7 EXQUISITE FORMAL GARDENS

Ocean view malibu home — Before we started the remodel, here is a peek at one of the gardens and the ocean view at the house in Malibu!

After my visit to the Dominican Republic last week and two visits up to our house in Malibu this weekend, I have been thinking a lot about the importance of a very beautiful well manicured formal gardens. Love the idea of well trimmed hedges, mixed with planned out hardscape or gravel forming an orchestra of manmade and nature all in one outdoor space.

Our garden in Malibu consists of a huge lawn, 33 fruit trees and lots of indigenous flowers and plants. There are four distinct areas – an orchard, the massive lawn overlooking the ocean, the main patio outside of the house, and a wonderful side yard with several herb garden beds and an olive tree. The woman who owned it was a landscape architect from Brazil. She imported trees from all over the world including a wonderful olive tree that she and her father planted. TE and I found the house almost a year ago and have just recently gotten all of the permits for our remodel…so the house has not been lived in for about a year now. We have a gardener…but without us on site, the garden will need lots of sprucing up.

Thinking…would a formal garden fit on a hill in Malibu? The question of the day! Formal gardens or just a regular yard or maybe something more wild?

garden-anouska-hempel-design-cococozy — A potted formal garden by designer Anouska Hempel. Pom pom shaped boxwoods are neatly trimed to create the texture in this garden.

formal gardens with potted plants hedges — Another well done potted garden scape!

Formal gardens fountain statue fruit trees — Potted fruit trees, a maze of low privet shrubs, a statue and a brick walkway make up this formal garden.

formal gardens sun dial high hedges — Love this stone sun dial and bench secreted in the high hedges of this formal garden

city view patio hedge wall — This formal garden is really a patio with a magnificent hedge wall surrounding a statue and a secret garden arch!

Formal or informal garden? What do you prefer?

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S. Malibu Project Update – I went out to the house on Saturday by myself to meet with the contractor – TE was in Europe so he wasn’t with me. All of the windows and immense 10 foot doors have been installed. Follow me on COCOCOZY Youtube Channel to see the latest video of our Malibu house that I shot this weekend! On Sunday, I picked up TE from the airport and we went out to the house again at Sunset…he loved what is going on. In the video, you will see a house that is down to framing, windows and glass doors and that is it. Soon we’ll get walls back!

Photo: Peter Fudge Gardens; Anouska Hempel Design; Architectural Digest

6 responses to “7 EXQUISITE FORMAL GARDENS”

Beautiful landscaping! I love the statue tucked into the foliage arch – amazing!!
xo. Leslie
Segreto Secrets

Beautiful gardens!

God bless,
XO, Claire
http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.blogspot.com

I would usually say informal but I loved all the formal ones on your post.

Sarah
Flip Flops and Furs

After living in CT for 20 years with formal gardens which I adored, I made the move to Santa Barbara. The home, the drought, and the climate all dictated a completely different look. Formal gardens require more water than informal (in most cases) and after the fourth straight year of drought conditions it really is a consideration. That being said, I believe you can have a beautiful informal garden in Malibu that will suit your gorgeous site!

Woah, all of these are beautiful. I’m thinking a formal garden would do just fine in Malibu.

Love them all….would be nice to have that much space and time (or $ for a full-time gardener!)