A good general book is the RHS Encyclopaedia of Plants and Flowers. For books on individual types of plants, the Pan Garden Plant Series are useful. They do 2 on Perennials (here at Amazon), 2 on Conservatory Plants (some of which you might recognise), Bulbs, Shrubs, Roses, Vegetables, etc. I think the publishers are the same as your Random House series.

Winter growing season? You mean plants that grow/flower in the winter? Not really, it's too cold and there are no insects about to pollinate the flowers.

Here is a link that might be useful: RHS Encyclopaedia of Plants & Flowers at Amazon

I've heard it said before that the weather here bears some similarities to America's Pacific Northwest. But even then, there's a certain amount of local variation. Rainfall for example will be a good deal lower in the South-East of England than it is in say, West Wales.

I would recommend any book by Christopher Lloyd, Beth Chatto or Roger Phillips and Matyn Rix. Also a good starter book would be Place That Plant by Frances Welland

If you want to grow vegetables, anything by Joy Larkcom.

Thanks, I can use all of those. I want veggies and am very into bulbs and succulents. Those can be hardy in cold climates and many like rain.

In So Cal. you grow your lettuces and greens, broccoli, etc during winter. In summer the go straight to seed, its too hot. The nice part is you always have a fullgarden and veggies year round.

I'm so looking forward to rain, you miss it when you don't see it for 9 months at a time, and a good deal of your gardening time is taken up by watering. Since there is no cold snap, many apples do not grow well. Do black raspberries grow over there? They are my favorite. I grew up with those on the East coast of the US. They do not grow well in So. Cal.

Does anyone know where I can get the seed packets for bringing seeds into the UK? I'm trying to get seeds for Giant Sequoia. Something unusual to bring over. I also want to brig some of my favorite veggies and flowers.

What are the rules for bringing bulbs and plants from say, France to the UK? If I'm visitng or shopping over there, can I legally bring such things into the UK from continental Europe?

"Does anyone know where I can get the seed packets for bringing seeds into the UK? I'm trying to get seeds for Giant Sequoia"

Most seeds can be imported without restriction. Though Giant Sequoia is readily available over here anyway.

"What are the rules for bringing bulbs and plants from say, France to the UK?"

Within the EU, there are very few restrictions. A very small handful of economically important species are restricted where there are pests or diseases which are present in France but not found in Britain (e.g. Potato Beetle).

Resin

Thanks for your help everyone. I have 120 days to go then I'll be a UK gardener. I'm bringing my potting bench. Will my gardening hose fit UK faucets? Its seems simple but it may not fit.

"Will my gardening hose fit UK faucets?"

No . . . faucets don't exist over here. We use taps ;-)

Resin

aghhhhhhhhhhhhh! lol. I'll learn.

To what part of the UK are you moving? As Lori mentioned, there is considerable regional variation. In the south and east we are having increasing problems with summer droughts (nothing like yours, obviously, but a pain when you are trying to grow vegetables that need water and there is a hosepipe ban). There is no lack of water in the north and west.

You might find it useful to buy a weekly gardening magazine. They have those 'what to do in your garden this month' articles which might help you understand how the seasons work over here. Another idea would be to visit as many gardens as you can and spend time mooching around garden centres and nurseries. Regarding black raspberries, I have not seen them here, but I haven't really looked. You seem to be bringing a lot of stuff. Are you staying long? Hosepipes and potting benches are available here and it might be cheaper to buy what you need when you get here than import a lot of stuff. September is a good time to arrive as you will be able to do some preparation over the winter ready for the new season next Spring. But I would observe your new garden carefully for a whole year before making radical changes as there may be lots of things popping up that you want to keep. Regarding seeds, there is a very wide variety available here and you may find that your Californian favourites are unsuitable in our climate. How about coming first and then asking people to send you things you think might do well here.

Attitudes and nomenclature are rather different over here as I have discovered from watching these forums for a while. Your 'garden' is everything around your house, including lawn, and is regarded as permanent, not something you 'put in' for a season. We grow most things direct in the ground rather than in special beds and don't make such a fuss about 'amendments.' Tell us where you will be living and we can give you more ideas.

I'll be going to school in Bristol, looking to live in the southwest, but I have seen nice rentals in the country area of Shropshire too (searching online). The winter temperatures will be similar, just more rain. I have succulents that actually don't like too much sun and do like moisture, so they may do well. I have alot of bulbs, and we don't have a gopher problem here, but I will there. I assume that as long as it doesn't freeze, my bulbs can stay in the ground, (Is that right?) I want to bring Hawaiian Canna bulbs. They are hardy for cool temps and love water. They do well here with little water, so they should be happy over there. I assume if I want some winter greens, I'll need cold frames setup. It will be nice to grow all the veggies in summer, instead of half in summer. half in winter. I'm big on canning and freezing so I can preserve lots for the winter months.

So what is a hose pipe? Is that the equivalent of a garden hose? Does a hose pipe ban mean there must be an underground watering system in place? Southern California is actually a desert. We get water from the Yosemite Valley Dam in Northern California, and from Colorado. Shipping all my garden stuff will be cheaper than replacing it all when I get there.

How is the snail situation? I can't plant simple marigolds without the snails eating them.

