The Eden Project in Cornwall becomes an RHS Partner Garden

In 2026, the Eden Project in Cornwall becomes an RHS Partner Garden and in March celebrates its 25th anniversary. The epic landscape near St. Austell, on the south coast of Cornwall, is home to two glass biomes, an eductional hub with hedgehog-like spikes and 28 acres of innovative and experimental landscaping. Add to this a year-round programme of seasonal events, including ice skating and world-class musical acts, and you have a destination that holds many surprises. Perhaps not what anyone expected when Sir Tim Smit first announced the plans:

“I remember the first moment I saw the site. I’d been driving on the A30 and caught the Goonbarrow clay spoil heap near St Austell shining ochre red in the sunset. It was akin to a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-like lost world discovered in the crater of a volcano. People had described this almost lunar landscape as doomed, but I thought it was beautiful. I’ve always loved going big and wanted people to be mesmerised by the scale of the Eden Project.

“Today it’s a powerful example of how nature, science and society can work together for a better future. It showcases global biodiversity, promotes sustainable living and raises awareness about climate change and conservation. It also inspires a sense of wonder - you walk into the Rainforest Biome and are transported. But it’s not just about spectacle: every one of the 3,000 different species of plants within has a story too. I believe we’ve created a slice of magic at Eden.”

Eden is a powerful example of how nature, science and society can work together for a better future.

© The Eden Project

The Eden Project, Cornwall stretches out over 200 acres of epic landscape

Horticultural excellence celebrated

Peter Jones, Director of Horticulture, has recently joined the team at Eden, Cornwall after 19 years at RHS Garden Wisley: “It’s been a big shift, but a really exciting one. Like RHS Wisley, Eden is a living, evolving landscape. It has wonderfully wild and naturalistic environments and others that are wholly cultivated, but above all it’s a place that tells stories about how important plants are to people, be it for food or materials. I’ve likened Eden, Cornwall to a 25-year-old human: past its teenage years, ready to mature and focus on its future.”

© Tom Trinkle

The Rainforest Biome transports visitors to tropical climes, with temperatures to match

A modern landscape to inspire

Eden has one of the best contemporary landscapes in the country, designed by landscape architect, Dominic Cole, and it deserves more attention says Peter, “We’ve got 3,700 different species and cultivars in 28 acres of outdoor gardens. In the South Africa Garden, giant proteas and aloes shine, while the Western Australia Garden features flora thriving in nutrient-poor soils. The whole site is 200 acres and there are still rarely seen areas in development. There’s a Chilean plantation on the outer estate with trees such as Monkey Puzzle, and we’ve even got a peat bog, which is incredibly important environmentally.

Behind the Core building is a peaceful area inspired by Japanese style and is Peter’s favourite space: “I love the peaceful woodland valley there. It’s beautifully planted with climate-resilient species including Metasequoia and acers, which gives it a Japanese feel.”

© The Eden Project

Colourful planting and heady scents fill the Mediterranean Biome

Sustainable and wild Eden

The biomes and plant nursery are heated by geothermal energy provided by a single geothermal well.  This involved drilling 5.3km through hard granite into the Earth’s crust to reach hot rocks that heat water pumped down to them to 85C. This is then used to heat the biomes, the nursery and about half of the buildings on site, saving up to 500 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of 227 UK homes heated with gas. 

• Read more about sustainability at Eden >

Eden is also home to some unusual guests. “We use a range of biological controls to keep on top of any pests and diseases, some more unusual than others - our resident geckos, White’s tree frogs and a flock of rather splendid roul-roul birds are great at keeping insect levels down,” says Peter.

Eden bringing sunshine to RHS Chelsea

The design for The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine garden coming to RHS Chelsea 2026

There is no point in children being able to recite the Kings and Queens of England but not know how their food grows.

The Eden Project is an inspirational year-round attraction for all the family

The future of Eden

Eden, Morecombe is due to open in November 2028. Built on a former funfair site, it will be a based on the rhythms of tides, music, and nature and will include a biome and seasonal gardens. For the Eden Project team it’s all about regeneration, both environmental and social. Next will be Eden, Dundee, which will be built on a former gasworks site. Again, it’s about transforming a post-industrial site into something green and inspiring. They’ve also just opened the new Oriental Eden in China which focuses on our relationship with water, as Sir Tim says: “I’m very excited about Morecombe, which is like Heathrow for birdlife!”

With show gardens, a birthday celebration and new Eden’s developing across the globe, what else is in store for this creative-thinking team? Sir Tim says many plans are afoot: “Eden is about inspiring change. We want people to come here and leave transformed, whether it’s by a plant they’ve never seen before, a story they’ve never heard, or a feeling they didn’t expect. We’re exploring new sites, new technologies, and new ways to connect people with nature. Who knows, maybe one day there’ll be an Eden in space! I hate mediocrity and fear of ambition. We need to embrace marvelousness.”

• Adapted from an article first published in The Garden magazine, January 2026