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Glite Dictionary
gardener's delight

gardener's delight

9.9
A cottage garden plant with white woolly leaves and bright red flowers grown for decoration
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : delicia del jardinero
  • The gardener's delight brightened up the border with its crimson blooms.

Examples

  • She planted gardener's delight alongside lavender and roses for a classic effect.

  • The gardener's delight bloomed beautifully this spring.

  • Many cottage gardens feature gardener's delight for its striking foliage and easy maintenance.

  • I planted a gardener's delight in my backyard.

  • Many cottage gardens feature gardener's delight for its striking foliage and easy maintenance.

  • The gardener's delight brightened up the border with its crimson blooms.

  • She planted gardener's delight alongside lavender and roses for a classic effect.

Synonyms

Lychnis coronaria
vsgardener's delight
  • Specialized
9.9

A garden plant called rose campion with bright crimson flowers and soft silver leaves

is the traditional cottage garden name used for the same ornamental plant
rose campion
vsgardener's delight
9.5

A plant that lives for many years with silvery fuzzy leaves and bright red flowers

is older in tone and used more as a charming cottage garden name
mullein pink
vsgardener's delight
9.9

A garden plant with soft white leaves and bright red flowers

is the older, more nostalgic cottage garden name used historically

Surface Forms

gardener's delight singular
gardener's delights plural

Morphology

gardener's + delight

The phrase literally reads as "something that delights a gardener," so a B1 learner who knows 'gardener' and 'delight' can infer it refers to something pleasing to gardeners (likely a plant or garden item). However, the specific lexicalized meaning — a particular cottage-garden plant with white woolly leaves and crimson flowers — is not predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Gardener's delight comes from a simple picture: its bright red flowers and soft white leaves made gardeners very pleased, so people called it a gardener's delight. That's why the name now means 'a plant gardeners love'.