Eden Project Partners with Cornwall Spring Flower Show for 25th Year

The Eden Project will mark its 25th anniversary year with a prominent role at the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show 2026, where horticultural apprentices and Eden experts will lead displays, talks and hands-on activities for visitors.

The show will take place at the Royal Cornwall Showground on Saturday 28th March (10am to 5pm) and Sunday 29th March (10am to 4pm).

Apprentices showcase sustainable gardening

Three second year apprentices from Eden have been working on a garden called the Sustainability Hub, which explores regeneration in gardens and the role gardeners can play in restoring soils, supporting biodiversity and creating more resilient landscapes.

The garden is arranged around four connected themes:

• Soil + Water

• Nature

• Build + Energy

• Crops

The Soil + Water section focuses on the importance of healthy soils and responsible water use. Plants have been selected to demonstrate drought tolerance, deep rooting systems and natural relationships that help rebuild soil structure and fertility.

In the Nature section, pollinator friendly perennials, native plants and layered habitats provide food and shelter for insects, birds and other wildlife, highlighting how gardens can function as thriving ecosystems.

The Build + Energy and Crops areas explore sustainable materials, low impact design and productive growing. This includes reclaimed structures, companion planting and seed saving, showing how gardeners can reduce a garden’s footprint while supporting soil health and cutting food miles.

Across the garden, plants have been chosen not just for their appearance but for the stories they tell about resilience, adaptation and regeneration.

Family activities and hands-on learning

Families attending the show will be able to take part in activities organised by Eden, including exploring plant details under microscopes, creating paper gardens and sowing sunflower seeds.

Tipi Talks programme announced

The Eden Project has also compiled the show’s Tipi Talks programme, bringing together horticulturists, educators and community growers to discuss gardening, wellbeing and the future of horticulture.

The talks will open on Saturday with Wellbeing and Plants, hosted by Phil Young of the Eden Project. Speakers include James Clark, Rich Hardy and Gemma Haigh.

Community leader and environmental activist Tayshan Hayden-Smith will open the programme. Tayshan founded Grow to Know following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, using gardening as a tool for collective healing and campaigning for equitable access to green space through the Closing the Green Gap campaign. He is also a Commissioner on the London Climate and Sustainability Commission.

Saturday’s afternoon fireside discussion, Future Horticulture, will feature Peter Jones, Director of Horticulture at the Eden Project, alongside Matthew Pottage, Emma Gunn and Duana Pearson.

On Sunday, talks hosted by Alasdair Moore of Tresco Abbey Gardens will begin with Learning from Nature, featuring Eden horticulturists Katie McBride and Sam Kendall, along with Jacob Willbourne and Chris Bisson.

The programme will conclude with Nature-Kind Gardening, with speakers including Phillip Young, Juliet Rose, Sarah Woollett and Sam Finch.

A long running celebration of Cornish horticulture

The Cornwall Garden Society traces its roots back nearly 200 years to Cornwall’s first horticultural society in 1832, which showcased the Duchy’s fruit, flowers and vegetables.

Spring flower shows began again in 1897 and the organisation was formally reconstituted as the Cornwall Garden Society in 1958. Today its annual show at Wadebridge has been described as the “Chelsea of the South West”.

Advance tickets for the 2026 show start from £12 for non members, with free entry for under 16s and group discounts available.

More information and ticket booking can be found on the Cornwall Garden Society website.