The irony of imagination
When Kincaid sets out to garden, she says she wanted a specific garden that she had been imagining her whole life, in her mind's eye, but since it was her imagination, there was no specific reality that suited what she wants. Ironically, the beauty of her garden is an accidental beauty, done in the pursuit of some intangible reality. What is the irony of her imagination? That her imagination is literally urging her toward her own personal paradise, but without letting her feel she has accomplished it.
The irony of women's roles
Women are asked to sacrifice so much in human life, just by nature. Kincaid thinks about motherhood and the natural sacrifices implicit in female life (childbirth, child rearing, custodianship and stewardship, provision). But ironically women are regarded still as the weaker gender. This is simply untenable, given the pain and sacrifice of an average female life.
The irony of power and perception
When Kincaid talks about politics and gender roles, the conversations tend to veer off into discussions about power more generally. There is an irony, Kincaid feels, between the truth about power and influence, and what "power" means politically. Kincaid feels powerful as a gardener, but what she means by "power" is so different than the word's cultural definition in America.
The irony of life and diversity
The irony of life and diversity is that, basically life is the same all over the planet. She describes the different plant life from various parts of the world, but the basics never change. There are similar types of life all over the planet, but the appearance and detail varies by region, sometimes extremely so. Ironically, although the basic building blocks of life remain constant, the planet is covered with unimaginable plant life, beyond the human imagination.
The irony of feng shui
One of the most fundamental ironies of all (especially in this book) is that human instincts naturally follow an unspoken pattern. When Kincaid goes to put wisterias on her stone terrace, she realizes that it just doesn't look right, so she follows her instincts by moving them. The irony is that Kincaid's subconscious is determining her sense for order, so when she obeys those rules of design, she ends up designing a home that perfectly suits her own energy. The unspoken rules that she obeys are simply feng shui. Another irony is that she is observing a Chinese art of energy flow, and she ends the book in China.
