We asked Harry Hoblyn, Head Gardener at Charleston, to share his insights into the remarkable garden that surrounds this historic home. Deeply intertwined with the artistic legacy of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, the gardens at Charleston are a living expression of their creativity. Just as Bell’s paintings embraced bold colours and striking contrasts, so too do the gardens, where every bloom and leaf contribute to a dynamic, ever-changing composition. In this piece, Hoblyn explores how the gardens reflect their artistic vision, evolving like a painting brought to life.

A Painter’s Palette in Bloom

Vanessa Bell had an extraordinary sensitivity to colour, evident in her choice of flowers and foliage. She favoured pink hollyhocks, red poppies, pastel roses, and the rich blues of delphiniums. Contrasting with these bold floral choices were the silvery hues of cardoons, dusty miller, and cotton lavender, adding depth and texture. In one letter, she wrote of the interplay between "red lead to black" in the gardens, reflecting the same bold contrasts she used on canvas.

Fruit trees, apples and plums, add their own seasonal spectacle, shifting from blossom to fruit, echoing the way colour evolves in a painting through layering and movement.

Harmony and Contrast in the Garden’s Design

The layout of the gardens at Charleston, with their flowerbeds, gravel paths, and rectangular lawn, is both structured and exuberant. A vibrant green box hedge shapes the beds, while silvery cotton lavender interrupts any sense of monotony, shimmering in the light. Cardoons and other structural plants provide a sculptural element, much like bold brushstrokes on a canvas.

Vanessa and Duncan loved to juxtapose bold reds against soft pastels and blues, ensuring that the space never felt restrained but rather full of energy and life. The gardens were never meant to be merely "tasteful." They were designed to be joyful and expressive, mirroring the creativity that filled Charleston’s interiors.

A Garden That Evolves Like Art

Like any great work of art, the gardens at Charleston are never static. They have evolved over the decades, with plants shifting and changing, much like artistic styles do over time. The gardens remain a blend of Mediterranean and traditional cottage planting, with unconventional touches such as red hot pokers, a flower Vanessa and Duncan frequently painted.

Each season offers a new experience. Spring brings tulips, wallflowers, forget-me-nots, and narcissi. By summer, silvery foliage takes prominence alongside pastel roses, vibrant red hot pokers, and self-sown hollyhocks. Like the shifting light in a painting, the interplay of colours is constantly transforming.

The Art of Roses at Charleston

Vanessa Bell dreamed of a rose garden, and today, roses are an integral part of the landscape. Climbing roses such as "Mermaid" soften the house’s façade, while ramblers like "Felicite et Perpetue" and "Francis E Lester" spill over walls, adding to the romantic, painterly atmosphere. Shrub rose "Charles de Mills" brings depth to the herbaceous borders, reaching their peak in midsummer and becoming architectural elements in their own right.

Sculpture and Nature: A Conversation in Colour

Art isn’t confined to the house at Charleston. Quentin Bell’s sculptures, crafted from brick, fibreglass, and cement fondu, are scattered throughout the gardens, blending into the landscape in unexpected ways. Nestled among yew, willow, and cow parsley, these sculptures engage in a dialogue with the surrounding plants, adding yet another layer to the artistic narrative.