Her experience of nurturing gardens in both Australia and England has helped the author of this book to explore and develop theories on light and colour in the garden. Magenta, for example, a colour too heavy and draining for the garden under the glaring Australian sun, is well-suited to the shady corner of an English garden. The book encourages gardeners to reassess their favourite flowers and how they are planted, describing how a flower bed or border can be revitalized through simple observation of the light patterns and sky colours on a garden plot, and a mixing of colours.