I wish I knew how steep this garden is, and how many steps I climbed while exploring it. It’s a leg workout for sure. On the bonus day of the Puget Sound Fling in July, we visited Millie Livingston’s Seattle garden. At nearly 2 acres, the garden turns this steep hillside overlooking Puget Sound into a place for adventurous wandering. Paths wind down and back up, past rills and fountains, through a mosaic-floored vegetable garden and a pickleball court, and across a swinging bridge, with places to sit and enjoy the water view along the way. Art is woven into the fabric of the garden, from the fern table pictured above to mosaic stonework to sculpture. Let’s take the tour!

When we arrived, I lingered in the small front garden, dwarfed by enormous trees, and leisurely took photos while everyone else went ahead. Little did I realize how much garden awaited me behind the house, although someone mentioned a swinging bridge. I was intrigued.

Still, the front woodland garden beguiled me with tortured tree trunks…

…an Asian-style stone fountain…

…and a fern table.

I moseyed around the right side of the house and found myself on a mossy woodland path, narrow and a little wild…

…with stone steps traversing the steep hillside.

Below, Flingers congregated on a patio with a big stone fireplace. I headed that way.

The handsome stone fireplace was half swallowed by foliage in a romantic way.

Here I met designer Jason Jorgensen of Third Spring Landscape Design. He and his crew maintain the garden, and he works with Millie on updates.

Nearby, a stone basin fountain tucked into a garden bed bubbled softly.

A closer look

A cut-stone path led through a colorful flower border.

Bees working the flowers

Beyond, an arbor-gated vegetable garden beckoned.

Within the vegetable garden, a stunning mosaic path by tile artist Nadine Edelstein bisects raised planters.

Looking up, you can see the house high above.

Several feet below, a pickleball court is embraced by the garden. What a beautiful place to play.

A long fern table sits like a spectator at one end.

Log benches offer seating for actual spectators, flanked by gorgeous succulent dishes.

At this point I thought I must be near the bottom of the garden and would soon find the swinging bridge. “Oh no,” someone told me. “You’re not even halfway there yet.”

I tried to hurry — time was short — but a swing suspended from an old willow caught my eye.

Hydrangeas too

And another stone water feature

The garden was growing more romantic, I felt, with more places to discover. I headed toward the stone stair at the right…

…which led to a deck with chairs lined up — as if on the deck of the Titanic — to enjoy a view of Puget Sound.

A willow presides over a waterfall and pool here.

This space is a hub with paths and patios in each direction.

To the left, a broad stair gently ascends past a mosaic wall. But what caught my attention was a beach-pebble stream mosaicked into the flagstone, pooling and spilling down the stairs. Along the left edge, real water cascades down a stair-stepping rill. Amazing stonework and waterworks!

Nadine Edelstein created the stream mosaic, the same artist who made the mosaic paving in the vegetable garden.

I was running short on time, so I didn’t follow the stairs all the way up but turned back to explore the rest of this level, knowing the swinging bridge was still somewhere below. An intimate patio on the edge of the bluff stopped me short. Bluestone cut into circles — or petals — makes a flower-shaped patio for two mesh chairs and a strikingly patterned totem sculpture. Again, Nadine Edelstein did the stonework.

Totem sculpture with a view of Puget Sound

I love everything about this space.

Heading downhill, I passed another fountain, where water cascades from a metal rill into a square vessel. Looking up, you get a glimpse of the mosaic wall near the mosaic stream.

But I must push on. A stump supports a plank bridge across a leafy ditch — not too high, but it made for a mini-adventure to cross it.

Looking back

At last I found the swinging bridge! Rope and suspended planks create the swaying bridge, which crosses a ravine. I went across, giving it an experimental bounce or three.

Everyone loved this feature of the garden. On the other side, a narrow path climbs up to a small meadow, or so I heard. I was sorry to miss it, but there was still a lot more to see, and time was short.

I headed uphill, this time following stairs on the right side of the garden. I soon found a garden pavilion with an exquisite live-edge bench overlooking the forested slope and Puget Sound in the distance.

The live-edge bench

Climbing, climbing, climbing

I emerged from the stairs in the mid-level, where another patio offered a charming spot to rest.

A pale-blue bistro set adds ethereal color amid all the greenery.

Hydrangea blossoms were presented on a stone block — an offering of ephemeral beauty.

A wide view

But now, back to the stairs. Up, up, up toward the house, perched high above.

Another patio appears, with another patterned totem sculpture.

The water view was a little foggy, but can you imagine it on a clear day?

Looking down, I saw Becca Mathias looking up. Notice the stair risers of curved logs.

A stone bridge crosses a little creek.

Near the pickleball court, wisteria cascades along a monumental arbor.

More stairs

Black lace elderberry’s dark foliage looks pretty against a stone wall.

We’re not at the top yet, but we’re close. Brick steps lead up the final push, past a metal retaining wall accented with conical planters stuffed with succulents.

Every detail of this garden is an opportunity for artistry, and the owner has taken advantage of her steep site to create magic. This was a garden that had us all talking long afterward.

Up next: The final garden of the Fling, the Galicic Garden with a tiki vibe. For a look back at the waterfront garden of Vangie and Daniel Pepper, click here.

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