Garden Exploration: A Modern Garden with a Classical Edge

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The ancient Greeks loved symmetry for a good reason. As do Ken and Jean Victor Linsteadt – for the same reason. By adding stone walls and a staircase to bisect and subdivide their sloped backyard into a series of mirror-image garden beds, the Mill Valley, CA couple have created a calming sense of balance.

Santa Barbara daisies–their Latin name is Erigeron karvinskianus–are planted as a low-growing ground cover to edge the front path.

King of the castle: The Linsteadts’ springer spaniel, Louis, greets visitors.

“We’re hidden from the street, and my husband sits in front and smokes a pipe a lot,” Jean says. “It’s amazing the conversations he’s overheard from people passing by."

Twin olive trees flank the front yard bench.

A path runs alongside the house to connect front garden to back. Blowsy and billowing, a ‘Sally Holmes’ climbing rose covers the arbor that opens into the backyard.