Linda Hostetler’s Virginia Garden

Linda Hostetler is an artist. Like Gertrude Jekyll, she takes an artist’s eye into her one acre garden in The Plains, VA. She has created one of the most beautiful gardens in the country. Featured in many magazines, Linda is my friend and garden inspiration. When it comes to the letter H and gardening, my Pinterest board has some Hostetler photographs you must see. @Steve Bender has been writing for @Southern Living a long time and periodically is drawn back to Linda’s garden to write again. Below is a short paragraph he wrote about the good bones in this Virginia garden. It is a prescription for stunning results. There is no better garden to learn from, find inspiration in than when you spend time slowly making your way along the borders. Look up and across the garden’s vista into the beautiful world Linda has created. A bit of heaven in The Plains, VA.

Build Good Bones

“Without organization, a hundred different perennials can look like yard salad. That’s where structures—pathways, evergreens, walls, hedges, edging, small trees, and ponds—come in. They define spaces, direct views, and lend interest even when the garden is dormant. One trick Linda uses is planting boxwoods or other small shrubs to accentuate the arc of a curving bed line. She also plants Japanese maples throughout because they’re so architectural. “They’re amazing,” she notes. “They look like pieces of sculpture.””-Steve Bender