Is there a ban on cutting Christmas Trees?

I think you'd probably do well to wait until you've settled in here before making too many definite plans, as flora says. One thing you'll notice is probably going to be how small everything here is compared to the US.

For instance, we don't do much canning, probably because we don't grown enough surplus produce in a normal-sized English garden.

There is virtually no land that isn't owned by someone, so going out and cutting Christmas trees isn't normal here. Large expanses of common land, e.g. Dartmoor and Exmoor, are usually for public recreation rather than public use. You can't just go out and bring a lorry-load of rocks back for your rockery, as you would in the US.

As flora also said, we usually work with things as they are, and we don't go in much for changing the soil we have in our gardens. It isn't common to put in an underground watering system, either. If we have a hosepipe ban, we usually go out in the evenings with a watering can.

With regard to plants, Cannas are usually regarded as tropical, although they might do OK in the south west. Although it stays warm in the winter, it is a long winter compared to what you're used to. For instance today, at the end of May, it's less than 60 degrees Fahrenheight. It will also be a lot less bright than you (and your plants) are used to.

In the winter, we grow cabbages and brussels sprouts. We pick them in the snow. Black raspberries aren't commonly grown over here, but you can buy plants.

We don't have gophers. These are members of the Geomyidae family, and they eat plant roots. We have moles, which are similar small rodents in the family Talpidae. They eat earthworms and insects and aren't usually much of a problem to gardeners.

When you say you are 'going to school' I assume you mean university. If you are at the University of Bristol or UWE you will live in or near Bristol. In UK terms Shropshire is far too far away to commute. Go onto the RAC or AA route planner to see how long your journey would be and how complicated. Plus parking when you arrive will be a nightmare. And don't forget you'd probably be driving a stick shift. You are still thinking American, or rather Californian. Maybe a New Yorker would have more idea of these problems.

From what you are saying here I think you really need to come and find out what it's like. Some of your ideas are way off beam, I'm afraid, including your concept of 'cool' if you think cannas like cool. Your succulents will likely end up as a slimy mush after a British winter of cold and wet. One thing you will have to get used to is the lack of sunshine, especially in winter. Temperatures may look similar to you but you need to remember that grey skies are to be expected. Any christmas trees you see growing will be sombody's crop, not wild native conifers, so for goodness sake, don't go chopping them down! Snails love our climate, as do slugs. I don't want to quell your enthusiasm but I'm afraid you are going to be rather shocked when you see just how small everything is here. Unless you are rolling in money you will find yourself with a very small area of garden in this area. (I live quite near Bristol) There are many compensations to living here but you need to come without preconceptions.

Also, you don't say whether you are student or faculty. If the former how long will you be here? Will it be worth investing a lot of time and effort in a garden? I find it really hard to believe that it is worthwhile bringing all that stuff with you. You are moving to a nation of gardeners and you will find everything you could possibly need to garden here, with very little trouble. You may even find that the range of plants available is greater than you are used to. What's more it will be suited to the local climate. I have been looking at these forums for a while now and the whole concept of gardening seems very different in the UK to the States. We tend to view our gardens as long term fixtures which we tweak and maintain, not seasonal projects where we start from scratch annually, moving things around and altering them radically.

Instead of trying to reproduce a Californian garden here, why not try new things? For example, make the most of our long springs to grow bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, snowdrops, crocuses etc and the many spring flowering shrubs and perennials.

Best of luck. Flora.

I completely agree with Flora about Shropshire being too far. It may not seem far by American standards but the roads aren't that great and can be congested. I seem to recall Bill Bryson comparing the difference in 'Notes from a Small Island'. You might want to look at the very nearest parts of Wales over the Severn Bridge, although even Monmouth (which I quite like) might be a bit far. And you'd have to pay a toll one way all the time. Probably best off sticking to Bristol and environs.

Snails are a sore point with me right now - I'm downright embittered. Let's just say that one day I had young runner bean plants newly transferred, canes in place. And then there was none.

Have fun, anyway - I spent a short amount of time in your country and it's such a different experience being the other side of the pond, in either direction.

My husband, kids and I are moving from Chicago to Billericay this summer. We're wondering if we should bring our garden hose. (We use it to set up the sprinkler for the kids and to water.) Do I understand correctly that our hose won't connect to the UK taps?

No idea whether your hose will fit our taps. The most popular make of hose attachments is Hoselock. You could look at their website and see if you think their stuff will fit your hose. Also there are different types of taps so there is no guarantee that even British hoses will fit on any British tap. It is not impossible that your house will not have an outside tap and you will find yourself attaching your hose through a window into the house. I think it would be easier and maybe cheaper to just buy a hose when you get here. Also remember that watering the garden is far less necessary than in many parts of the States. Some years you will not need to water at all. In years when there is a lack of rain you may not be allowed to water! Your kids may feel like playing in a sprinkler about three times in an average British Summer. You'll need to get used to our weather.

I am neither British nor American but I am curious to know how expensive an American hose can be to make it worthwhile to bring it all the way to Bristol? In my 13 years of gardening I have used both Hozelock and Gardena hoses and plan to buy a new 50 m hose this summer and don't expect it to cost an arm and a leg.

Marianne in Sweden