I’m spending a lot of time outdoors this summer, working in my yard and watering plants to protect them from the hot summer sun.
Let’s face it, gardening can be hot, dirty work, so my gardening attire usually consists of shorts, tank top, and flip-flops . . .
“In the Garden” by Carlton Alfred Smith
. . . which makes me wonder, how did ladies of the Regency era ever manage to do their gardening with all those layers of clothes they were required to wear by the standards of the day?
“The Rose Garden” by Charles Edward Wilson
The truth is that ladies born into wealthy Regency families had servants to do their gardening for them. Women who did not have the same luck of being born to wealth were probably more consumed with earning a living and feeding their families to worry about cultivating flowers and lush green lawns.
“Tea in the Garden” by Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer.
As it happens, I belong to the latter class of ladies, because I have to work for a living; but thanks to progress made since the Regency Era, I can support her family and still have time to grow and appreciate a garden of colorful flowers. And the best part is, I don’t have to wear elbow-length gloves to do it.
Nancy Lawrence 
Haha! But don’t forget the mosquitoes, deer flies/horse flies, and other annoying bugs. The bees, dragonflies and butterflies are the only worthy ones! Then the humidity which causes such perspiration to linger over ones lips, brows and the rivulets poring down the side of one’s face! Heaven forbid a gentleman comes calling! Lovely pictures selected to show how genteel and ladylike they are! But there is something satisfying in the finished product of all our hard work! Hence less time in the summer to linger inside!
Oh, yes, the bugs and the perspiration! And let’s not forget the blisters (I’ve got a couple on my hands from cutting up fallen tree limbs) and the farmer’s tan (ha!). I like what you said about the satisfaction that comes from the hard work. In fact, I’m enjoying a few quiet minutes on the patio as I type this. Have a wonderful day, Carole!
Hopefully with a glass of wine or a gin and tonic!! Enjoy your weekend! I am visiting my sister in Oswego, NY!