Needless to say I've been busy for weeks taking cuttings and divisions. Worst thing is giving up my allotment.....after 3 years the soil is just starting to work nicely. There are very long waiting lists at all the Manchester sites I've investigated so far (Chorlton area). Oh well, at least I've got a garden!

Christina

Summers are considerably cooler and particularly so during heatwaves. Winter temperatures depends on exactly where you are. Inner London warmer than even the city centre here, but temperatures in the surrounding countryside (eg. Cheshire and Lancashire) don't get as cold as the inland home counties like Hertfordshire and Berkshire. Again, it gets a lot colder as you get into the hills.

Everyone complains about allotment waiting lists but there are several local allotments that appear to be completely or partly abandoned. The ones at the junction of Kingsway and Didsbury road are probably completely abandoned and some in Stockport appear only partially used. The ones on Craig Road in Stockport are a good example where some plots are definitely active but others seem to be abandoned.

As for an allotment, I think I could probably get a plot on a less popular site but Stockport is perhaps a little too far to go. Actually I rather prefer to garden on a site that is not too highly organised - my plot was on a large, fairly dishevelled site where you could dig away in peace and not get too competitive.... when the site secretary got too bossy she was ousted in a nicely anarchic coup! To be fair, she seemed to take it well and still gardens there..... but I digress. Will dust off my bicycle and explore a little further!

Christina

I have moved small Aucubas in spring. Usual rules, pamper it for the first summer. You could move it now, summers aren't usually too tough for a new plant here. Or take cuttings.

I'm in Manchester this week - does it ever stop raining here?!

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' is an excellent choice. I think it has the best scent of any Daphne and that's saying a lot, plus its evergreen. The standard lists show it at 1.5m, but I've seen one twice that height. It grows fairly slowly, you'd have to wait many years for it to exceed the 1.5m. Usually it develops somewhat wider than it is tall. There are other species in a variety of sizes if you need something a little smaller, right down to true alpines that will never get bigger than a football.

Philadelphus is another fragrant shub which does well here, available in any size from a couple of feet up to small trees. Check out Didsbury Park in a few weeks time, the whole park is filled with the fragrance of these shrubs on a warm evening.

I think most of this area has acid clay and it's fairly damp, but being fairly close to the city it tends to stay a few degrees warmer than places further out. We have a walled garden and it's pretty sheltered.. the most awkward thing is keeping tender-ish plants dry over winter. Roses do very well here - just noticed that in your profile!

..and if you do move oop north near here, I'll happily do lots of plant swapping. :D

Melanie

Actually I think I've got problems - now the trees at the bottom of the gardens of the houses behind us are in full leaf I realise that I lose the sun by 2pm!! Why plant horse chestnut, lime and sycamore in a garden? And the shadow will only get longer each year. I'm tending now to think in terms of foliage and ground cover. My other half is happy - he likes ferns. I love roses, though - am scouring the catalogues for those happy in woodland conditions. At least I get a good window for spring bulbs.

Hello, Melanie. Thanks for telling me about Chadwick Park allotments, will investigate. I think I will invest in a little plant house to overwinter my tender plants - I like to keep my ger...sorry, pelargoniums, going from year to year and they will definitely bite the dust. My soil doesn't seem to be clay, though. We had a metre deep trench dug for a new water main and it's nice dark and loamy right the way down. Haven't had the chance to do much digging though as we're still frantically decorating.

Plant swapping - great. Especially if I get a plot, will have to grow all the things I can't in a shady garden! What are your favourites?

Christina

I don't know so much about Viburnums. The Burkwood hybrids smell good, also V. x bodnantense, but they are all pretty big. V. carlesii is very nice and a bit smaller. My favourite is V. opulus (not the pom-pom one) for the berries but it is big too.

I have a lot of shade but can't say I'm overwhelmed by most plants that I grow in it. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is great, I like the ephemerals like Cyclamen, Bluebells, Foxgloves, and Snowdrops. Dicentra formosa is good with sufficient water. My best moist spots are reserved for Meconopsis, and I have a Cardiocrinum flowering this year.

I think the more vigorous roses like ramblers tend to tolerate woodlands more, and the tougher species ones like R. canina.. Some of the ramblers would look spectacular if you had a tree you could grow one up.

Most of what we have is a good loam, really - it's on the clay side of things rather than sandy, but that does mean it's very fertile. As for me - I grow lots of things in a cottagey/wildlife garden stylee.. Fruit/veg, ferns, woodlandy plants, roses, clematis, the occasional tropical thing like Passiflora..

There's lots of little nurseries around here (ish) that I'd recommend, btw. http://www.shrubsdirect.com is out towards Knutsford way. http://www.chorltonnursery.com is a lovely little local nursery. http://www.primrosecottagenursery.co.uk/ is nearer Man. Airport. It's taken me ages to find out about all these independent nurseries - they're far better value than the big garden centres.

Hope that helps!
Melanie