Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s Garden Pet Peeves and Other Landscaping Advice

Sunset’s Holiday Issue Guest Editor, celebrity interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, shares how he designed the gardens in his homes in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Plus, he gives us his best garden tips.

Tell us how you use your garden. 

In Southern California, your garden becomes really the extended living space. And for me, as an interior designer, the garden is a place to be decorated, and it’s a space that I want to be able to live in and entertain in. I want it beautiful through the windows of the house so that the interior and exterior blend in a perfect match. 

What’s your garden vibe? 

The garden should match the architecture of the house. My house in L.A., which is sort of a Mediterranean villa, has kind of a Mediterranean slash Moroccan style garden. But here in the house in Palm Springs, obviously it’s a very theatrical midcentury house, so the landscaping here had to hold drama. Plus, the desert is a wonderful place to grow citrus, not just to eat but for the smell. Part of being an interior designer is not just creating the interior, it’s creating the ambiance. An ambiance is sense memory, which comes from smell. And to be able to incorporate the smell in the exterior, as well as lighting and candle and interior, creates the perfect balance. 

Thomas J. Story

Are there any must-have plants you think belong in every Western garden? 

I adore the smell of jasmine. It’s so beautiful with the white flowers. My favorite ever is wisteria. Being a Brit, as a child, wisteria and hydrangeas were everywhere. I also love the smell of a real garden rose. I do have a little bit of that going on in my garden in L.A. because in Morocco, you have those beautiful roses everywhere, and argan oil. 

Any garden design pet peeves? 

I do not like gardens that have too much color. For me, I love two or three colors. I love white and lavender with greenery. I don’t like multicolored gardens with 25 different colors of petunias and things. I think it takes away from the natural beauty. I understand pops of color. Color is very important to me, but I like color to be more color-blocked in gardens. I think it gives more strength. And I think it gives more artistic design and flavor to a garden.