What to plant in February in Dubai

February is Dubai's showpiece. Bougainvillea, bedding and many shrubs and climbers are at full flower, daytime highs sit near 26°C, and the garden repays the work of autumn. Tomatoes, peppers and the leafy crops sown from October are cropping, and herbs have never been easier to keep alive. It is also, on average, the wettest month of the year at around 25 mm, so the sky does some of the watering.

Planting continues, but the clock has started. Anything slow to establish should go in this month or next, because by April the heat is building. Palms are a special case: they root fastest in warming soil, and FAO guidance for date palms in hot climates names 15 February to 15 March as the best planting window. Sow the last quick crops, start hardening off summer bedding under light shade, and feed flowering shrubs to hold the display. Prune lightly, if at all: heavy pruning now pushes soft growth that the first hot spell will scorch.