Perched above the harbor, this garden was conceived as much for viewing as for walking. Its terraces, gravel paths, and carefully ordered planting beds unfold below the house in a series of geometric forms designed to be appreciated from the second-floor living spaces and balconies. When the former owner purchased the property, a lawn sloped from the sidewalk to the lower terrace. The home’s interior and balconies were rebuilt to take advantage of water views, and the garden was created from scratch with terraces, retaining walls, gravel paths, and planting beds. Because the living spaces were moved to the second floor, the garden was designed to be enjoyed from above. From this vantage point, the geometric arrangement of gravel paths and planting beds becomes especially apparent. One of the most distinctive elements of the design is the quincunx parterre, a pattern in which four beds surround a central feature. The corners of the beds are clipped away to emphasize the circular form of a large granite hearthstone recovered from the basement of the house. Though it was never intended as a sundial, it is hard not to imagine it as one. Surprisingly open and sunny for the Borough, the garden’s underlying order allows the flowering perennials to take center stage, filling the space with color from spring through autumn. The garden continues to evolve under its current owner. Peonies, iris, phlox, delphiniums, salvias, ornamental alliums, and other perennials provide a long season of bloom. Many of these plants have been favorites of American flower gardens for generations, while others, including Geranium ‘Rozanne,’ Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low,’ and ornamental alliums, became widely popular during the late twentieth-century revival of perennial gardening. The garden’s upper layer is formed by a carefully selected group of flowering shrubs and small trees. Tree-form panicle hydrangeas, a Korean dogwood, common lilacs, and a mature smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) provide structure and a succession of seasonal interest above the perennial borders. The smokebush is especially noteworthy for its burgundy foliage and airy midsummer flower clusters, whose fine filaments create the smoky haze for which the plant is named. Visitors may enter the neighboring garden through a white picket gate. - contributed by Anna Bell McLanahan