One of the great strengths of this book is that although the brilliant flowers are undoubtedly the stars, the supporting cast is not neglected--foliage is used throughout as a backdrop, for structure and as a foil for the vivid colours of the flowers. Sarah Raven admits that her type of gardening is labour intensive, but at a time when too much gardening attempts to be "instant" it is refreshing to read a book which honestly states that effort is required to achieve stunning results. --Stephanie Donaldson