SA garden wins gold at Chelsea Flower Show
For the second year in a row, a Leon Kluge-designed garden representing South Africa's beauty has won a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Kluge and his team won for their entry inspired by the meeting of two oceans - the Atlantic and the Indian - and all the flora in between. The well-respected horticulturalist took to Instagram on Tuesday cradling the team's award.
'Well, it's gold again for South Africa here at the Chelsea Flower show,' a beaming Kluge said at their stand at the prestigious event.
'It was a bit nerve-wracking this morning not knowing what [medal] was going to wait for us at the stand. We are very relieved and very excited about the gold, putting South Africa's flora right at the top of the world stage.'
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He thanked their sponsors, Hazendal Wine Estate and Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Cape Flora South Africa as we as all the messages of support from back home.
Much preparation went into preparing this year's garden at what is known as the 'Olympics' of the flower world, with at least 25 000 stems of beautiful flowers and fynbos being cut ahead of their display. The end result was beautiful hues of yellows, purples and pinks showcasing South Africa's unique biodiversity.
This is the second gold for South Africa after it stole the show at last year's event, when the same team won gold with a perfect score for a garden inspired by the windswept slopes of the Cape mountains. The team was also awarded 'Best Exhibit in the Pavilion' and the 'Best New Design' in 2024.
South Africa's Babylonstoren also had a Karoo Succulent Garden displayed at the show this year for the first time.
READ | Babylonstoren flies a piece of the Karoo to London to wow at Chelsea Flower Show
The team worked in partnership with its sister estate, The Newt in Somerset in the UK, to bring a little piece of the Karoo to the world. The Newt in Somerset has been the headline sponsor of the event for the past four years, and the succulent garden served as a showstopper for the attending visitors.
Babylonstoren's master botanist Dr Ernst van Jaarsveld told News24 that Karoo succulents could teach many things to the world, and was well-suited to represent South Africa's resilience.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is open from Tuesday to Saturday this May.
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