The soil is mainly gravelly, some sandy spots, some loamy spots. Officially it's called Alderwood Gravelly Loam. Organic content is very low naturally and even lower now due to abuse by loggers, quarrymen and developers. The site is an abandoned gravel pit which was logged off and then scraped and leveled. Where the native vegetation was left alone, organic content in the topmost layer is sufficient for most plants.
Drainage is excellent.
The formal garden is a circle, a variegated holly dead center, and the roses are arranged by color in spokes radiating from the center. So all the whites are together, all the reds, all the bicolors, etc. Roses are spaced 4ft on centers. The informal garden is just that. The rugosas are mainly along the driveway because they don't need deer protection.