
Your Monthly Planting Guide
February
Summer’s not quite done yet …
By February, life has returned to normal after the holiday break. School is in and most of us have settled back into our usual routines. The garden is still full of colour, with brilliant flowers like these sunflowers highlighting that we are not quite done with summer just yet. The sun is rising a little later and setting earlier but there’s still some heat in it and there will be days when temperatures peak in the high 30s or 40s.
Gardening In February
Spring Onion
Spring onions (also known as green shallots and green bunching or salad onions) are a delicious addition to a whole...
Runner beans
Runner beans, or more correctly scarlet runner beans, (Phaseolus coccineus) are among the easiest and most rewarding...
Salad leaves
Bags of salad leaves are quite expensive to buy and have a fairly short lifespan in the fridge. Grow your own and you...
Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn, or maize, won't really grow as high as an elephant's eye, but it will be sweet, tender and delicious -...
Cauliflower
Drizzled with olive oil and baked whole or sliced into steaks, cut into individual florets and wok-tossed in a stir fry...
Brussels Sprouts
You might not like the cold weather, but Brussels sprouts do! Brussels sprouts grow best in cool climates with cold...
Silverbeet
Silverbeet is also commonly referred to as Swiss chard, chard or rainbow chard. The rainbow variety has brightly...
Watercress
Watercress is a peppery, nutrient-rich leafy green that’s delicious on sandwiches and in salads. It’s easy to grow in...
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes rambling vines grow tubers beneath the ground. These vigorous and productive vines can be grown in a...
Globe artichokes
Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus) are thistle like plants that produce edible flowers - harvested and eaten in their bud...
Horseradish
Horseradish is a vigorous plant related to broccoli, cabbage and kale - but unlike its brassica cousins, horseradish is...
Patty Pan Squash
Squash or patty pan squash as they are often called - because of their UFO like shape - are an easy to grow summer...
Mustard greens
Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) are a cool season vegetable, grown for their peppery edible leaves. You can eat young...
Blueberries
Eaten fresh, baked in muffins or as the star attraction in jams or desserts, blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are...
Strawberries
Who doesn’t love strawberries? If you’re a strawberry fan, the many varieties of Fragaria × ananassa are easy to grow at...
Raspberries
What could be better than a bowl of sweet, fresh-picked raspberries in summer? These delicious fruits are easy to grow...
Blackberries
Blackberries sometimes get a bad wrap thanks to the wild, thorny, weedy ones! But growing blackberries in your garden is...
Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit grows on a climbing cactus that produces stunning white flowers in summer. These flowers develop into pink...
Passionfruit
Passionfruits are a popular and productive vine that will grow in most climates around Australia. They particularly...
Pineapples
Pineapples are an easy care tropical fruit, that will also grow in other frost-free climates around Australia too...
Watermelon
Watermelons grow on sprawling vines during the warmest months of the year in Australia. These sun-loving plants can be...
Pear Trees
Pear trees love a garden with cool winters, but if you choose the right variety (with ‘low chill’ requirements) you can...
Gooseberries
Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) are native to parts of Europe, but they’ll happily grow in the cooler parts of southern...
Plum Trees
Plum trees are productive fruit trees, ideally suited to growing in the average backyard or in a large pot. There are...
Pomegranate
Pomegranates (Punica granatum) are heat-loving trees, native to the Middle East, that grow well here in Australia. The...
Fiddle Leaf Figs
With their lush, upright stature and huge, glossy leaves, the Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is one of the most popular...
Peace Lily
With their dark green foliage and pure white flowers, Peace Lilies are a stunning addition indoors. Being just as...
Philodendron
There’s a reason why Philodendrons make such great indoor plants… well several actually! They look good, aren’t fussy...
African Violet
Cheerful, bright and compact, African violets are the perfect indoor pot plant. They have eye-catching purple, red, pink...
Devil's Ivy (Pothos)
Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum), also known as Pothos, is most commonly grown as an easy going indoor plant - it’s one...
Snake Plants
Snake Plants are the easiest houseplant of all to grow. This undemanding plant will grow in the most challenging of...
String of Pearls
String of Pearls is a cascading succulent with pearl-like foliage, hence its name! These succulents thrive best in a...
Maidenhair Ferns
Maidenhair Ferns have a reputation for being fussy and tricky to grow, but they don’t have to be!
Air Plants
Air Plants (Tillandsia spp.) do not need soil to grow and they don’t really have roots like other plants - the roots...
Chain of Hearts
Chair of Hearts, despite their delicate appearance, are actually a succulent plant! Their long trailing tendrils can...
Dragon Tail
Dragon Tail (Epipremnum pinnatum) is a popular Australian native, mostly grown as an indoor plant. In the wild, it grows...
Rubber Plant
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica) are very popular indoor plants because they’re so easy to grow. Rubber Plants are loved...
Spider Plant
Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are possibly the easiest and most adaptable house plant to grow! They are happy in...
Zanzibar Gem (ZZ Plant)
Zanzibar Gem, also commonly called the ZZ Plant, is a low-maintenance houseplant characterised by its shiny, wide, oval...
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema sp.) have lots of large leaves with either silver, green, pink or yellow variegation. They...
Weeping Fig
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) are elegant houseplants loved for their glossy leaves that hang gracefully from arching...
Buffalo Grass
A popular stalwart in Australian gardens for good reason, buffalo grass makes for an incredibly resilient lawn. It is...
Kikuyu Grass
Kikuya grass, or Pennisetum Clandestinum, is a vigorous plant often used in Australian lawns and common in public...
Bromeliads
Bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) are a diverse group of plants with a very tropical vibe. With over 3000 different species in...
Kangaroo Paw
Kangaroo paws are among the most iconic Australian plants, instantly recognisable by their unique furry and vibrantly...
Almond Tree
Almonds (Prunus amygdalus) are the edible nuts produced inside the hard-fleshed velvety fruit, that grows on a tree that...
Bougainvillea
Bougainvilleas put on a showy display of vibrant colour throughout summer. These vigorous vines are drought tolerant and...
Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise plants are tropical beauties with big leaves and flamboyant, colourful flowers that resemble birds...
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia spp.), also known as Dumb Cane or Leopard Lily, are fast-growing tropical plants popular as...
Boston Fern
Boston Ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata) are elegant plants with long, slender leaves that cascade over the sides of their...
Kentia Palm
Kentia Palms (Howea forsteriana) are tall, elegant palms with arching fronds on long stems that will happily grow as a...
Lilly Pilly
Lilly Pilly plants range from small shrubs to large trees - you can grow them in the ground or pots and you’ll find a...
Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush gets their common name because their fluffy, blooms are shaped like old-fashioned bottle brushes...
Lemon Trees
Lemon trees are a classic backyard staple! These productive trees are long-lived and will grow in a large pot or in your...
Christmas Bush
Christmas Bush (Ceratopetlum gummiferum) or New South Wales Christmas Bush as it’s sometimes called is an Australian...
English Ivy
English Ivy (Hedera helix) is a fast growing, creeping vine that is a serious environmental weed in many parts of...
Microgreens
Microgreens are the young and immature seedlings of plants with edible leaves that you can harvest and use for garnish...
Vegetables
What to harvest now:
The veggie garden will be at its most prolific now, with all the summer crops ripening or ready to harvest. Tomatoes, climbing and bush beans, peas including sugar snap varieties, zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, Asian greens, lettuce, sweet corn and other crops will all taste great when picked and eaten on the same day.
As crops finish, pull out plants and put them into the compost bin if they are disease-free. Dig over empty rows to break up the soil and incorporate the mulch, and add a dressing of garden lime (one handful per square metre) and a dressing of organic manure in preparation for autumn planting.
What to plant now:
Seedlings of salad and Asian greens may still be planted now into well prepared, moist soil. Water in with a half strength solution of liquid fertiliser. It is a little too early to sow seeds or plant seedlings of winter crops but check your local garden centre to see what other veggies are on offer.
Plant seedlings of the following:
- Asian greens
- Lettuce
- Radish
- Silverbeet
- Spring onion
Veggie patch tips for February:
- Keep vegetables and herbs producing well with a liquid plant food like Scotts Osmocote® Pour+Feed for Tomatoes & Herbs or a certified organic fertiliser.
- Check the ties on bush tomatoes and other veggies to ensure they are not too tight.
- Hand pull or hoe out weeds that compete for nutrients and moisture and may also harbour pests that could attack your crops.
