After a couple of days in Belize City (confusingly usually refered to as "Belize" here) Chris and I are back home at Steppingstones.

We usually go to the city about once a month, and we are getting to know it quite well. We always say that here in Belize we are not shoppers, we are hunter/gatherers. In other words, you can't just go to the hardware shop, say, and buy white paint. No, there is no white paint to be had. But while you are there, you see a bath plug, a tennon saw and some cable ties which just might come in handy..... And next time, when you are looking for those energy saving lightbulbs, well, low and behold, there will be white paint - so let's stock up just in case!

We stayed at the Princess Hotel and Casino, which is having a September special. It was US$80 plus tax which included breakfast, and actually for that price it is a pretty good deal. The rooms all have a Caribbean view from a big picture window, a big bathroom, two very comfortable king size beds, and the breakfast is not bad. But don't whatever you do eat there in the evening.......it's awful!

I have just discovered a wonderful plant nursery hidden away in Belmopan. It's owned by a Belizean lady called Geraldine Sosa. She started her business about 20 years ago, when her plants and cuttings threatened to swamp the family home. She now has a beautiful large site bursting to the brim with glorious tropicals, in particular, orchids. She is only open on Tuesday and Thursday, so I insisted on a visit.

We didn't have time to linger, which was perhaps fortunate as I could have spent a small fortune. The first thing I saw on arrival was a honeysuckle growing on a fence. I am always after sweet smelling flowers, so that was top of my list. The honeysuckle doesn't look like a British one, and I can't identify the species, but it's a nice looking bushy plant and will go in the Secret Garden, which we are just making out back. I took two cuttings this morning, so fingers crossed they will take and Martha and Wilma will have one each too.

Next acquisition was a lovely salmon pink ixora. This is a member of the coffee family, and stands up very well to salt wind. It too is destined for the Secret Garden, but I plan to take cuttings and try it out front. It is too luscious a colour to lose, so I am giving it a pampered spot while it settles in.

Then I found a very pretty reddish purple grass about 3ft high, which will be make a good colour accent. Then the creamy white flowered shrub Mussaenda phillippica 'Dona Aurora' (I think it's this one) which will also go in the Secret Garden as it doesn't like salt, but it is so pretty, reminding me a bit of white poinsettia, although the flowers are floppier.

Wandering round with Geraldine was so interesting, I could have spent hours. She is a real orchid expert, and her orchids are just wonderful, the colours are delectable, and the forms are so varied. They are mainly grown for cut flowers. She also has a nice collection of cactus, brought in from the US as seedlings and grown on, although she is struggling with some of the varieties as it is a little too hot for them here. It was nice that she was ready to point out her woes and failures, reminding me that all gardeners have them.

Under the shading I spotted a fabulous succulent which has flowers just like an oleander. Gerladine calls it Rose of the Desert - I need to do some research to find out what its proper name is. I couldn't resist this, and chose one which has both pink and white flowers on the same plant - grafted. This will be kept safely on the kitchen veranda - safe that is unless Faye and Suzie Q get overexcited.

Finally, I just had to have an orchid. Those of you who have visited Steppingstones know that we have wild orchids growing around the place, the green bull horn orchid, a beautiful white one and an orange one which I have been too lazy to identify. So I chose a black orchid - the national flower of Belize - encyclia cochleatum. Just beautiful, with a very dark mauve and green flower like a baby octopus. I can see I am going to get badly hooked on these. Fortunately we have a great climate for orchids, and they are not expensive to buy.

On the way back from Belmopan, I stopped off at the tiny roadside nursery near St Michaels, run by Lennox with the help of his friend Edward. This is a great place, everything is $5, and you can find not only your basic crotons, mangos, etc but there are usually some tucked away unusual oddments.

This time was no exception, and I came away with a pink flowered ginger, a miniature white ixora, a lovely zebra plant - cryptanthus zonatus - and a plant described as oregano by Lennox but which has a large thick leaf smelling of mint, like a very large leafed apple mint. This latter was pounced on by Rambo as we were unloading the boat, with cries of "Bueno, bueno", so I think it must be used in cooking in Honduras. Anyway, I have taken a cutting of this one too, and will quiz Rambo on it when he gets back from his weekend off.

It's a nice bright day after quite a bit of rain overnight, tomorrow may be a day to go kayaking, after all this gardening.