Occupying 8 acres, the garden can be divided into central, eastern, northern and western sections, each having distinct features of its own. In comparison to other Suzhou gardens, the Lingering Garden is the greatest in terms of density of buildings---over thirty percent of the garden grounds is covered, and is sliced into compounds and courts by classical buildings that vary in size, structure, ornamentation and function. These buildings are connected with one another through door frames, latticed windows, open verandahs and covered corridors built around the landscaped parts as vantage spots to view the artificial hills and waters. In the words of some connoisseurs, the Lingering Garden is "a garden in a house and a house in a garden."

The central section, dominated by the central pond, is the oldest part of the garden. Around the pond, rocks, trees and buildings are scattered. To the north is a rockery hill overlooking the Lotus Hall (He Hua Ting) across the pond. The main building in this section, the hall is confronted under foliages of giant gingko trees with a stone terrace designed for viewing the lotus blossoms, and connected to the rear with a courtyard ending up against a wall. Like yards of the same kind, this one is devoted to piled rocks and flowering shrubs, and its wall partly covered by ivy and creeper. The design of the yard is based on the idea of the great garden master Ji Cheng of the Ming Dynasty, who taught his followers that the white-washed wall is like a sheet of paper and should be "painted" with rocks and plants.

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