A book on gardening with colour by its most adventurous exponent. It is opinionated, it is controversial and it is the most colourful book on plant associations you will ever read. In eleven chapters, Christopher Lloyd explores each colour - from potentially dangerous red and challenging orange to sophisticated black - in relation to others. He advocates knowing the rules of combining colours, mainly so you can break them. 'Every colour has its place in the garden,' writes Lloyd, 'but rather than theorize, we need to consider its quality. Is the flower a good pink? Are the leaves an agreeable shade of yellow?' He discusses the accepted tenets of good taste and encourages gardeners to break away from them. 'The limitations imposed by rules', he writes, 'are a safe haven, but the adventurous gardener will want to try something different.' Photography: Jonathan Buckley
