Three second-year horticultural apprentices at the Eden Project curated the Sustainability Hub for the Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show, which took place on 28th and 29th March at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge.
Taking place during a momentous month celebrating 25 years of the Eden Project as an education charity, the Sustainability Hub featured four interconnected and interactive mini gardens, bringing to life the key elements of regenerative gardening: water and soil, nature, build and energy, and crops.
Maddie Lewis, Joe Arscott and Ross Macandie worked together to design and build the interactive space, using repurposed materials including timber, paving, staging and plant materials, whilst also showing visitors practical inspiration that they could apply in their own gardens.
Maddie Lewis, second-year horticulture apprentice at the Eden Project, explained, “Across all four sections, plants were selected not only for their beauty but for the stories they tell of resilience, adaptation, regeneration and interdependence, with the aim of inspiring gardeners of all levels to adopt more sustainable practices.
"It was great seeing families of all ages interact with the microscopes, paper garden-making and sunflower seed sowing, helping to show how little actions can contribute to improving the world around us.”
Catherine Cutler, head of horticulture at the Eden Project, said, “As the Eden Project marks its 25th anniversary, we used the Sustainability Hub to celebrate a quarter century of bold ideas, environmental innovation and inspiring millions to connect with nature, which is fundamental to our mission as an educational charity.
"Since opening in 2001, Eden has demonstrated how people and planet can thrive together, transforming a former clay pit into a global symbol of regeneration and possibility, while championing environmentally friendly innovation.”
The Eden Project was also awarded first place in the competitive classes for its collection of three herbaceous perennials of different cultivars with three tulips.
The Eden Project also curated the Show’s Tipi Talks programme, which focused on environmental horticultural growing techniques, horticultural education and learning and the future, providing visitors with opportunities to learn directly from practitioners and specialists, including community leader and environmental activist Tayshan Hayden-Smith and Eden Director of Horticulture, Peter Jones.
Further horticultural celebrations abound in the first quarter of 2026, including Cornwall Land-based Apprentice of the Year and Cornwall Apprentice of the Year awarded to Eden apprentice Holly Doran at the tenths annual Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards on 6 February. Further good news followed as garden and landscape design graduate, Sally Robinson, who studies with Cornwall College University Centre at the Eden Project, made it to the finals of the 2026 Society of Garden Landscape Design Student Awards.
In addition, the Eden Project hosted the South West regional final of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture’s Young Horticulturist of the Year competition on 21 March. Fay Hunter, a student studying at the Cornwall College University Centre at the Eden Project, was awarded fourth place.
The Eden Project is an education charity, offering a range of learning opportunities in partnership with Cornwall College and Truro and Penwith College. These provide a chance for people to study and work at the Eden Project while studying for a nationally recognised qualification. It supports around 250 students and apprentices each year through undergraduate and postgraduate education and work experience courses, with many going on to have careers at the charity.
To find out more about learning and apprenticeship opportunities at the Eden Project, visit www.edenproject.com.
