What do guests bring to their hosts at garden parties? A friend writes that when he held one recently for some 40 guests, he was delighted with the unexpected gifts. For example, there was an armful of rhubarb, then pots of chutney and jam and, of course, several bottles of wine. Conversation was lively, and great interest was given to accounts of how the host had managed to save special plants from the ravages of winter. And valuable advice was proffered by experts with far wider horticultural knowledge than the host and hostess.
Those who brought plants and cuttings seemed pleased to be handed trowels and spades and allowed to pick places to put them down. It looked a bit funny to see a spade expertly applied by a woman in a garden party dress, while her wine glass rested on a nearby rock. By borrowing neighbours' garden furniture and putting them at different places, groups of people with common interests got together to talk about their recent exploits and experiences, although the cheerful sunshine discouraged any mention of winter illnesses or gripes. But the spirit of the day was really set by Robert, the host's tame robin, which hopped onto plates and pecked at sandwiches, even though the garden's usual flock of sparrows stayed away for the day.
Another diversion was a delightful idea by Miss Georgina Ryan-White, aged 12, who came in a beautiful velvet wine-coloured dress, bearing a plastic bag with a gift of two goldfish to add to the fishpond's regular residents. Leaning over a pond after a few glasses of the grape, writes our friend, to count darting goldfish can be a party spoiler. But nothing untoward happened. Yes, one of the great things about a summer garden party is that you can have a mixture of ages. Plenty of space, too, but, above all, the idea that everybody is on holiday seems to pervade the atmosphere. The young, of course, add a special lightness of heart to the occasion. And don't say that it rains so much here that open-air parties are not practical. You can always have a supply of umbrellas, and there are bound to be places where cover can be had from the rain.
Don't be a spoilsport. And if you are a flat-dweller, maybe you have a friend with a garden and he or she could make the party a joint effort.