By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Two of my favorite landscape designers are Rebecca Sams and Buell Steelman of Mosaic Gardens in Eugene, OR. And one of their best gardens—my favorite garden of the summer for sure—is a landscape in North Bend, OR, created for Steven and Lori Tersigni. Sited on a hill overlooking bay and bridge, it has the usual challenge of view (don't block it!), and a problematic population of deer. As a result, every plant was chosen for its deer-resistance.

Because this two-story house is built on a slope, its has an upper (entry level) garden, a lower garden, and a very smooth transitional garden between the two. Some plants (like Phlomis russelliana) are repeated on both levels to give the garden continuity. But sometimes it is colors that repeat, as in the blue ceanothis and lavender pictured above, at right.

There's plenty of lawn for play, and lush, thick borders that contain a mix of shrubs, perennials, and trees. The landscape is also generously supplied with seating areas like the one above, at left, and some low-key garden art.

Captions that follow each photograph tell the tale.

Stone steps bracketed by Hakonechloa macra and a gravel path bordered by catmint and New Zealand flax lead from the gardens upper to lower levels.

In the rear lower garden, a custom steel rose arbor frames the view from the house.

A birch arbor arches draws the eye to a ceramic pot behind and beneath it.

The area to the right of the birch arches has a rich palette of shade-tolerant perennials, including Rodgersia pinnata, Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost', black-leaved Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford', and autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora).