Frances Perry (1907-1993) perceived a lack of gardening information for women in the mid-20th century. As a horticultural lecturer, horticultural advisor (to her county council), and gardening correspondent in England, she noted an ongoing demographic change: more and more women were attending her presentations or writing her letters. Her colleagues, both men and women, had also observed this change.
To address this need, she published “The Woman Gardener” (1955). In addition to general gardening advice, Perry chose topics she thought would have special interest for women. For example, an early chapter is titled “Salads and Quick Return Vegetables” and recognizes that “most housewives will agree that the first requirement of any salad ingredient is that it should be fresh.” Later chapters present miniature gardens in various forms, houseplants, and tips on flower arranging and keeping cut flowers fresh – subjects not typically addressed in other general gardening books of the time. She broke down other barriers of the male hierarchy of British horticulture by becoming the first woman council member of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1968 and, a decade later, vice president of that organization.
Excerpted from the Arboretum Bulletin