Jon Lawrence, head gardener at Doddington Hall near Lincoln, will be expecting the first of the snowdrops to pop up this month ready for the Snowdrop Sundays, which starts on February 12th.

Once the snowdrops start to put in an appearance, Jon will take care and check them by clearing away any stray leaves should they mask any of the clean, beautiful heads of the first Winter snowdrops.

Situated in the walled and wild gardens at Doddington Hall, the snowdrops represent the start of the
Elizabethan family home’s pageant of spring bulbs. Alongside the snowdrops will be drifts of Crocus Thomasianus. To achieve a spectacular display such as the one at Doddington, it takes not only space but time.

Doddington has of course had spring bulbs for many years but the work started in earnest in the 1950s when Claire’s grandparents Ralph and Antonia Jarvis started planting.

Claire’s father Antony Jarvis and late mother Victoria continued the good work; Antony estimates that he has planted or moved 150,000 bulbs in the last 25 years.

Claire has added her own contribution by adding a further 5000 using some money she inherited from her maternal grandmother Cecily Mathias. Now known as Cecily’s Snowdrops, they have done well since they were planted in 2005.

If you have a small garden with mainly containers, don’t forget this month to check they are correctly in order. Unfortunately, I don’t just mean glance out of your window to check they are upright; you need to make sure they haven’t dried out in the winter winds, more so if they are sheltered by walls or porches.

A quick sweep of the hands round the earth will remove any dead leaves, and check for cracks if your pots are ceramic or
terracotta.

Perhaps this could be the year you try growing plants in something unusual, perhaps grasping the ‘upcycle’ theme so
popular now. This is particularly suitable for large country gardens where modern planters can look to new, too sterile.
An old dolly tub looks lovely planted with frilly tulips such as China Pink, or lay your hands on a battered butler sink. Just be sure that whatever you use has drainage. A rusty pail planted with mint and lemon balm would capture a rustic, make-do-and-mend look perfectly.

Whilst you are pottering about making plans for your garden, you could think about the birds. February is the last chance to put up bird nesting boxes if you want to attract them in to your garden. Make sure they are safe and secure, way out of the local cat’s reach.

It’s natural to want to keep everything warm and cosy during the cold months but on mild days in February it is a good idea to ventilate your greenhouse or potting shed to help prevent fungal problems.

In February, Rachel Petheram — whose cutting garden is based at Doddington Hall and from whom I was inspired by the China Pink tulips in dolly tub idea — gets ready for a busy couple of months in February.

Next month Rachel will be sowing a lot of seeds in preparation of her summer bridal flowers, so February is a time to get her polytunnel tidy, clean pots and trays and ensure there is enough compost to hand.

When not heaving compost sacks around the more delicate task of preparing her stock for the Doddington Hall Farm Shop keeps her busy, but you can do what she does at home if you have the know how.

“I plant pretty pots and cups up with bulbs which are ‘in the green’,” explains Rachel.  “This means I get bulbs which have already shot up, and I plant them with a little compost and moss. The effect is pleasingly simple and adds blooms to the home at a time when we are between festival foliage and springtime flowers.”

Rachel pots up snowdrops, grape hyacinths and tetes-a-tetes in particular, favouring them for their small scale and delicate form. A firm believer in seasonal flowers, Rachel prefers to give bulbs for both Valentines’ Day and Mothering Sunday rather than roses and imported blooms.

Other jobs you find Rachel doing in February is the early selection of dahlias, as they are needed for April, and the best ones are snapped up early. At the end of the month, Rachel will be sowing a few extra sweet peas for both aroma and colour.