onionbagblog

Yet more joyful evidence that spring is finally upon here in Wivenhoe. A stroll up to the allotments, and all was looking well in the public back garden for people of this parish. Writing in Wivenhoe News, and dated 2nd January, C O’D describes the depressing scene from only a couple of months previous:

“As I write this, I’m warming up after my first visit of the year to the allotment. What a dismal sight an allotment is during the winter like the one we are experiencing.

The pigeons have eaten the brassicas, the weight of snow on netting has bent some of the fruit cage struts, and leaves and plants on the plot and in the garden are all mushy and floppy. Will they ever recover?”

The answer of course is YES. Hurrah! Even as a budding green-fingered dabbler, whose palms are probably more pale light lime that glorious green right now, I know to leave Mother Nature to do her thing. A bit of cheapo fertiliser from B & Q (cheers Dad!) also does the job.

Elsewhere around the town and the first results of the season from Wivenhoe in Bloom are starting to show through. Over 3,000 crocuses and 500 scilla were planted in the greensward on either side of Rosabelle Avenue, in the boats outside the William Loveless Hall, on the corner of De Vere Lane, The Avenue and in the One Stop garden.

Blimey.

All are starting to bloom - all are looking absolutely brilliant.

We’ll be harvesting lemons from the lemon tree before the cricket season starts…