The baby steps could refer to the progress in the garden or the way I am walking after a weekend of concreting and catching up on other work in the garden afterwards. The hard labour continues as attention is now being focused on the area around the big pond. And although there is still some more prep needed we can at last think about getting the last of the paving down and actually finishing the area to the north of the pond, adjacent to what will be the seaside garden.

The path to the west (left) and the north had to be extended from the narrow strip that was laid to hold the liner in place, and now the shuttering has been removed, we can think about paying some paving – yippee!

The plot seemed so level at the beginning but it was soon obvious that it had quite a gradient when we actually did the levels for the pond

Now the path has to be excavated a bit. Trellis will go either side of this, in places. The trellis will make the wings of a stage for a bench. It is using every bit of my grey matter to work this area out but I think it will be OK.

This will tie in with the raised beds to the north and the one in the foreground here which is definitely a formal bedding bed. You can’t see the tulips but the forget-me-nots actually have a few flowers. Beyond that is an area planted to transition into the seaside garden (you can see a path covered in a thin layer of sand to the right). Here there are red and green cordylines (I know many in Ireland will think me bonkers for that), pittosporums, hebes and corokia to make an interesting evergreen backdrop. Lots more to do but I am getting there.

Of course, lots more is happening and in the greenhouse the yellow clivia is opening its first flowers. I have had it for years and it is a rather straggly plant with long, narrow leaves so not the best yellow I suspect but it does flower well and I love the flowers. I still have a batch of seedlings from this and my orange plant that have yet to bloom – maybe next year.

And next to it, in the greenhouse, is Zantedeschia ‘White Giant’. I decided I would divide it, even though it was in full growth – and full flower – because I really want to try it outside. The plant is only 1.2m high and it can reach 2m so I want to grow it in various ways and really push it to the edge so it fulfills its potential.

zantedeschia white giant