112 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



out. Against the dark green yew hedge, how 

 lovely will be the group of tall, stately pink holly- 

 hocks, with pale rose-coloured annual larkspurs, 

 Japanese anemones, and silver- foliaged plants 

 intermingled with them! What lovely combi- 

 nations of plants bearing similar coloured foliage 

 she can arrange to plant together ! There will be 

 irises, German and Spanish ones, then the white 

 drooping bells of hyacinth candicans, followed 

 by scarlet tritomas and montbretias, bringing 

 their brightness to cheer dull autumn days. How 

 satisfactorily she now will be able to maintain a 

 constant succession of colour in herbaceous borders 

 throughout the year ! 



In short, the advent of a lady gardener is 

 pleasing to her. Her husband will probably not 

 approve the innovation. "If I see the poor 

 thing out working in a heavy downpour of rain, 

 I shall feel a brute not to go and help her," he will 

 say as he smokes his pipe reflectively, and medi- 

 tates over the follies of womenkind. But, I ask, 

 what man head gardener need work in rain ? 

 If he does, he will probably do more harm than 

 good, by making a mess of the ground. Need he, 

 wet or fine, do much manual labour ? No ! his 

 duties lie chiefly in directing the men under his 

 charge ; in executing the lighter, but more intri- 

 cate work of pruning, thinning out grapes, and 



