South Africa stole the show at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the world’s most prestigious flower show, when it not only won a Gold medal with perfect scores from the RHS judges but was also awarded the ‘Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion’ as well as the ‘Best New Design’ award.
RHS President Keith Weed presented the awards to Head Designer Leon Kluge and his team on the opening day of the London show.
Team SA’s exhibition, named ‘The Cape Floral Kingdom of South Africa’, was inspired by the windswept slopes of the Cape mountains. The display celebrated the beauty and significance of one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
A total of 22 000 stems were used in the display – representing biomes ranging from the high-altitude fynbos to the strandveld.
This year special effort was made to include rarely seen hybrids such as the Protea Snow Leopard and species such as the Protea sulphurea and the delicate blushing brides (Serruria florida).
The team also spotlighted the Grootbos Florilegium, a collection of botanical illustrations depicting rare plants in the Grootbos Nature Reserve.
Kluge, an acclaimed plantsman and landscape designer, and artist Tristan Woudberg led a group of volunteers to create this year's display.
This is Kluge's third Gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show after winning the top prize in 2018 and 2019 for South Africa. It is South Africa's 38th Gold medal in its illustrious history at the Chelsea Flower Show, dating back to 1976.
Watch Kluge’s video on the flower show and his team’s win below:
