February in your Cool Temperate garden

Grow some new fuchsia plants by taking some softwood cuttings. Take your cuttings by clearly cutting below the second pair of leaves. Place the cuttings in Debco Propagation Mixture. Keep the cuttings moist by covering them with a plastic bag and keep them out of direct sunlight. They should be ready for potting, with good roots, after six weeks or so.

Bud production in rhododendrons and camellias depends upon the plants receiving enough water at this time of the year, as the buds start to form. Use SaturAid in the soil around the base of the plants to ensure that water reaches the roots.

Roses will continue to flower if you remove dead-heads and lightly prune them over now. Cut back about 20% of each plant. Following this, apply some Phostrogen Plant Food to encourage the next flush of flowers. Regular dead-heading of annuals encourages further flowering.

By this time, the spring mulch you applied may be becoming thin. By applying Debco Mulch 'n' Feed you can provide an effective mulch and fertiliser, as well as a long-term soil conditioner.

February is a good time to take semi-hardwood cuttings of many familiar exotic shrubs, eg Murraya paniculata (Orange jessamine), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) and Spiraea spp. (May Bush). Semi-hardwood cuttings tend to take some time to strike so use a propagating hormone and bottom heat to encourage root development in Debco Propagation Mixture.

Eating fresh homegrown vegetables is especially enjoyable. This is a good time to prepare your vegetable bed for winter, digging the soil over and adding compost and complete fertiliser, eg Debcote time-control fertiliser together with lime and gypsum as necessary. If you're growing heavy feeders like cabbage or Brussels sprouts, add organic materials such as home-made compost to provide the necessary nutrients.

Now is the time to plant vegetable seedlings - broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, cauliflower, leeks and spinach. Young plants should be kept well watered, so use SaturAid to ensure that water is absorbed by the soil. Create a shallow drill on either side of the seedlings and flood it so water soaks into the soil.