RW

Thank you all for replies,  I am so glad to have found this forum and some knowledgable fellow gardeners,  I am sure once we have settled into our new home and the plants I am taking with me are also settled in, it will be just about the right time for me to try and find the best garden centre/nurseries for more plants, is anyone near Chalus who might be able to point me in the right direction when the time comes. Donna, I thoroughly agree with you on the runner bean v french bean,  I could quite happily sit and eat a plate of  home grown young runner beans properly cooked with a little bit of butter and pepper sprinkled on.  A couple of years ago I was given a packet of the runner bean seeds with a mixture of different coloured flowers and decided to plant them behind a fairly immature border to give some height, it looked a bit ugly to start with all of the cane framework but once the beans were in flower everyone commented on how attarctive it was, and the non veggie gardeners didn't realise veggies could have such pretty flowers. Another thought has occurred to me, are terracotta pots (all sizes) more expensive in France?  I have quite a few that I have decorated myself and am not sure whether to bring those with me or to start again with new ones. Thanks again Sylvia

Thank you all for your replies, most helpful.  The people who are buying our house are not gardeners and I dread to think what the garden I have lovingly created from a half acre bramble, nettle and thistle patch over the past 15 years is going to look like in a years time, I get the impression it will be back to brambles etc reigning over everything else. They have no objection to me taking any plants I want so it looks as though I will have to leave something else behind to get them all in.  Sylvia    

Thank you Tresco for the prompt response, I had trawled through various forums but couldn't find anything, I must be going blind as well as deaf.  (Note to myself - must remeber glasses and hearing aid and stock of batteries for latter). Sylvia

We are due to complete and move to our house in the Limousin in early August. Does anyone know where I might find a check list type of things to help me remember to inform all of the essential people here in the UK and also what paperwork apart from the birth, marriage certificates, etc it is useful to bring with us. We have booked the ferry, cats have passports, LHD car has been purchased, waiting for quotes from removal co's (aren't they slow), packing and downsizing started (I think the local charity shop misses me if I don't go in there with at least 6 bags full at least once a week!) This move has been a long time in the planning but now it is upon us I feel a little lost knowing what to do first.  Any help you can give to make this a smooth move would be appreciated. Sylvia  

We will be, at long last, moving to our new home near Limoges in early August.  I am a keen gardener and have been taking cuttings and dividing plants for the past year ready to bring with me but I think I may have overdone it and may have to leave some behind. To help me make my decision on which ones to leave behind are there any plants that are difficult to find in France and are plants expensive compared to UK? To give you an idea of some of the plants I had hoped to bring with me are many different species of iris, solomons seal, pulmonaria, hostas, day lily, lychnis, penstemon,  etc. Also I would like to start a veggie plot and someone told me that you can't get runner bean seeds in France (I keep forgetting to look when we are visiting) is this correct? This move seems to have been for ever on the cards and now I can't wait to get over there and start anew garden although I am determined that this one will be more of an informal garden and not so labour intensive as gardens in the past have been (famous last words!). Any information on gardening in France especially in the Limousin would be helpful. Thank you Sylvia  

Hi Sunday Driver Do these rules apply even if you are touring around France for 3 - 6 months or is this rule only for people who have taken up residence? Thanks RW