This weekend I went to see friends in Suffolk, England, and we spent a lovely afternoon in Aldeburgh. I love travelling because of the inspiration it gives me. There are always so many little things that you probably don't notice if you see it every day, but that visitors marvel about! One of those is the peoples front gardens and doorways.

I loved the way the inhabitants of the house above had mirrored the dusky pink colour of the walls of the house in the planting beneath the window. The climbing rose too had pink flowers, enhancing the colour scheme. Often, when it comes to colours, less is more.

Here, the symmetry and formality of the doorway has been enhanced with the choice of a pair urns on pillars. They have also been planted with formal cut standard evergreens, accompanied by cut box hedging and gravel. The whole impression is clean, sober and classical.

This neat garden is also colour coordinate with the cottage. It is a wonderful mixture of structural evergreens, grasses and perennials, carefully maintained in stone-bordered gravel beds between paving. Which is in stark contrast to the wild and whimsical raised bed below!

A mix of flowers and a few weeds, it brought joy to my heart. I loved the sunny feel of the yellow walls that had its colour once again echoed in the plants.

Sometimes the simples things are the most beautiful. What is not to love about these happy go lucky blooms? And last, but not least, an architecturally quirky doorway with a low fence bordering the pavement and a self seeded hollyhock providing a bit of greenery.