Lancashire has been ranked among the best places in the North West for gardening.
Fylde, West Lancashire, and Preston all placed in the region’s top 10 according to the UK Gardening Index, compiled by Hedges Direct.
The index scored all areas on seven factors, including garden size, climate, soil quality, frost risk, and public garden access.
Martin Chaplin, head of horticulture at Hedges Direct, said: "The conditions gardeners are working with vary much more than people tend to realise.
"There are more than five months between the shortest and the longest growing season in this study, and a typical garden runs from under 50 square metres in some areas to more than 700 in others, so two gardeners doing exactly the same things in different parts of the country will get very different results.
"Shelter is the other thing that gets underestimated.
"Wind does more damage to plants in an exposed garden than cold does, and a hedge filters it rather than forcing it over the top the way a solid fence does, which makes a real difference to what will grow in an exposed spot."
Fylde ranked sixth in the North West with a score of 50.8 out of 100.
West Lancashire followed in ninth place with 50.0, and Preston rounded out the top 10 with a score of 49.9.
Sefton topped the North West rankings with a score of 55.2.
It placed 102nd nationally out of 346 areas in the UK, performing strongly in soil quality, climate, garden space, and public garden access.
Wirral and Liverpool took second and third place in the region.
All three Merseyside areas recorded some of the lowest frost risks in the country, with only 64 to 65 days of ground frost per year.
These milder conditions, combined with longer growing seasons and favourable soil, helped secure their top spots.
Cheshire West and Chester came fourth in the North West with a score of 51.8.
Trafford rounded out the regional top five with a score of 51.3.
At the other end of the scale, Oldham ranked lowest both regionally and nationally.
It placed 35th in the North West and last out of all 346 UK areas assessed.
Its lower ranking was due to smaller garden sizes, less favourable soil conditions, a shorter growing season, and limited allotment space.
The full North West top 10 features Sefton (55.2), Wirral (54.0), Liverpool (53.4), Cheshire West and Chester (51.8), Trafford (51.3), Fylde (50.8), Cheshire East (50.4), Halton (50.2), West Lancashire (50.0), and Preston (49.9).
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