Charleston’s Head Gardener Harry Hoblyn explores the Festival of the Garden programme for 2024

The Charleston team are busy in preparation for Festival of the Garden, which takes place between Thursday 18 until Sunday 21 July.  Our Head Gardener and Festival of the Garden fringe programmer Harry Hoblyn, gives us a little taster of what’s to come.

July is Festival of the Garden month. What’s top of your list for the gardener’s calendar in July?

July is a great month for enjoying the fruits of your labours, however, I’d also recommend keeping on track of a few key maintenance tasks. Editing your borders is perhaps the most important of these; thin out spent self-sowers, such as forget-me-nots and ox-eye daisies which overshadow perennials, remove browning foliage from plants (such as hollyhocks), and deadhead flowers for further blooming. If you grow cut flowers and produce, such as dahlias, sweet peas, and tomatoes, you’ll also want to keep an eye out for thirsty plants and provide a fortnightly liquid feed (I use seaweed-based organic feed). Taller plants such as Cosmos and Sunflowers will want staking in advance of summer storms.

Hollyhocks at Charleston, Festival of the Garden 2023; photography by Hollie Fernando

What talk stands out for you as being the most important around sustainability and environment this year?

John Little and Cleve West’s talk, chaired by Claire Ratinon, on Brownfields gardening feels particularly relevant – the conversation about what should become of those frequently marginalised spaces that do not sit within our traditional notions of what constitutes a garden. These are the edge lands of our towns and cities, but, also the spaces in front of us, the cracks in the pavement, or the border between your garden and your neighbour’s. This talk will open the dialogue about how we to bring more thoughtfulness and less muscle to these spaces to increase their ecological diversity and bring more life into neglected spaces.

We have some world-leading garden designers headed to Charleston. Who do you recommend for those seeking inspiration?

Both Jinny Blom and Andy Sturgeon (talking separately on 19th July) are giants in their field and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with those seeking inspiration for their gardens. Jinny is a sensitive, thoughtful designer and accomplished plantsperson with a real instinct for artistry in her gardens. Andy is a pioneering garden designer who makes bold material choices to create gardens with striking architectural qualities.

Can you give us a taste of what to expect in your fringe programme. What gardening tips can we hope to learn this year?

The topics in the fringe programme this year range from Mediterranean-style gardening to more traditional approaches to growing cut flowers. Nursery people Steve Edney, Toby Shuall, and Hannah Fox will all be sharing tips on their favourite plants and how to grow them.

Are there any new additions to the fringe who haven’t joined us at the festival before?

New to the fringe this year are Lindy Brook Tweed who will be sharing her knowledge on wildflowers, Ellie Gill talking about how to look after tools, and Rosa and Toos Jeuken from Laines Organic Farm. Ex-Charleston Assistant Gardener Joshua Chalmers and his colleague Suzi Turner will be joining us from Knepp Estate to talk about the innovative gardening practices that are taking place in the outstanding walled garden there.

We have music as a welcome addition to Festival of the Garden this year. Can you tell us what to expect from Erland Cooper and Sam Lee?

Both Erland Cooper and Sam Lee make music that transports us to wild places. Sam’s music casts a line out to past, present and future times by weaving the folk nests of our forebearers into moving expressions of being. Erland, who grew up in the archipelago of Orkney, connects us to sea and skies by sampling the sound of birds and water, and the spaces between the silence. For me, gardens and music go hand-in-hand, and the wider garden that surrounds us will never cease to inspire artistry.

Finally, can you recommend any books from within the programme that you can pick up from our CityBooks bookshop?

Giacomo Guzzon and Claire Takacs’ new book, Visionary: Gardens and Landscapes for our Future, is a beautifully photographed and insightfully written work that showcases several private and public gardens from across the globe, all of which have climate-conscious and sustainable practices at the heart of their evolution.

If you’d like to join us for Festival of the Garden, you can visit for free to enjoy Harry’s free fringe programme in the Orchard. Main event tickets for our talks and events programme in The Yard range from £10–18, and day tickets start from £65 and include tickets to all main stage events that day.