Can someone explain this cartoonto me? Like, what’s supposed to be funny about it?
I do not get it. Usually I’m pretty good at this sort of thing, but this one’s flying right over my head. I know what an aphid is, and I know what heliotrope is. Doesn’t help. 
Thanks in advance!
The joke is that the woman is getting very upset over a trivial gardening problem that does not warrant such a reaction.
I swear, the New Yorker must have a policy of rejecting all cartoon submissions that are actually funny.
Well… the dog is biting his ass, the cat is grabbing his ass, the man threw up his papers as if something just bit him in the ass, and the woman is running and shouting and spraying something??
I’m at a complete loss here. My best guess is that it’s a metaphor for something biting your ass, like having aphids on a heliotrope. But I don’t get it.
She’s a frantic gardener. HA! HA! HA!
First world problem.
That’s not anti-humor. It’s just that you all are too young to get it.
Oookay…well, at least I’m glad to see it’s not just me! 
While not ROTF hilarious, the humor (like much of George Booth’s work) is in the frenetic action, especially the animals, in response to a trivial problem. It’s a funny drawing and the punchline is not what makes it work.
The animals are only upset because of the woman’s shrieking. It’s not funny and doesn’t work.
colander nailed it.
It’s a cartoon by Booth, many of whjose cartoons aren’t subtle or “ha ha” funny. The joke in this one is her agitation and the looks and reactions from the others in the cartoon. It’s really a bit of drawn slapstick, and as subtle as a sledgehammer.
I agree. The cartoon is whimsical. Light and witty. It’s droll. It compares well enough to many of James Thurber’s cartoons.
Besides…go to the comics page of any big newspaper. Read the funnies. How many of them are actually funny? How often do they actually make anyone laugh? Even the great classics in the field – Pogo, or Krazy Kat, or B.C. (in its prime) – rarely elicit more than a wry grin. This particular Booth cartoon is worth a wry grin. In the world of art, that’s a victory!
You’ve clearly never read Get Fuzzy or Pearls Before Swine. Pah!
You gotta pick your battles, man. Hers is with aphids.
“Trolls in the dungeon! Just thought you’d want to know.” faints
They accidentally switched the captions. The original one was “My wife is a slut.”
It’s not as funny as the Far Side version. (I can’t find it on Google, I am weak.)
As I said, it’s the drawing of the animals that’s funny.
If you take everything literally like that, then you’re missing out on life.
I try to be open mind and not assume that everything I don’t find artistic isn’t artistic, and I guess I should extend that to humor.
I REALLY enjoyed Portfolio - I love Wired - The New Yorker isnt bad just never did anything for me, and I never found the cartoons funny.
Wikipedia:
This seems to jive with what RealityChuck wrote (not trying to put words in his mouth). Do people that find this funny/wry find it JUST as funny without the caption?
I don’t think there is a figurative/literal divide here. I do think that old rich white people
got some comedy problems going on. I guess they don’t need to make anyone laugh, though. That is their valet’s job.
I find this hilarious, but (I assume) not for the intended reason. I know it’s not meant as meta-humor, but I can’t help but see it in a meta-humor sort of way, parodying the inscrutable, obscure nature of the stereotypical New Yorker comic. I mean “aphids on the heliotrope” – what a great, completely New Yorker-intellectual punchline. It’s just so stupidly silly to me.
Also, “heliotrope” is vaguely funny, all by itself. Like “nosegay” or “antipasto.”