Why Eden Project gardeners spent a fortnight dangling on ropes

Most gardeners kneel to plant. At the Eden Project this October, some of them hung from ropes to do it.

Gardeners at the Eden Project swapped solid ground for ropes and slopes across a fortnight, hand-planting a ‘Silver Staircase’ on the site’s western side to mark the charity’s 25th, silver, anniversary.

The rope access planting is the latest part of the celebrations, and it is meant to show how even the trickiest slopes can become a haven for nature.

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

A modern twist on the original Eden planting

The horticulture team planted bands of silver-leaved evergreen shrubs along the steep bank. It is a modern take on the original planting scheme created by landscape architect Dominic Cole before the Eden Project opened its doors in 2001.

Dominic’s design concept put structural plants first to stabilise the steep cliff faces, rather than relying on industrial solutions. The new planting follows the same thinking.

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

A bank that slipped in 2020

As well as catching visitors’ eyes, the Silver Staircase will help re-stabilise a steep bank that suffered a landslide in 2020. The bank was repaired, and the planting forms part of Eden’s ongoing work to protect the site as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

Wetter winters and drier summers are putting new pressure on landscapes across the UK. Eden’s own site is no exception.

The plants on the staircase have a fibrous root system that gives support even where the soil is thin. Their sun-loving silvery leaves reflect the light, which helps them cope with hotter summers.

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

What has been planted on the Silver Staircase

The design alternates hedge bands of tree germander (Teucrium fruticans), which has silvery leaves and lavender flowers, with shrub bands of sea rosemary (Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius), otter bush (Gomphostigma virgatum) and silver spear (Astelia).

They are due to bloom in summer, when visitors can expect fragrant white flowers from the sea rosemary and otter bush, set against the bold silver leaves of the silver spear.

The mix was chosen to suit the slope’s varied soil. Otter bush prefers moist ground, while other parts of the planting are suited to free-draining, poor soil. All of them are silver evergreens, so there will be something to see on the bank all year round.

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

“The Eden story in a nutshell”

Peter Jones, director of horticulture at the Eden Project, said: “Our Silver Staircase is a masterclass in how even the most difficult areas of land can be turned into a thriving habitat.

“It really is the Eden story in a nutshell. This whole site began as an exhausted clay pit and turning difficult environments into somewhere full of life is what we have always done.

“Soil conditions on this slope vary significantly. Some sections retain moisture, whilst others are quite dry and nutrient-poor, which is a challenge for any horticulturalists. By creating a biodiverse collection, we’ve created something that looks incredible and holds the slope together.

“It is a win-win and encourages us to look at what other spaces could become with the introduction of nature.”

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald

📷Eden Project Silver Staircase. Credit: Rob Donald