GARDENING FOR WOMEN 37 



mowing, tidying, etc. Some ladies have week- 

 end parties, and require the place to look especially 

 neat on Sundays. There may be small but 

 necessary rules about sweeping and tidying the 

 carriage drive, cleaning and washing garden steps or 

 benches, the position of seats, tents, croquet hoops, 

 marking tennis courts, etc. The employer's wishes 

 should be ascertained, orders given accordingly, 

 and it should be seen that these are carried out. 



(4) The days and hours for picking flowers for 

 the house. If it is the gardener's duty to arrange 

 the cut flowers, this must be gone into carefully, 

 as it is probably one of the most important matters 

 in the eyes of the lady of the house. Should the 

 family be in London, there will be fixed days for 

 sending flowers, vegetables, and fruit to them ; 

 all these matters have to be carefully noted. The 

 amount of green foliage required for mixing with 

 cut flowers also varies with different people's 

 taste. It must be ascertained whether many pot 

 plants are required in the sitting-rooms, or if cut 

 flowers are chiefly used ; and if so, which are the 

 favourite kinds and colours. It will then be easy 

 to decide which plot of ground should be used as 

 a reserve garden for cut flowers, and what pro- 

 portion of mignonette, violets, lilies of the valley, 

 etc., will be needed for decoration. 



(5) Another matter, which only the lady of 



