Edenproject – Peacewellbeing.co.uk

I’m always surprised when visiting Cornwall in winter by how many plants are in flower. Daffodils out before Christmas, camellias in full bloom in February and rosemary that seems to flower all year. One plant that definitely wasn’t in flower was the lavender at Eden, on the bank outside the entrance to the biomes. But that just makes me want to go back again in the summer to see, touch and smell it in all it’s full flowering glory.

Lavender at Eden — Winter domed lavender goals

This hedge of beautiful camellias was just starting to flower. Camellia seed oil, camellia sinensis, makes a skin-regenerating base oil that is full of vitamin A. Essential oils are blended into base oils (also known as carrier oils) to massage into the skin during an aromatherapy treatment. I would add camellia base oil to sunflower base oil to make it extra nourishing.

I wish you could smell this jasmine, it was quite intoxicating! It was climbing over one of the buildings in the temperate biome and capturing passers by with it’s sweet, floral, heady scent. Jasmine, jasminum gradiflorum, absolute (it doesn’t yield enough essential oil to make it commercially viable to distill it) is euphoric, helping to uplift you in times of emotional suffering and heartache.

Jasmine at Eden — Jasminum gradiflorum is euphoric and uplifting.

These young lemongrass plants (cymbopogan citrata) were outside the Malaysian hut in the rainforest biome. As the zesty, grass-like leaves grow, the stalk will thicken up to become the lemongrass that you see in supermarkets today. The essential oil is distilled from the leaves and stem and is used as a digestive aid. It stimulates the liver and immune system, and is an insect repellent too – use it in a burner to ward off midges.

616F26B0-7DE8-465A-80F5-91A36AA60927 — Young lemongrass plants

This is a black pepper bush (piper nigrum). It’s a climbing plant that is cultivated in India, Madagascar and Indonesia. The peppercorns grow in a grape-like formation, another reason for me to go back to Eden to take a photo of them! Apparently the Romans used black pepper to settle taxes as it was a highly prized commodity, today it’s one of the most widely available spices in the world. As an essential oil, it’s used as a circulatory stimulant, to get the blood flowing to stiff and achy muscles and to invigorate the senses.

BD6C57D7-214A-4D26-9F85-7CC09EB19B06 — Black pepper invigorates the senses

The last time I went to the Eden Project in Cornwall was over 10 years ago so I was interested to find out what had changed and what had stayed the same.

5c6d512f-6b22-4d88-bebf-a031adee1984-e1520962058925.jpeg — If only I could gallop away on one of these magical beauties

I was delighted the horse sculptures by Heather Jansch were still there to greet visitors at the entrance to the visitor centre. They are stunning, I remember being blown away by them when I first saw them, I don’t know how many years ago.

It was a cold, wet and windy day in the middle of February this year when I went, but thankfully warm inside, dry in the temperate biome and humid in the tropical biome. It is fascinating to see the array of plants grown inside the domes, and outside as you wend your way from the car park, through the visitor centre, down the banks of the ‘massive crater’ that houses the domes and across the bridge to their entrance. (I will go into specific plants in part two.)

FF8FBF65-B25B-4D91-8103-588748612DE3 — Veg plot goals

This is the vegetable garden with the tropical biome behind. It’s just before the bridge to the biomes and right next to the canteens, so the kitchen staff can use fresh, home grown produce in their dishes. Delicious, sustainable sustenance!

Roul-rouls

Crested partridge

A new introduction for me was to be met in the tropical biome by roul-rouls, a type of partridge originally from Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. They are colourful, rotund birds that camouflage well on the rainforest floor and help with pest control in the biome.

Must practice my panorama skills

The biomes remain as impressive as the first time I saw them, like giant bubble wrap waiting to be jumped on and popped. From the (new to me) canopy walkway in the tropical biome you can really appreciate the structure, and get a great view of the rainforest below.

Rosemary and terracotta dreams

When life gives you giant lemons…

The temperate biome feels like a garden I’d like to escape into, with it’s fragrant herbs, olive groves and citrus trees. There’s even a friendly goat to rest on when your feet are tired from walking all day.

F74E7EA1-7D3A-4ACB-92A6-8154F96B8CF5 — Smiley goat

Tag: Edenproject

Eden in Winter, part two

Eden in winter, part one