Charleston in Sussex is the former home, studio and garden of Bloomsbury Group painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. Arriving as conscientious objectors to the First World War in 1916, they made Charleston a place of free thinking and artistic expression, continuing in the spirit that had united them in London. Old Tonbridgian, E.M. Forster (DB 1893-7), author and member of the Bloomsbury Group was a frequent visitor to Charleston. 

Now in the hands of the Charleston Trust, Harry Hoblyn has been Head Gardener since spring 2020, following a year’s traineeship under former head gardener Fiona Dennis.

Harry tells Gardeners' World how he keeps the spirit of Charleston alive and maintains its 'painterly quality' in the garden.

"I see my role as a guiding hand of the inherited legacy and having to adapt to changing conditions whilst paying great homage to the original spirit and ethos of this garden". The garden is stunning; a wilderness artist's garden alive and popping with colour. 

Harry has the confidence to encourage self-seeding which adds extra layers into the garden, with his careful editing and styling enhancing the creative look. Making planting as resilient as possible, Harry picks sunnier spots for newer plants who can tolerate drier conditions.

Harry is proud of his compost heaps, of which there are quite a few, and in particular his 'compost cake', the layering up of different materials - the perfect reduce, reuse, recycle. He produces most of his own compost and applies a thick mulch layer to the beds in late winter and early spring. Harry plants squashes into the compost heap during its final stages and has delighted in seeing them thriving and scrambling over the walls into the walled garden, without the need for any additional watering beyond rainfall. 

He is also a fan of making dead hedges around the site, a method that reduces the need for bonfires and is a wonderful habitat for wildlife. 

You can view the episode of Gardeners' World here.