Plant These 6 Trees in February – They’ll Shape Your Garden for Decades and Now Is the Perfect Time to Get Growing

We gardeners may prefer to be out in the garden in warm weather. But trees may not have the same preferences that we do. February is a cold month in most parts of the country, but it happens to be a great time to plant a tree.

Not every tree should be planted in February. If you are planting trees in late winter, think about fruit trees, deciduous trees, and evergreens. Of course, you’ll want to wait until you can work the soil.

Here are some of our favorite trees to plant in February.

1. Cherry

I’ve never met a child who doesn’t love cherries. They are easy to pick, delicious to eat, and fun to squeeze the pits and send them flying. Adults love cherries too but might be just as enchanted by the cherry tree’s amazing spring blossoms.

It’s best to plant cherry trees while they are dormant, before they leaf or flower. February is a wonderful month for planting cherries since they will have time to develop a root system before flowering out in spring. Plant them on a sunny morning any time after the chance of a hard freeze is passed.

Like most fruit trees, cherry trees need sun – at least six hours a day of direct sun to get a good harvest. Plant where the soil drains well and with some wind protection. Most cherry trees are self-fertile but check before you buy them. If not, you’ll need two trees of compatible species. Find 'Lapins' sweet cherry trees from Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards.

2. Apple

Apple trees are great fruit trees for regions with colder winter temperatures. Like other deciduous fruit trees, apple trees are best planted while they are dormant – December, January and February. February is perhaps the best month to plant apples because the ground gets warm enough to dig, but the trees remain dormant.

Planting an apple tree in February gives it time to start root growth before spring arrives. The tree will have to deal with less insect pests and less diseases in winter, giving the tree a better chance to get established.

Apple trees require full sunlight to produce fruit so find a site that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun. Wait to plant your apple tree until you can work the soil, and make sure that it drains well. If your tree is grafted – and many apple trees are grafted to hardy rootstocks – plant the tree with the graft above the soil. You will need two compatible apple trees for them to be cross pollinated and produce fruit. An amazing selection of apple trees is available at Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards, including heirloom apple varieties.

3. Paper Birch

I’ve loved birch trees since I read Robert Frost’s poem about being a swinger of birches. And I’ve planted a dozen paper birches on my land in France. I love their white bark, slightly heart-shaped green leaves and yellow fall color. Mine grow as single-trunk trees, but you can also grow them as smaller, clumping trees with multiple trunks.

The chief beauty of the paper birch is the thin white bark which peels off in paper-like layers. The tree grows attractive catkins in fall that are appreciated by wild birds, squirrels and other small mammals. It can grow to 100 feet (30m) but my birch trees stay much smaller.

Birches in general like sun on their leaves but shade around their roots, so try to find a site to accommodate that. The soil should be moist sand or loam. Find bare root paper birch tress from the Arbor Day Foundation.

4. Oak

Oak trees are tall and famed for growing from tiny acorns. Some species can grow to 100 feet (30m) tall. Oaks have lobed leaves and dark bark that develop ridges and fissures as they age. Most oaks offer a brilliant, fiery fall show before the leaves fall in autumn. Their seeds – acorns – provide food for wildlife, and a single tree can grow over a million in a lifetime.

In most parts of the country, the best time to plant an oak tree is late winter. That makes February a good choice, but you’ll want to be sure you can work the soil before planting. Pick a spot that gets full sun.

It is essential to check out the size of the site before planting. Oak trees range in mature height from 60 to 100 feet (20-33m) with canopies up to 50 feet (17 m) wide. You’ll need to be sure that you have enough space below ground too, since oaks have deep, wide root systems. They are powerful, so keep them away from pavement and foundations. Fast Growing Trees has great oak options from the classic white oak to the more rare Nuttall oak which is perfect for more southern climes and is incredibly adaptable.

5. Pine

A pine tree is an evergreen in the Pinus genus, which includes more than 100 species of pine trees worldwide. These are conifers – trees that bear their seeds in cones. Instead of leaves, they have bundles of needles. Pine bark is usually thick and scaly although a few species have thin, flaky bark. These trees provide year-round color and structure in your landscape, reason enough to install one in your garden.

Pine trees develop best when planted during their dormancy. Late winter or early spring is an optimal time of year for planting pine, once the soil can be worked but before the tree buds out. If you buy a bare root pine, this is one the only time to plant. With a container plant, you have more leeway, but February works for both types of young pines.

When you are determining a site, keep in mind that pine trees need full sun and well-drained soil to thrive. They prefer acidic soil with a pH between 4 and 7. Although they need plenty of irrigation when first planted, but, as they mature, they become drought resistant. Find a wonderful Eastern white pine from Fast Growing Trees.

6. Spruce

Spruce trees are also conifer evergreens that make a statement in the landscape in all seasons. Like pine trees, they require a full sun site and moist, acidic soil, but there are significant differences between the species.

While pine trees have long needles growing in clusters, spruce trees have short, stiff needles. Spruce needles grow on all sides of the branches, giving spruce trees a full and dense appearance. Their needles are forest green, not yellow-green or blue-green like pines.

When to plant your spruce tree? The best time is late winter or early spring after the soil thaws. If you wait until summer, the heat will stress the young tree and perhaps prevent it from establishing a strong root system. 'Baby Blue' spruce from Fast Growing Trees is a great low-maintenance variety that stays on the small side and has a beautiful blue tint.

Whether you want fruit, shade, or a stately specimen, these trees have something to offer. Plant these trees in February and get ready for the ultimate upgrade in your landscaping.