Gardners Question Time

Over the next few weeks you can ask members of Eden's Green Team about their tricks of the trade on weekdays between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Don't miss this chance to get great tips and info from the best horticulturalists in the business.

Where: The front of the Link Building (between the Biomes)
When: Monday - Friday 2.30pm - 3.30pm
How: Just turn up!

Come join our Autumn Bulb Planting Workshops

Find out how to plant bulbs successfully! Apparently there’s more to it than getting them the right way up!

Where: The Garden
When: Monday to Friday
How: Just turn up!

Find out more about our Autumn events at
http://www.edenproject.com/whats-on/now-and-next/index.php

The Eden Radio Project

The Eden Radio Project, Eden's very own show on Radio St. Austell Bay, broadcasts live every Thursday from 5.30pm until 7pm on 105.6FM in the St. Austell area or worldwide via www.rsab.org.

On this week's show, our guest will be Bethany Lewitt, Eden's Food and Beverage Project Manager, who will be telling us about this weekend's Great Eden Ale Festival. We'll also be bringing you a round-up of all the news from around Eden and playing some top music to boot.

Say hello so we can say hello back on air - e-mail the show on rsab@edenproject.com or call us when we're on air on 01726 65566.

All hail the ale at Eden’s beer festival this weekend

Our harvest celebrations are already well under way and what better way to celebrate than with a bevy of brewed delights and some fine gastronomic treats?

Whether you're an ale connoisseur, home-brewer or someone who enjoys a good pint and a good time and maybe wants to learn more about where their beer comes from, the Great Eden Ale Festival has something for you!


Beer, song and sumptuous local food will make up the menu. We will be showcasing some of the best beers and ciders Cornwall has to offer and celebrate the plants that make some of the nation's favourite drinks. As well as the finished products, visitors will be able to see hops growing in the shadow of the world's biggest greenhouses and see demonstrations of home-brewing and apple-pressing.

Visitors can also meet specialists on microbreweries, home brewing and find out more about CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. Cornish Orchards, who make apple juice and cider, will also have a stall.

A menu chosen to complement the drink selection will be on offer for the weekend, including Cornish cider and seafood paella, and steak and Eden Pure Ale pie.

Live music will be playing for the whole weekend. Among the bands will be a performance by percussion specialists Big Green Beat on Saturday. Visitors are also encouraged to bring along their own musical instruments for a weekend-long festival jamming session.

Pints will be priced at £2.50, with a sample for 85p. Various beers will also be available to take away.

Visitors who book in advance through Eden's box office on 01726 811972 or http://www.edenbookings.com/ will be entitled to a free pint.

On the Saturday, Eden will be open until 8pm and on Sunday 6pm. Normal Eden entry prices apply for the whole weekend.

The full list of breweries is as follows:

Ales of Scilly; Atlantic Brewery; Blue Anchor Coastal Brewery; Doghouse Brewery; Co. Driftwood Brewery; Keltek Brewery; Lizard Ales Organic Brewhouse; Penzance Brewing Co.; Sharp's Brewery; Skinner's Brewery; St. Austell Brewery; Wooden Hand Brewery

For more information see http://www.edenproject.com/

Trevor Ashby - 'The Conspirators'

Trevor Ashby talks about one of his photos which he calls 'The Conspirators' - As part of an exhibition of high quality, hand-printed and toned black and white photographs using plant material gathered from Edens Biomes.

Find out more about Earthly Delights

Schools could win a chance to have their garden redesigned by the Eden Project

Schools ins the UK are being given the chance to have their garden redesigned by the Eden Project and up to £8,000 towards making it happen. This great prize is part of a campaign launched by Eden and The Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Centre, "Kids Go Green". The campaign aims to get children outside to learn about their natural environment and to encourage schools to regenerate and enhance their own surroundings.



During September, schools nationwide will be sent an educational pack including a "how to" guide to planting, a bulb timeline, plus posters, quizzes and tips.

Planting bulbs is an easy, cheap and effective way for children to brighten up playgrounds, car parks and pathways and the autumn term is the perfect time for schools to get digging so that the bulbs are ready to flower for Spring.

With up to £8,000 to spend on creating a fantastic outside space the winning school will be able to do anything from building a biosphere to transforming an unloved playground into a wildflower garden.

To enter, children in years 1 – 6 will be invited to submit a poem about the wonder of bulbs such as daffodils or tulips.

Tracey Smith, Eden’s Commercial Relationship Manager, said: “We are delighted to be involved with this project. Our schools team have worked with over 3,000 schools already and it’s great to get children interested in planting and their natural environment."

See http://www.flowerbulbs.co.uk/ for more information about the competition.

Trevor Ashby plant photo exhibition opens at the Eden Project on September 12

An exquisite exhibition of plant photographs entitled Earthly Delights, by Trevor Ashby, one of Britain’s finest darkroom craftsmen, opens at the Eden Project on Friday (September 12).

The Cornwall-based photographer has been inspired by the intricate structures of the many exotic leaves that fall on the paths of Eden’s biomes during a 14-month residency.

Trevor first discovered the beauty of this type of photography when his children picked up fallen leaves during one of his first visits to Eden. He captures the compelling forms using an old twin-lens reflex camera and a square of black velvet. He lays the velvet on the ground and places the leaves on top.

Trevor said: “It all started when I saw a leaf on the ground which seemed to have a life of its own. It looked more like a strange animal than a dead leaf. The plants are shot in situ isolated against the velvet, the subject seems to glow within infinity.

“Eden is an amazing place to work. It was only after frequent visits that I started to see beyond the obvious and make new discoveries about what lay in the heart of Eden, such as tiny leaf skeletons and fallen flowers."

“There is a huge sense of mystery when taking these photos - you don’t know exactly what hidden beauty may be revealed in the darkroom. Sometimes I can’t sleep because I get so excited and I have to get up to develop the film at 2am.”

The result is a collection of beautifully-crafted black and white images going on show at the Core education centre. The exhibition runs until November 30 and is open to all visitors.

Eden's Creative Director, Peter Hempel said, "Trevor's method is unique. The pictures he produces make you catch your breath with their stark, delicate beauty. He has that rare gift of being able to transform the commonplace into something extraordinary, to make us look afresh at the intricacy of natural form through his carefully crafted compositions. The images resonate with energy, even though some of the plants are captured in moments of decay. This is one of the most compelling and original shows we've have ever had at Eden - a rich addition to our developing arts programme and one which everyone should take the time to see."

It's Harvest Time

Visitors of all ages will be able to sharpen their planting skills and enjoy fabulous food and drink with the Eden Project’s first-ever harvest celebration from September 8.

The festival will feature an array of activities including bulb-planting workshops, food-themed demonstrations and “ask an expert gardener”, where members of Eden’s acclaimed green team will reveal their tricks of the trade.

Demonstrations of apple-pressing, spice-growing and bread-making will also be taking place as well as displays from community groups for whom plants and gardening have had a positive effect.

There will be the chance to find out about Eden’s local and international gardening programmes and educational charitable work worldwide and in the local community.

Eden’s pollination team will be on hand to discuss issues such as local sourcing, biofuels, climate change and how these will affect us all.

The festivities will celebrate the food grown on our land and the communities who work hard to produce it.

Find out more on our website http://www.edenproject.com/whats-on/now-and-next/index.php