Warm, wet spring leads to explosion of summer colour for Eden Project’s great outdoors.

Met Office figures show that the UK has had its warmest spring since records began in 1884, and its wettest since 1986.

These conditions have helped some of the Eden Project’s plant life flourish, with summer visitors enjoying the rewards.

Home to more than 3,000 varieties of plants across 30 acres and feature areas representing the world’s temperate lands, crops grown in the UK, and plants that thrive in a changing climate, plus areas for health and wellbeing and play.

The Eden Project’s Outdoor Gardens are bursting with vibrant colours, sweet scents and natural beauty, offering visitors the picture-perfect setting to enjoy the summer sun.

The warm, wet spring has meant that the lavender display near the Eden Project’s stage has bloomed later than usual. The flowering which would normally be finished by now has allowed visitors to Cornwall over the summer holidays have a rare opportunity to see and smell the swathe of lush purple as it buzzes with bees and other pollinators.

Elsewhere outside, the South African veld and the North American Prairie are overflowing with early colour, which will build as the summer continues. With increasingly warmer seasons, the Eden Project’s horticulture team have been trialling plants in this area that wouldn’t usually be found outdoors in the UK, including varieties of protea and agave.

“It is wonderful to see our Outdoor Gardens flourishing this summer but, as gardeners, concerns about the climate are never far from our minds,” says Julie Kendall, Eden Project horticulture manager for the Outdoor Gardens.

“The changing climate has a significant effect on what grows in our gardens and how those plants behave. Our work at the Eden Project – in the gardens and beyond – is to demonstrate positive action for the planet, including the ways we can help stabilise the climate.”