Thame Gardens Are Bloomin Brilliant!

DESPITE exceptionally dry conditions this summer, Thame’s gardening enthusiasts have, once again, managed to produce magnificent, prize-winning floral masterpieces.
For the second year running, Bill and Margaret Sellwood’s garden in Hampden Avenue, Thame, has been judged the overall winner in the annual Thame In Bloom competition.

The particular eye-catching feature of the Sellwoods’s garden this year, is the three boxes of bright orange, red and white blooms on the top of, and visible through, the front garden wall.

Bill and Margaret have been spending an hour and half both morning and evening watering their plants from six water butts and a water tap when necessary. But it is obviously a labour of love for this couple whose personal lives have been overshadowed recently by the loss of their two year-old grand daughter.

Bill, whose late father was a regular winner of Tetworth gardening competitions, retired from working with Thame Town Council in 1997 and Margaret still works part-time at Thame police station as a cleaner.

The Sellwoods insist that they do nothing special to get such fantastic results in their garden: “We use slow-release fertilizer granules and some liquid spray fertilizer,” said Bill, who grows some of his plants from seed and others from young plant plugs ordered from ‘Gardening Direct’.

They heard the news of their win while they were on holiday in Weymouth during a telephone call from their daughter, who admitted that she had opened their post.

Margaret said: “It was so nice to hear some good news after what has been a very bad time for our family.”

The other main winners of the Thame In Bloom competition, which was judged by Thame In Bloom’s Vice Chair, Tony Buggins, are as follows:-

*Large Garden – Mr & Mrs Partner, Blake Way
*Medium Garden – Mr & Mrs Clark, Cotmore Gardens
*Small Garden – Mr & Mrs Sellwood, Hampden Avenue
*Facade – Mr & Mrs Spokes, Ireton Court
*Maisonettes &
Flats – Pearce Way
*Industrial
Section – Glencore Grain UK, Bell Lane
*Shops & Small
businesses – House Of Spice
*Pubs & Hotels – The Spread Eagle
*School Gardens – St Joseph’s

The presentation of prizes for the Thame In Bloom competition will be on August 31, at the Guide Headquarters in Southern Road, Thame, at 7pm.