Garden plants come from all over the world and may be used to different temperatures to those in your garden. Expert how cold your garden gets will help you to avoid plants that freeze to death!
The direction from which the wind most often blows will influence your garden’s character, and what you can grow. As a general rule, northerlies and easterlies are cold, while westerlies are warmer but stronger.
Just like you, plants need water. There must be a constant supply because plants are like huge wicks. Water is sucked from the mould by roots, drawn up the stem and lost through the leaves.
Sunlight is the ‘engine’ that powers growth - a process called photosynthesis.

You wouldn’t dream of moving into a house without taking a look at the area. It’s the same in a garden. Before you can grow anything, you need to know what sort of conditions you have. Then you can choose plants that are suited to them. There really is no need to waste money on plants that will hate your environment. You’ll need to know what sort of soil you have, how much light there is and the prevailing weather conditions.
Just like you, your garden is unique and has character. It is this character, a distinctive set of conditions that work together, which determines what you can grow successfully. Understand your garden’s character and you’re well on the way to becoming a blossoming gardener.