It was another award win for the Eden Project last month, when the team took home a gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for an immersive display highlighting the critical importance of UK peatlands to our climate.
It was a call to action – to urge gardeners to ditch using peat, conveyed through the clever use of a real piece of ‘borrowed’ Cumbrian peatbog in a display presented in partnership with the peat-free compost maker Dalefoot Composts.
The display used a little piece of Cumbrian peatland on loan under special licence from Natural England.
Housed in the Discovery Zone display at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, gardeners were invited to step into Bolton Fell Moss National Nature Reserve – a restored Cumbrian bog previously used to harvest peat for horticulture – to experience the secrets, sounds, and beauty of these enormous bog gardens.
An immersive experience, visitors to the exhibit were able to hear sounds from a peatland, including curlews, lapwing, the hum of billions of insects, and the occasional squelch. They were also given the chance to get up close to the fascinating bog plants – sphagnum mosses, cotton grass, cranberries, and heathers.
The aim of the exhibit is to demonstrate the importance of peat bogs and the environmental damage gardeners are causing to our planet by using peat compost in their outdoor spaces. Alongside the peatland, a bountiful potager of vegetables grown by gold medal-winning Pennard Plants went to illustrate what gardeners can achieve by switching to peat-free gardening.
Professor Jane Barker, co-founder of Dalefoot Composts, a major manufacturer of peat-free compost and a leading restorer of damaged peatlands, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled by this award and so pleased that peat-free gardening is being recognised in this way.
“I hope people visiting our special piece of Cumbrian peatland will come away understanding why using peat is no longer acceptable, and how easy it is to make simple climate friendly switches in your garden.”
Tracey Smith, Eden’s commercial manager, added: “We’re delighted to have received this gold medal – thank you to the judges and everyone who has visited the stand for their enthusiasm and kind comments. “It’s really exciting for Eden to be back at the Chelsea Flower Show with a stand that highlights the huge importance of peat bogs and we hope that visitors will come away with a greater understanding and appreciation for these vital habitats.
“Working alongside our friends at Dalefoot, our aim with this stand was to change people’s perceptions of peat bogs, showing that they are thriving environments, rich with biodiversity as well as being crucial for carbon sequestration. We’d urge all gardeners to make the switch to peat-free products – it’s the best decision for your garden and for the environment.”
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