Phew! I feel as if I have just come up for air after a long dive underwater. I am in need of a little time just sitting on the beach in the sun to regain my energy and accustom myself to being on dry land again!

I have to say that it was touch and go whether my garden would be finished on time, despite the months of planning. Things just went a little bit pear-shaped in the last few days and we really had to work hard to get everything done.

The main problem was that I had ordered two varieties of green grass for the garden, thinking that they would be needed in between the flowering plants. Not a bit of it, though.

What the green grasses did in fact was to dilute the impact of the colour so that all the vibrancy that I wanted (and had promised in my brief!) was lost. I therefore found myself running around to local nurseries at the last minute (something I swore was not going to happen to me!) looking for more bronzy plants in enough quantities to fill the garden. I have to say that the Pershore Plant Emporium saved my bacon, so many thanks to them.

Not all the irises were willing to play ball and flower either, including the black ones, which I was so looking forward to seeing. However, very luckily, my black double tulips and orange ‘Ballerina’ tulips held on, even in the terrible showground wind, and were planted alongside the irises to give the needed extra colour. I felt like kissing them all!

But it was all worth it in the end. Gaining an RHS bronze medal for my first-ever show garden was a big thrill, as well as being a part of the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship competition in the Art and Design Tent. However, the very best thing about the whole experience was listening to the many wonderful, appreciative comments of the show visitors and watching the enjoyment on their faces as they looked at the garden.

I really felt quite emotional when I had to dig my trowel into the garden for the first time to dismantle the garden and sell off the plants. Still, I have lots of lovely pictures to remember it by. The whole site has been cleared now and will soon be returned to grass, as if all the lovely gardens had never been there.

I still have many plants left over to sell so I am holding a sale at 10 Cedar Avenue, off Pickersleigh Road in Malvern Link on Sunday, May 17, from 10am to 1pm. Come and take your pick from the remaining grasses, irises and bamboos etc. It would be lovely to see you there, or I can also be contacted via my website and email address: Helen@elgindesign.co.uk.