Festival of the Garden celebrates outdoor space in Sussex

Malcolm Shaw reporting on the Festival of the Garden.

Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex is best known as home to the Bloomsbury Group of writers and artists.  But this weekend, it's the beautiful surroundings which are in the spotlight.  A special Festival of the Garden is underway.

The walled garden next to the main house is full of colourful displays. The head gardener Harry Hoblyn says it's a privilege and a challenge maintaining the grounds.

Charleston was home to painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and a gathering point for some of the twentieth century's most radical writers, artists and thinkers, known as the Bloomsbury Group. 

The Festival of the Garden takes place over four days and will include talks from leading gardeners Dan Pearson and Sarah Raven, alongside nature writers Charlie Gilmour and Helen MacDonald.