But then it's quite easy to redirect them to rec.gardening, the US group.
Of course, there are parts of USA with climates like ours but what we
can't
do in UK is restrict ourselves to zones. Would it be a Good Thing if we
could, I wonder? Or is that diversity part of what makes gardening here
so
interesting? I know what I think but I wonder what everyone else thinks
of
it?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Zones, as y'all know, is not a panacea re gardening....but it certainly is
of value and a money savings asset....little old Cape Cod is an
example.....about 80 miles from tip to toe and about 30 miles at its widest
point and tapering down to vitually zero....parts of Cape Cod are in zone 7
and parts in zone 6.....what is the point of buying a zone 7 rated plant and
sticking in a zone 6...I admit that temperature alone is not the key to
survival but an important one....have lived on the Cape a little over 20
years (retirement ones) and in the beginning planted some zone 7 rated
plants....no more....just not worth taking the risk((to those that might add
'did I screw up'...I have been around the gardening scene far to long and
know the difference)). .....suspect that out west and perhaps in the San
Francisco area they might have a climate (weather) somewhat similar to the
uk but elsewhere ????....certainly not on the east coast....the northern
part of the east coast gets too damned cold in the winter and a tad hot in
the summer...a little further south not as cold in the winter but even
hotter in the summer.....on the east coast one of the better climates (not
weather particularly) is right where I am....good old Cod Cod where the
average January temperatures a average hi of 5C and average low of minus
6C....the July numbers are av, hi 26C and av. lo 17C....all time winter
record low being minus 12C...(inland from Cape Cod and by only 50 miles or
so another story where winter lows can go down to minus 32C and as high as
40C)......zones are of value.....I suspect the same applies in the UK but to
a lesser degree re zones but you certainly have them.....and micro zones
within zones or if you like micro climates....lets face it, even in my own
garden there are some spots I will not plant certain plants due to its
'micro climate'.

am finished....for now anyway.........H