Students at the Eden Project showcased two gardens at The Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at the weekend.

Known as ‘Chelsea of the South West’, the flower show attracts 1,000’s of visitors every year. Over two gardens, Eden Project students and apprentices demonstrated their learning through Eden’s Apothecary and Echoes of Tranquility.

Eden’s Apothecary was created by first year horticultural apprentices, and was inspired by the therapeutic and pharmaceutical properties of plants. Set in a Victorian apothecary, the garden merged folkloric traditions with modern medical advancements.

The garden featured digitalis purpurea, which were used to treat heart conditions, and lobelia cardinalis once used for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkison’s.

The plants will be relocated and used to form a new pharmaceuticals exhibit at the Eden Project, set to open in 2026.

First year Cornwall College University Centre students created Echoes of Tranquility while studying garden and landscape design at the Eden Project.

Inspired by Japanese gardens, students used hard and soft landscapes as a space for reflection also featuring a dry riverbed and dense, layered planting.

Catherine Cutler, head of horticulture at the Eden Project comments:

“Visitors to the Spring Flower Show have clearly enjoyed exploring the unique space the garden provided and we hope they have been able to take some of its important messaging home with them.”

The Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show takes place each year at The Royal Cornwall Showground.