Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands, England. The landscape is varied, and has been separated into 11 distinct landscape types, known as National Character Areas. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within the county, which includes a section of the Pennine range, and Kinder Scout, the highest point in the county at 636 metres (2,087 ft). A semi-rural community, there is a large amount of lightly populated agricultural upland, as well as rolling hills and moorland.

Derbyshire is a very fertile land area, owing to prehistoric volcanic activity, and the formation of river systems following glacial meltwater after a prehistoric ice age. These river systems deposited sand, limestone, clay, and minerals, which have been quarried and mined for centuries. Blue John, a semi-precious mineral found in Derbyshire (primarily Castleton) and nowhere else in the world, is one example. The county flower for Derbyshire is Jacob’s-ladder a relatively rare species which thrives in areas of limestone deposit, as well as two plants found nowhere else in the world: the Rubus durescens in the rose family, and the Derby hawkweed, a genus of the sunflower family. There are also several Greenbelts within the county, which extend outside of its boundaries.

The climate in Derbyshire is varied and sometimes unpredictable, the county has a temperate maritime climate, with average highs of 11°C and lows of 4°C. December is typically the wettest month, while May is the driest. May to September offers the best growing period for gardens in Derbyshire.