In Other News - SA Takes Gold At The Chelsea Flower Show

South Africa Blooms Bright

By Jessie Taylor

South Africa stole the show at this year's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show in London when it was given three prestigious awards. The display won a gold medal with perfect scores from the RHS judges and was awarded the "Best Exhibit in the Pavilion" and the "Best New Design" award. This is unprecedented for South Africa at the Chelsea Flower Show.

An Outstanding Exhibit

Described as one of the most outstanding exhibits in the history of the Great Pavillion, this year's design was inspired by the windswept slopes of the Western Cape mountains. It is South Africa's 38th Gold medal since it first participated in the show in 1976. It's the first time in history South Africa has won "Best New Design" and "Best in the Great Pavillion".

Head designer Leon Kluge and artist Tristan Woudberg led a group of volunteers to create this year's multi-award display, which included large clay sculptures that formed the backdrop for an eye-watering display of fynbos cut flowers.

A multitude of species was presented in the display, from the high-altitude fynbos to the strandveld brimming with bulbs which hug the coastlines. The display celebrates the beauty and significance of one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. An unprecedented 22 000 stems were used in the display to create a proudly South African explosion of fynbos. Leon is an acclaimed plantsman and landscape designer with numerous international floral exposition awards. This is his third gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. He previously won the top prize in 2018 and 2019 for South Africa.

He has always envisioned a career working with plants. Since a child, Leon has been collecting plants and seeds, building a bank that he can tap into this day for projects. His grandfather was also the curator of the Betty’s Bay Botanical Garden and his father was the curator of the Lowveld National Botanical Gardens in Nelspruit, where Leon spent his childhood.

Artist Tristan Woudberg explained that large panels weave through the display, creating an earthy backdrop for our vibrant flora to take centre stage. "The sculptures take on the role of mountain ranges, dividing and isolating the different biomes of the Cape, which have given rise to our unique flora over time. The natural cracking effect provided by the clay is a reminder of the contrasting wet and dry seasons of the fynbos biome as well as the fragility of these ecosystems. The negative spaces in these sheets of rock act as windows, creating new vistas to explore as one moves around the exhibit," he said.

A Budding Economy

Cape Flora SA, a non-profit established in 2005, offers its support to artists. The organisation is dedicated to the sustainable harvesting and growth of the fynbos industry.

The display promotes the demand for high-quality fynbos cut flowers in international markets, providing livelihoods for stakeholders and communities within the South African fynbos industry. The display, which included the partnership of Cape Flora SA and the Western Cape government, showcases the diversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom.

Cut fynbos flowers are one of the Western Cape's income-generating export products. Cape flora accounts for 90% of South Africa's cut flower exports and provides income to many communities in rural areas. In 2023, fresh-cut flowers performed better than dried flowers on the global export markets and were valued at R85-billion, compared to R10-billion for dried flowers. Locally, fresh-cut flowers also performed better than dried flowers on the export markets and were valued at R932-million in 2023, compared to R98-million for dried flowers.

Cape Flora SA manager Karien Bezuidenhout said the growth of the export market has triggered modernisation and innovation within the industry, which has led to higher product quality.

This, in turn, has benefitted sales in domestic and international markets. "The growing demand for high-quality fynbos products in international markets is welcomed, providing livelihoods for stakeholders and communities within the South African fynbos industry," she said. South Africa is home to the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of the six identified floristic kingdoms in the world. Its land area represents less than 0,5% of the African continent and contains 20% of the continent’s flora. The density, endemism, and diversity of an estimated 9 000 plant species have made this region one of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots.

Source: House and Garden | Daily Maverick | RHS