Best Garden In Thame

DESPITE a very dry year so far, Thame Gardeners have excelled themselves and once more produced some fine examples of their green-fingered genius in this year?s Thame in Bloom competition.
The over-all winner for 2005 is Mr Bill Sellwood, of 13 Hampden Avenue, Thame, who, with his wife Margaret who shares the work, has taken the first prize for the first time, having come second on two previous occasions when they lived in Churchill Crescent.
Bill, who retires in November, after 19 years with a local cleaning company, did at one time work for Thame Town Council helping to maintain the town?s flower beds and parks. Margaret has worked at Thame Police Station as a cleaner for over 20 years and between them they choose the seed from catalogues or collect them from their own plants, raise seedlings in their two greenhouses and generally share the planting, feeding and watering throughout the growing season.
The resulting garden of both perennials and annuals attracts admiring gazes and comments from everyone who passes by and is a tribute to the Sellwoods? hard work and enthusiasm.
Bill puts his love of gardening down to the influence of his father who had a small market garden in Tetsworth for many years. The green-finger genes continue to be passed on down to the younger Sellwood generation ? daughter, Shirley, who lives in Pearce Way, won first prize in the Maisonette or Retirement bungalow section of the competition.
The judge, Tony Buggins, who is Vice Chair of Thame In Bloom, made the following comments about the Sellwood?s garden
?A large variety of flowers and evergreens; Masses of blooms full of both primary colours and pastels. Lots of variety in pots and boxes, and borders have good backing with low frontage.
?A lot of hard work but a very rewarding garden for all who view it.?

The other main winners were:
Large Garden: Mr A L Dodd, 43 Wykeham Park
Facades: Mr and Mrs Conibear, 10 Mitchell Close
COMMERCIAL SECTION:
Pubs & Hotels: The Bird Cage, Industrial: CPM, School Gardens: John Hampden, Hanging Baskets: Brothers Hair Sculptors.