National Wildflower Centre
Part of the Eden Project, the National Wildflower Centre (NWC) uses wildflowers to bring biodiversity, delight and colour into the lives of communities across the UK.
From hedges, fields, and woodlands to roundabouts, housing estates, churchyards and cemeteries, we want everyone to experience the glory of wildflowers.
Our projects combine conservation, creativity and colour to make new wildflower habitats that support wildlife and connect people to the natural world.
Why do we need wildflowers?
Wildflower Photographer of the Year competition
The second Wildflower Photographer of the Year competition is open for entries from 29 May until 30 September 2026. Open to budding adult and youth photographers, entries can show wildflowers in rural or urban settings, planted or truly wild, with or without people, in close-up or in abundance.
Wildflower Photographer of the Year is run by the National Wildflower Centre at the Eden Project to celebrate the incredible diversity of British wildflowers and is sponsored by Canary Wharf Group. Enter your best images and you could win cash prizes of up to £1000 and your work exhibited at the Eden Project.
2025 Amateur Winner – © Damien Walmsley, Poppy Field in Kinver, Staffordshire
What we do
Bring back wildflower habitats for people and wildlife
We work with local organisations across the UK to create wildflower habitats in the heart of communities - in Dundee, Liverpool, Morecambe and Cornwall. Our new Nature Connections programme will help to extend this work to Belfast, Gwent and London.
We are bringing wildflowers to school grounds, bus stops, hospital grounds, public parks, community gardens, road verges, walkways and even outside police stations.
Many people don't expect to encounter wildflowers in very urban environments - our projects bring wildflowers to their doorsteps and can help to create a sense of wonder, pride and a connection to nature. We know that the more people connect to nature, the more likely they are to care for it.
These projects have engaged thousands of people in delivering small acts for nature as well as meaningful wellbeing activities for themselves.
Support Nature Recovery projects across the UK
The National Wildflower Centre produces seeds and plants to support nature recovery projects across the UK.
The foundation of nature recovery starts with seeds and plants. To meet our national biodiversity targets, we need high-quality plant material to ensure the diversity and integrity required to create resilient landscapes at scale.
We are working with large and small private landowners and conservation organisations to repair habitat fragmentation across rural and urban landscapes and restore rare and threatened species.
Raise awareness and reconnect people with their natural heritage
At the Eden Project we showcase the beauty and wonder of wildflowers to our visitors through our wildflower habitats on site, our outreach work with local communities, webinars and lesson plans for schools and the annual Wildflower Photographer of the Year Competition.
Wildflowers are a visible sign of nature recovery, providing a beacon for biodiversity in our landscape.
Our programmes have brought national attention to the plight of wildflowers and the species that depend on them, while our work with young people helps ensure that each new generation can connect with, benefit from and value the wonder of wildflowers for years to come.
What we've achieved
Over 18ha of wildflowers in St Austell
We're working with Cornwall Council and Griffiths Civil Engineering and Construction to ensure the new St Austell A30 Link Road (The Garden Route) becomes the greenest possible gateway to the Eden Project and St Austell town.
Flowerhouse, in Liverpool
Liverpool, the original home of the National Wildflower Centre, saw the first seeds sown of the Liverpool Wildflower Gateways Project in 2019. Funded by Liverpool City Council, the project is creating a network of wildflower displays that radiate out along the main routes into the city.
Wheal Buzzy - for mining bees
The National Wildflower Centre supported the Wheal Buzzy project by growing almost 5,000 wildflower plug plants from seed collected locally to increase pollen and nectar resources for pollinating insects, specifically mining bees.
