The Red House in Aldeburgh, Suffolk was home to composer Benjamin Britton. Regardless of whether you’re a music fan, is the garden worth a visit?

Whilst I’m not a fan of random island borders in gardens, on the whole, I did like the layout of the Red House garden. There were plenty of inspiring takeaway ideas that would work in lots of gardens, no matter the size…

They used gravel very effectively to create space in the garden, a good alternative to expensive paving.

A simple colour palette in the planting always helps to keep things looking good, as do plenty of inviting seating areas!

The box hedging added clarity to the natural wild planting under the trees and the lavenders softened the edges of the paths and beautiful old brick wall.

The herbaceous borders had some good striking plants like the tall yellow Verbascum and purple Salvias.

In the more recent modern additions to the grounds, the planting became more contemporary to tie in the old and the new…

Birch tree walk framed the view of the Archive building.

Grasses and bamboo were used to great effect in the more contemporary areas of the garden.

There were some lifelike sculptures too, though the dog was a little suspicious of the human figure but totally up for chasing the deer! Nice that they were a dog-friendly garden :o)

So if you’re passing near Aldeburgh, it’s well worth a visit. Everyone who worked there was very helpful and knowledgeable about the house and garden and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

It’s a popular destination and you will need to book ahead. Details can be found on the website: https://brittenpearsarts.org/visit-us/the-red-house/the-house-and-garden

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Rachel Mathews
Rachel Mathews

Professional international garden designer for over 30 years. My mission is to de-mystify garden design and make it easy for people to successfully design their own garden - without needing to spend a fortune!

    2 replies to "A Good Composition? Benjamin Britten Garden Tour"

    • Jasmine

      Looks absolutely gorgeous did they use box for hedging or similar replacement?

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