IT has been a miserable summer with the mercury barely touching 20C.

But a garden in Greenstead, Colchester is decidedly tropical and has even produced bananas.

The garden has been cultivated with years of tender loving care by Kevin Howard and his wife, Wendy.

And now they are reaping the rewards of their labours but producing their first crop of bananas after 20 years.

Mr Howard, 59, of Stanley Wooster Way, said: “It is just a little garden tucked away in the corner of Greenstead.

“When we moved in it had two horrible conifers.

“I could not decide what to do with it but a neighbour offered me some bark and I put a membrane down and we began our search for some plants.

“We went to a nursery and bought a tree fern which cost £30 because it was a bit ill.

“Now it is probably worth about £400.

“We used to go to nurseries in the winter when the plants were half price.

“We saw plants we liked. The banana tree was about five inches tall when we bought it and now it is about 15ft high.

“We bought a cordyline which was about 2ft tall from a car boot sale and it is now about 30ft tall.”

But Kevin and Wendy have had to work hard for their crop of bananas.

As the UK is not blessed with the tropical weather which their plants are more used to, they have had to compensate by tucking them up warmly in the winter.

Kevin said: “We get the bubble wrap out every winter and wrap up the trees against the cold weather.

“My wife is out there before the frost making sure they are wrapped up.

“We really look after them and make sure the frost doesn’t get them.

“I think we have been lucky they have thrived so well.”

The couple’s nurturing has, until now, been a labour of love.

The pair, who run a cleaning and gardening business, won an award from Colchester in Bloom about ten years ago but until now they have never had any fruit from their trees.

Mr Howard said: “We have about 24 bananas on the tree.

“It is the first time in 20 years.”

However, they are not preparing for a feast.

Mr Howard said: “Unfortunately, bananas grown in this country are inedible. They just don’t ripen.”