February Garden Checklist: Region-by-Region Tasks for a Head Start on Spring

Whether you're pruning dormant trees in the Rockies, starting seeds in eggshells in the Southwest, or watching crocuses push through lawn in the Central Plains, February is for preparation. Here's your regional to-do list.

The New York Botanical Garden

California

Bill Marken: "Artichokes peak late winter/early spring on the foggy coast. Start now. Inland: they'll be tough eating but striking gray-green foliage." → California checklist

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Central Plains

Benjamin Vogt (zone 5a): "Watch for crocuses late month — I have hundreds in my lawn. They spread slowly, feed early insects." → Central Plains checklist

Barbara Pintozzi

Great Lakes

Barbara Pintozzi: "Sharpen pruners. February is ideal for shaping dormant woody plants — crossing branches visible without leaves." → Great Lakes checklist

Amy Renea

Mid-Atlantic

Amy Renea: "Plant pineapple tops in the pantry — they die back, then regrow as houseplants." → Mid-Atlantic checklist

Paintbox Garden

Northeast

Charlotte Albers (Vermont): "Branches, bark, berries vs. evergreens = winter punch. Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) — native, red berries, wildlife gold." → Northeast checklist

Paintbox Garden

Pacific Northwest

Karen Chapman (Washington): "Salad greens in unheated greenhouse or under hoops with row cover. Cut-and-come-again, garden-to-table in minutes." → PNW checklist

Pendleton Design Management

Rocky Mountains

Jocelyn H. Chilvers (Colorado): "Prune deciduous trees/shrubs now — structure visible. Remove dead/diseased/crossed branches. Shape lightly, one cut at a time." → Rocky Mountains checklist

Gardening with Confidence®

Southeast

Helen Yoest (North Carolina): "Vines out of hand? Late winter: cut back wisteria, Virginia creeper, ivy, Japanese honeysuckle." → Southeast checklist

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Southwest

Noelle Johnson: "Start seeds in toilet paper rolls (halved), coffee sleeves, eggshells — plant biodegradable pot and all after frost." → Southwest checklist

Texas

Jenny Peterson: "Plant fruit trees/berries now: blackberries, dewberries, grapes, figs, pears, persimmons, strawberries, pomegranates. Choose regionally adapted varieties." → Texas checklist