Sourcing flowers and plants is an important part of how I get inspiration for Sarah Blythe, so what better place to start than The Eden Project in Cornwall? Environmental sustainability is a main focus of The Eden Project, which is initially what drew me in to visit. They also have some great educational resources on their website where you can learn more about plants, saving water and the Eden Deep Geothermal Energy Project.

The Eden Project houses many different flowers and plants from countries all over the world (more than 70), so it is a great place to gather floral inspiration! On the site there are two biomes - the Mediterranean Biome where the climate was quite dry and the Rainforest Biome where the climate was more humid.

In the Rainforest Biome there are lots of bright coloured flowers - one of my favourites being the Torch Ginger. This tropical plant is grown throughout South East Asia and as well as looking pretty it is used in food dishes such as curries or soups. I loved its waxy-type petals and the light pinkish red tones.

Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior) - perennial herb that grows up to 6 metres tall — Torch Ginger (*Etlingera elatior)* - perennial herb that grows up to 6 metres tall

Outdoors there were some beautiful varieties of dahlias with stunning colours. I believe this dahlia is from the Karma Sangria variety as it appears to have a semi-cactus shape.

Varieties of flowers outside the Biome entrance

The Eden Project is a very inspirational place so if you enjoy learning about plants or simply being in a floral environment, I would highly recommend a visit!