SA wins another Gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

South Africa wins yet another Gold at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. In what can only be described as one of the most monumental displays of South African flora ever displayed abroad, designer Leon Kluge and artist-gardener Tristan Woudberg led a team of passionate volunteers who painstakingly prepared and arranged up to 25 000 stems of fynbos. This year's display was inspired by South Africa's two mighty oceans, the Indian and Atlantic, which have given rise to a multitude of habitats from the fynbos of the Cape to the more subtropical greenery of Kwa-Zulu Natal. RHS President Keith Weed CBE also presented Leon and his team the Lawrence Medal for their 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower display. The Lawrence Medal is awarded to the best floral exhibit over all the RHS shows throughout the calendar year. This is the first time South Africa has received this award.

A dramatic canyon dominated the design which cut through a mountain of Proteas to reveal multiple waterfalls and cliffs which were planted up with cliff-dwelling plants of the eastern escarpment. Some of the feature plants in this part of the display included Streptocarpus (an indigenous relative of the African violet) and the iconic disa orchid which emerged out of the mossy walls of the giant ravine. Other plants from the summer rainfall areas included the striking Sandersonia aurantiaca or Christmas bells as well as flame lilies. The Storms River mouth located on the border of the Western and Eastern Cape inspired the construction of the ravine with its dramatic living cliffs. To portray the amber-coloured water of the Cape mountain streams, hundreds of Rooibos tea bags were soaked in the water to give it a typically South African flavour.

This year the display was sponsored by the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve as well as Hazendal Wine Estate, the Rupert Nature Foundation and Southern Sun.

[South African Floral Kingdom Abroad (SAFKA) press release]

Penelope Goemans (Communications Officer)

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