A gardening expert has revealed the top five jobs you must do in February to get your outdoor space ready for spring. Nicola Bradley, Head Gardener at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, has revealed that this month's garden jobs are mostly about getting things ready for the warmer months ahead. The expert revealed February is a great month to get yourself properly prepared for spring, which will set you up for the best growing season.

From compost to seeds and cleaning greenhouses, there is a lot to do around the garden this time of year. As the garden comes to life again, it’s time to prune certain shrubs and climbers, such as Wisteria. Meanwhile, if it’s mild and dry out, it is a great time to mow the grass and prepare the ground for a new lawn. The expert says it's good to start preparing the ground for new beds and borders as early in the season as possible so the ground is in a decent condition by the time you’re ready to start putting plants in.

Here Nicola breaks down the important jobs that can be done this month in your garden... Nicola Bradley, Head Gardener at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, has revealed that this month's garden jobs are mostly about getting things ready for the warmer months ahead. 1. Planting. Nicola said: 'Cover your borders with a mulch of well-rotted compost if you have it. It will help retain moisture and warm the soil ready for spring planting.

'It will gradually become incorporated into the soil adding nutrients and improving soil structure.'. 2. Seeds. 'Check all your saved seeds,' the gardener advised. 'Make sure any seeds you saved from plants last year have dried thoroughly and are stored in airtight containers. 'Remove any seeds that are going brown or looking a bit mouldy, only keep those that are blemish-free and true to type. 'Also, check all the old seed packets you have bought in previous years to see if they are still in date and in good condition.

'If you have a good clear out, it’s the perfect excuse to look at all the seed catalogues and source new seeds to grow in the coming year!'. Meanwhile Julie Kendall, Eden Project’s Garden Manager, have her own top tips on how to perfect your garden this February. 3. Plant hygiene. 'Now is a good time to give all your stored bamboo canes a thorough clean, ensuring good hygiene for the new plants you’ll be growing up them in the coming year,' Nicola said.

'At Heligan we cut away any rotting damaged ends and use the remaining cane to support shorter plants next year. 'Eventually, they end up just a foot long, but they can still be used to mark out direct sown seed rows in a bed. We get many thrifty years use out of them this way!'. 4. Cleaning. 'Clean glasshouses, pots, seed tray etc ready for an early start with indoor sowing,' Nicola advised. 'This is a satisfying indoor job in wet weather and you can plan all the plants you’ll be propagating next season whilst you work!.

'Seeds to start sowing in the glasshouse in February include early annual flowers, onions, leeks, and summer brassicas.'. 5. Supports. 'This is the perfect time of year to think about collecting material for pea sticks, it is great to have some bundles ready to support young pea plants or sweet peas the following year,' Nicola said. 'Young, flexible hazel or birch stems make really attractive supports if the growth is woven together in the traditional manner.

'They also make lovely natural supports in an herbaceous border too.'. Julie Kendall, Eden Project’s garden manager, gave her own top tips on how to perfect your garden this February. She added: 'If growing apples and pears, prune while dormant but in dry weather to reduce the risk of canker spreading. 'If you like your rhubarb to be sweet and tender, now is the time to try forcing it, by covering the crowns. However, if your plants have become too big for your bed, now is the time to lift, divide and replant as a smaller plant.

'If you grow autumn-fruiting raspberries, now is the time to cut down the old canes which grew and fruited last year, avoiding any new shoots and allowing the new canes to grow through, giving you a fresh new crop of raspberries. 'Now is a good time to start sowing seeds, but you want your greenhouses to be clean and free of pests that may be around from last year. Therefore, washing down and disinfecting greenhouses now, ready for spring sowing of seeds, will help protect them and thrive.

'Some seeds you may want to be looking at sowing early include summer/autumn maturing cabbage, tomatoes, leek, onion and shallots ready for planting outside when the weather is warmer. 'Some seeds you can grow outside, such as early varieties of carrot. You will need to do this, however, under cloches or in a cold frame. Now is the perfect time to start chitting your potatoes. This allows them to start to develop ahead of planting when the ground is warmer.