back out into the garden and start preparing for the coming year but it's also important to make sure that we balance our aims in the garden this year with that of the ecosystem, and work to support wildlife rather than unintentionally hinder its advance. The aim this month should be to prepare your garden without disturbing the soil or removing habitats for wildlife.

1. Leave things untidy It is tempting to use those rare sunny days to get out into the garden and clear up in preparation for gardening year, but doing so disturbs the wildlife that is using your garden as a refuge from the weather. We should refrain from cutting back perennials, clearing seed heads and removing leaf litter as these are all important habitats. The hollow stems of perennials might house overwintering solitary bees, leaf litter shelters beetles spiders and moth pupae and seed heads feed sparrows and finches.
2. 2.Provide food for birds and insects The autumn berries are long gone by this time of year and food is scarce for birds and insects. Keep bird feeders topped up to provide food for tits, finches, robins and thrushes or if you don’t have a bird feeder, consider making a biodegradable one out of acorns, twine, seeds and lard via this link.
3. Protect hibernating animals Hedgehogs hibernate until March/April and slow worms are using leaf piles and compost heaps for shelter, so it's important to protect them by refraining from moving log piles, clearing compost heaps, digging too deeply, or mowing the lawn.
3. 4. Soil prep Whilst we don’t want to disturb wildlife habitats, we do also want to prep the garden ready for the coming year. We can keep on top of things by removing invasive weeds from our planting beds, though try to set aside some space for common weeds such as dandelion, herb robert and nettles as they are great for the soil and provide some early food for pollinators.
4. 5. Harvest rainwater It’s hard to believe in February that a time will come when it stops raining and might not rain for weeks, but summer will be upon us before we know it so its best to collect as much rainwater during the wet season as possible to use during the dry season. Place a barrel or a water butt below a drain pipe and allow the water to run into it then move it into containers and store it ready to use in the summer.
5. 6.Sow vegetables indoors or outdoors under cover Now is the time to sow some vegetable seeds either indoors in the warmth or outside if they are under cover. Chillies, tomatoes and peppers will need to be in a warm sunny spot, ideally under a growing light ready to move to a greenhouse later. Peas, broad beans, brassicas and lettuces can be sown in a greenhouse or cold frame.
6. 7. A little bit of pruning This is the month to prune Buddleia and Wisteria to ensure stronger growth in the coming year. We can also prune some deciduous early flowering shrubs such as flowering currant and mock orange, remembering to mulch and feed them after.

To be honest, any excuse just to get outside at this time of year is welcome, we just need to remember not to go too far with our interventions. We can think of February as a bridge month, holding space for wildlife and observing seasonal changes whilst quietly preparing for spring ensuring that March is a calmer month and flowers and wildlife return to the garden sooner.