Thousands of tulips have burst into life in the Eden Project’s Mediterranean Biome, adding a splash of colour to match the sunny spring weather.
Favourite cultivars for Eden this year include ‘Dream Touch’, a purple flower which is fringed with white edges, and ‘La Belle Epoque’, which produces apricot pink and coffee petals fading prettily at the edges.
The Eden Project horticulture team planted around 7,500 tulips in the Mediterranean Biome over three days in February.
The bulbs were originally planted in individual pots back in November and left outside. This chilling process is what helps the tulips to produce such long, tall stems, as well as allowing the roots to become well established.
Catherine Cutler, Eden’s Enclosed Biome Team Lead, said: “We are so pleased with the tulip display in the Mediterranean Biome this year, it has created a sea of colour which fits perfectly in this environment.
“We have purposely grown a lot of varieties to give our visitors an appreciation of the breadth of colour and shape that tulips offer. We hope keen gardeners are inspired by our display to discover some new and colourful blooms for their gardens.”
Also blooming in the Mediterranean Biome are two Grass trees which have grown beautiful flower spikes. These slow-growing trees were planted two years ago in the Biome’s Western Australia garden but this is the first time they have flowered since their arrival.
Eden’s Easter holiday activities, featuring a multitude of games and activities highlighting the importance of soil, crops and agriculture, take place between April 6 and 25.
Working as a team, budding farmers will be able to scramble around Eden’s stage area in an attempt to find farmyard animals and get them safely back to their homes, making animal noises as they go.
Also in the stage, there will be a chance to attempt throwing corn into a giant windmill, gather vegetables to take to the local markets and have a traditional game of “pin the tail”.
In the orchard area, a soil pit will allow visitors to explore the soil to find the tiny creatures that live in its layers and help make the crops grow.
Down at the Farm activities are included in standard Eden admission.