Garden Shed February Update

It’s been a long while since I’ve mentioned anything about the goings on in my garden shed world. This should take too long, after all it is February, not much is growing, and it’s a small world afterall! Let’s dig right in and look to see how things have overwintered!

Right now I’m using my shed as a holding area to help shelter my propagated plants. I don’t have it heated and I’m not sure that I will – or if I do it won’t be much. It stays 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside temperatures on the coldest nights which will allows me to cheat a zone or two with my plants.  Once my vegetable starts get far enough along I’ll place them in the shed to harden them off and keep the spring frosts from bipping them. (Bipping is the technical term for when something gets hammered by frosts ;))

Up first we have boxwood cuttings. They aren’t rooted yet but they are still nice and green. The ‘Otto Luyken’ cherry laurels in the background are rooted and ready for repotting.

I overwintered about 50 Japanese maple seedlings. Many of them are now budding up nicely!

Here I have some Leyland cypress cuttings. they aren’t the greatest of evergreens but if you want a fast growing evergreen screen they will do the trick. Since they are all vegetatively propagated there is no genetic variation in the species which makes them all susceptible to the same diseases..

I have a several salvia plants ready for planting out. They are already putting on new growth in the shed whereas in the garden they are still dormant.

My Schip laurels are doing great. These are very easy to make from cuttings which makes me wonder why they are so expensive in the stores?

Here’s a grouping of several small shrubs and trees. Among them are birch, Yoshino cherry, viburnum, hydrangeas, red twig dogwood, and beautyberry. I moved the pyracantha outside today.

I still have a mess awaiting me in the garden shed. Once I get a good day I’ll fix up some cabinets and get better organized. My lemon tree looks the worse for wear but it should come back fine. The branches are still nice and pliable. Last year I left it outdoors all winter and it came back so I’m expecting it to be alive and well!