February: What to Do in the Desert Garden

February is on the cusp of spring in the desert garden. Here’s a look at what you can plant, what you should prune, how and when to fertilize citrus, where to donate surplus citrus, and more.

The weather in February is nearly indistinguishable from January’s, and yet as spring approaches, there are more things to be done in the garden this month.

Note that there are a few tasks that should ideally be performed before mid-February and others that should be done towards the end of the month.

Whereas rose care took center stage last month, this month’s focus is on the care and harvesting of citrus. Even if you don’t grow any citrus, be on the lookout for neighbors who will gladly foist generously share a bag of oranges or lemons with you. 😉

February Weather Outlook

February is typically pleasantly cool and there’s not much change in the weather since last month. The average highs and lows in Tucson and Phoenix are only a few degrees warmer than January’s and the chance of rain is about the same. The sun starts getting a bit more intense compared to January, which has the lowest UV index of the year.

Here’s a look at February weather averages in both Tucson and Phoenix.

February Weather Averages (Tucson)

High temperature	69°F
Low temperature	43°F
Precipitation	.90″
Relative humidity	43%
UV Index	3.8
Wind	13 mph

February Weather Averages (Phoenix)

High temperature	71°F
Low temperature	49°F
Precipitation	.87″
Relative humidity	39%
UV Index	3.3
Wind	7 mph

If you live elsewhere, enter your city or town in the search bar at TimeandDate.com to find your weather averages. And you can find your average UV index at UVIndex.io.

February Gardening Tasks

Here’s a snapshot of the tasks you can expect to do (or not do) this month.

Read on for all the details and exceptions!

What To Do in the Garden in February

As spring approaches, there are more ways to keep busy in the garden this month compared to January.

Continue to Be Prepared for Frost

Don’t get lulled into thinking that freezing temperatures are over. You may see that some websites list the last frost date sometime in February. I was surprised that the National Weather Service lists Tucson’s average last frost date as February 7. (That seems way too early.)

But then it occurred to me that if you go by an average date, you’ll be wrong half the time!

According to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Tucson’s last frost date is March 15. That seems about right and many experienced gardeners I know use this as their rule of thumb.

If you don’t live in Tucson, you can find an accurate last frost date here.

What to Plant in February

You can still plant bare-root fruit trees and grape vines through February but bare-root roses should be planted by mid-month.

You can continue to plant some cold-weather vegetables through mid-February and then take a pause. Late February is a good time to plan your warm-weather garden and acquire your vegetable and annual seeds. By March you can start planting warm-weather vegetables.

Winter Water Schedule

Continue to water your plants on a winter schedule. Most trees, shrubs, and succulents only need water once a month in the winter.

Perennials, ground covers, palm trees, and established citrus should be watered a little more frequently, once every 2-3 weeks.

Not sure how to water your plants in February?
These articles can help:

How to Water Desert Trees: How Often? How Much?

How to Water Desert Shrubs: How Often? How Much?

Hard Prune Ornamental Grasses

The end of February is the time to give ornamental grasses a hard prune. Cut them down to 3 – 4 inches above the ground. Pruning them severely lets light penetrate the crown and makes way for new spring growth.

You can cut them straight across, but slightly irregular cuts look more natural and mimic the grazing that would occur when growing in grasslands, their native habitat.

Here’s an example of what not to do. The so-called “landscapers” hired by my neighborhood’s HOA pruned dozens of pink muhly into large balls … and they never grew back. 🥹

Prune Deciduous Trees

If you didn’t get around to it in January, you can still prune deciduous trees provided they are still dormant and there are no buds on the trees. This includes fruit trees such as figs and pomegranates, but not citrus. You can prune suckers, water spouts, or dead or broken branches on shrubs or trees anytime, especially if they pose a hazard.

Prune Red Bird of Paradise

February is a good time to give red bird of paradise a hard prune, down to about 12″, to manage its size, get rid of dead stems, keep it vigorous, and promote blooming. You want to prune before new spring growth appears.

There are several desert landscape plants called “bird of paradise.” Yellow bird of paradise and Mexican bird of paradise should definitely not be hard pruned — you’ll ruin their shape forever. If you aren’t sure which “BOP” you have, don’t rely on the common name, check out our article Desert Bird of Paradise Plants Compared.

Don’t Prune Cold-Damaged Plants

As tempting as it is to get your plants looking beautiful again, wait until the danger of frost has passed to prune cold-damaged perennials, ground covers, shrubs, and vines. Trimming now encourages new, cold-sensitive growth.

You can continue to deadhead annuals to encourage flowering.

Watch for Aphids

You might see aphids this month since they like new spring growth. You can leave them alone since they’re good at attracting beneficial insects (i.e., green lacewings, ladybugs) or you can hose them off. Squirting them with a jet spray does more than simply knock them off, it often breaks their mouthpiece, meaning they can’t come back and suck on your plants another day.

Watch for Weeds

Depending on how much winter rain you’ve had, you may see some weeds pop up this month. The best strategy for keeping weeds at bay is to pull them when they’re young and the ground is wet.

If you sowed wildflower seeds in the fall or hope some of your plants will reseed, be sure you aren’t pulling any seedlings of plants you want in your yard. 😉

February: Peak Citrus Month

If you have citrus trees, February is a busy month in the garden.

Harvest Citrus

Most citrus is ripe enough to pick this month. When ripe, fruits should have a pleasant citrusy smell and have some heft when you hold them.

If you suspect your fruits are ripe, pick one and give it a try. It’s the only way you’ll know for sure. And remember that citrus, once harvested, does not continue to ripen. And as the adage goes, “The longer on the tree, the sweeter it will be.”

Donate Surplus Citrus

Don’t let extra citrus go to waste!

If you have more citrus than you can use, store, or give to neighbors, various organizations are willing to take your surplus citrus. In southern Arizona, we have a few solutions.

The Community Food Bank hosts monthly Super Citrus Saturdays from January through March. You can bring your citrus to one of their designated drop-off sites, and they’ll make sure it doesn’t go to waste.

Iskashitaa Refugee Network couldn’t make it easier to donate your fruit. They will come to your home, harvest your fruit, and then distribute it to hunger relief organizations across Arizona.

In Maricopa County, St. Mary’s Food Bank accepts citrus donations at various locations around the Phoenix area. They share it with those in need.

Fertilize Citrus

Mid-February is the time to give your citrus trees their first dose of fertilizer. Many gardeners use holidays as prompts, so the rule of thumb is that you should fertilize around Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately, many gardeners take a haphazard approach to fertilizing. They pick up a bag that looks like a decent brand and toss some about. But fertilizing correctly is more complicated than that.

Figuring out the right amount of fertilizer used to involve doing some math, but just this week (just in time!) the University of Arizona published this handy online citrus fertilizer calculator. To use it you need to enter:

• the type of tree
• your tree’s height (in feet) and the trunk diameter (in inches)
• percentage of nitrogen in your fertilizer

It will then tell you how many pounds of fertilizer you should apply and when to apply it.

Properly fed trees are healthier, more resilient, and produce better yields and tastier fruit.

Upcoming Gardening Events in February

There are loads of gardening classes and events throughout February. You’ll find an up-to-date list of gardening-related events in our Tucson Gardening Events Calendar.

Don’t live in Tucson? Look for Zoom classes. You can participate in these no matter where you live.

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