First of all, I strongly recommend the use of a computer wordprocessor either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, or simply something like Angel Writer which can be downloaded free from the web.  Secondly, there should be some sort of  "grabber" on the first page or two, something to immediately hook the readers interest.  For the most part, this can usually be accomplished by a strong, intriguing or challenging first paragraph followed by some revealing dialogue - even if the subject merely speaks to himself or herself out loud or in reflective thought.  Overall, there appears to be a valid kernel of a developing plot but more exposition should be given in the first chapter.  Keep trying.  It takes perserverence and work.  Write daily - at least a page or two.

 Overall, I must agree with the other critic. I would like to know more about what time period it is, and the location. From your spelling, I take it that this is somewhere around England (or Australia). While reading, I really could see a garden bursting with green and a few dozen other colors of bright flowers. What confused me a bit was the old man who, at first seemed frail:

If you were to look upon him that day, Daphne Tramp, hobbling about his garden. If you were to have seen his walk marred by a slight hunch; if you had spied him pottering about his garden both figuratively and literally. Moving the assorted flowers into cheap plastic pots and then replacing them with other flowers just as pretty as the last but younger and just about to burst forth. If you'd have seen him on this hot summer day, wearing a towel draped over his head held in place by a visor, anyone would have made the assumption that he was getting too old for gardening

and then:

He stirred from his kneeling position, slowly but purposefully and got to his feet, and ignoring the twinge of pain in his knee he started towards the house

But then, he wakes up one day as active as Richard Simmons:

He pivoted on his rear end and swung his legs out of his huge four-posted bed. Dressed only in his nightshirt he ran to the window, almost tripping on the corner of a suitcase that stuck out from beneath his bed and cursed under his breath. He flung back the curtains excitedly and was hit by the light from the sun that had just cleared the buildings around him. He looked down to the garden below craning his neck for a better view of what he was looking for until his head bumped against the cold glass.
 

 If you were trying to show that the old man kept his youth when he was excited about his hobby is not clear to me; but if that was indeed what you were trying to do, perhaps you should expand a little more in the first paragraph:

He merely had no need for months, all he needed were the seasons, and his senses to distinguish them and he would potter about in his garden not resting till his days work was done.
 

Other than those things, my largest problem was the punctuation. You should place commas in compound sentences so as not to confuse your reader. A few examples:

Slowly his left hand manoeuvred around the stem being careful to avoid the thorns, then it moved back sharply... a small prick, barely drew blood.

That should have read, "Slowly, his left  hand manuevered around the stem, being careful to avoid the thorns. Then, it moved back sharply as a thorn gave him a  small prick, which barely drew blood."

His shoulders slumped dejectedly and the cat mewed at his feet, and rubbed against his shins causing him to smile a little.
 

That should have read, "His shoulders slumped dejectedly, and the cat meowed at his feet and rubbed against his shins, causing him to smile."

Maybe there wasn't one there he thought to himself, he thought there was but couldn't really trust his memory.

This should have read, "Maybe there wasn't one there, he thought to himself. He thought there was, but couldn't really trust his memory."

 This is quite an interesting story. I would love to see where else it could go...I think it could be developed further. I come up with some suggestions while reading it a 3rd time on printed page --

I believe you could almost delete the first paragraph. Maybe filter the information elsewhere throughout. I toyed with the idea of maybe moving the third paragraph the the top, so that we see him in his garden 1st since it seems to be what occupies his life the most. But i was afraid that it might mess up the flow of paragraph four, so I would probably stick with beginning with "He lived in a house..."

There were a few places where I might have chosen different words. Such as below I might have used disrepair rather than disarray.

He lived in a house near the centre of town; the dwellings fascia was in a total state of disarray.

I almost thing that there could be a bit more dialogue (even if it is to himself) so that we can maybe get a bit more feeling about Daphne. I don't know whether or not I really connected to his plight. I also would like more of a description surrounding the only other human interaction within the story.

There were a few things that I thought could be cut without losing anything in the story. I am not sure if there is a specific reason we need to know its a four poster bed... isn't it sufficient to say he "swung his legs out of bed"? The other question I had was ... if Daphne never goes anywhere what is the significance of the suitcase? It stuck out at me that I thought for sure it would appear again somewhere else..but it never did. Almost like a foreshadowing left hanging (if that makes sense to you).

He pivoted on his rear end and swung his legs out of his huge four-posted bed. Dressed only in his nightshirt he ran to the window, almost tripping on the corner of a suitcase that stuck out from beneath his bed and cursed under his breath.

Also, I thought maybe you could delete the actual time when describing the grandfather clock unless, of course, the time is significant. But I didn't get the feeling it was because to me it felt like a foreshadowing opportunity left out.

There in the soil; flanked on both sides by all sorts of plants climbing and ground alike stood a wooden cylinder, it was roughly four inches in diameter.

This sentence seemed awkward to me. I stumbled over it everytime I read it. It could be just me, but I think I might work with this a little and see if it could be smoothed out a bit.

I am a little confused about the "clicking his tongue against his mouth". Only because you click your tongue against your teeth or the roof of your mouth -- but I am not sure how you would click it against your mouth?

All in all, I really liked this story. I do feel like there were some things that could be cut, some foreshadowing that could taken advantage of if you were to further the story. I am still a little confused (but interested) about what happened after he left the gate. I hope this helps.