E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Adonis Garden,
or A garden of Adonis (Greek). A worthless toy; a very perishable good. The allusion is to the fennel and lettuce jars of the ancient Greeks, called “Adonis gardens,” because these herbs were planted in them for the annual festival of the young huntsman, and thrown away the next morning. (1 Henry VI., i. 6.)