- Continue watering crops early in the day direct on to the soil – avoid wetting leaves because this could encourage diseases.
- Bird netting over the entire veggie patch will keep birds and possums out, ensuring everything that’s ripe is for you, not the wildlife. Make sure the mesh size is less than 5mm to prevent birds or animals catching their claws in it.
Fruit
What fruits to harvest now:
The stone fruit and berry seasons continue, with more varieties ripening their crops this month. Pick fruit early in the day, while it’s still cool, leaving that still firm to the touch on the trees until fully ripe. Pick and discard any diseased or damaged fruits immediately to reduce the potential spread of diseases.
Some of the very early cropping varieties of apples and pears may be ripe enough to pick from mid-February onwards. Passionfruit will also mature and falling to the ground now, and there may also be good crops of lemons and oranges in some areas. Tropical fruits and citrus are still cropping in warmer areas, and honeydew melon, watermelon and cantaloupe are still in season in hot, dry climates.
What fruit to plant:
Citrus trees, passionfruit vines and other evergreen fruiting trees and shrubs may be planted from the middle of the month. Water in well and keep moist (but not wet) until they are well established.
What flowers to plant:
Sow seeds of the following into seed trays mid-month, for planting in Autumn:
- Arctotis
- Alyssum
- Antirrhinum (snapdragon)
- Aquilegia (granny’s bonnet)
- Calendula
- Canterbury bells (campanula)
- Carnation
- Cineraria
- Delphinium
- Gaillardia
- Geum
- Gypsophila
- Iceland poppy
- Larkspur
- Nemesia
- Nigella
- Pansy
- Polyanthus
- Primula
- Scabiosa
- Sweet William
- Verbena
- Viola
Indoor Plants
Tips for Indoor Plants:
- Water indoor plants when the top 5cm or soil of potting mix feels dry to the touch. Allow excess water to drain freely from the base of the pot. Don’t leave pots standing in saucers of water.
- Keep the air around indoor plants humid by regularly misting plants with a water atomiser.
- Feed fortnightly with ready to use Osmocote Pour+Feed Indoor Plants – no mixing required. There are also Pour+Feed products for orchids and cacti.
- If indoor plants need reporting, use Osmocote Professional Indoor Plants Potting Mix, made from coir fibre not composted materials that may provide shelter for fungus gnats.
Lawn
Maintenance tips:
- Make sure the lawn is well watered at least once a week, if local water authorities permit or there’s no rain. The earlier in the day you water, the less risk there is of the sun burning the grass through moisture droplets.
- Watch for bindii spreading through lawns and get on top of any incursions quickly with Lawn Builder Bindii, Clover & Broadleaf, a ready-to-use, hose-on lawn weeder that’s safe to use on all grasses.
Garden Tasks
Things to look out for and do during the month:
- Pick up and dispose of any fruit on the ground under fruit trees – they may be diseased or harbouring insect pests. Discard in the household rubbish – DO NOT put them in the compost bin!
- Cut out and dispose of galls (stem or branch swellings) on citrus trees to help eradicate gall wasps.
- Tidy up the garden by removing spent flowers and flower spikes from perennials and annuals.
- Dahlias and chrysanthemums may need staking and/or the ties checking to ensure they are not cutting into stems.
- Fortnightly applications of Osmocote Boost+Feed All Plant Types will keep your garden healthy and growing well.
- Continue regularly trimming evergreen trees and shrubs to keep them neat, particularly hedges, buxus balls and mop-tops.
- When high temperatures or strong winds are expected, take down hanging baskets and move them together with outdoor pots to a shady, sheltered spot where they won’t get burned to a crisp.
Pest Control:
- Watch for thrips and aphids on flowering plants. Defender Pyrethrum Insect Spray will control them. Don’t forget to spray the undersides of leaves as well as the top surface.
- If you don’t want to use chemicals, hang yellow sticky traps among plants to attract and catch pests.
- Watch for powdery mildew on roses and other plants including pumpkins and zucchinis, especially when nights are warm and humid. Use a copper-based fungicide to control them.
- Newly planted seedlings may be targeted by snails and slugs. Protect them with Defender Snail & Slug Pellets.

Find your local store and start growing your garden.
Find your local store and start growing your garden.