Jacques Moolman (general manager Southern Sun), Tristan Woudberg (designer), Marinda Nel (project manager), Michael Lutzeyer (Grootbos Foundation), Madeleine Roux (Southern Sun), Max Voloshin (Hazendal Wine Estate) and Leon Kluge (designer).
- Award-winning designer Leon Kluge has unveiled South Africa’s exhibit for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, inspired by the regenerative power of wildfires in the Cape’s fynbos biome.
- The display features a striking contrast of burnt Protea branches and vibrant flowering bulbs, orchids and wildflowers, highlighting the resilience of South Africa’s unique flora.
- Marking South Africa’s 50th appearance at the prestigious event, the exhibit celebrates the country’s extraordinary biodiversity.
Award-winning landscape designer Leon Kluge and his team have unveiled the design for South Africa’s exhibit at this year’s prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The exhibition, which, according to Kluge, showcases a breathtaking tribute to South Africa’s unique flora and its resilience in the face of nature’s challenges, was unveiled at the Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Known for his innovative and evocative designs, Kluge revealed that the inspiration for this year’s display stemmed from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the Cape’s mountainous regions during the past season.
“The inspiration for this year’s display was the devastating wildfires which tore through several mountainous areas of the Cape this past season,” he explained in a statement.
Kluge added:
Fire plays a crucial role in the fynbos landscape, and without it, we simply would not have the incredible biodiversity we enjoy on our doorstep.
“This year we aim to not only put on a spectacular show of South African plants but educate visitors about this unique fire-driven ecosystem.”
Last year, the team scooped a gold medal in the competition for the second year in a row.
Their entry was inspired by the meeting of two oceans – the Atlantic and the Indian.
This year’s exhibit, Kluge said, would highlight the remarkable regeneration of the fynbos biome after fire.
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“A large part of the display will showcase the diversity of bulbs, orchids and wildflowers which emerge in the first season after a fire has swept through the landscape,” he said.
The display will also feature a dramatic contrast between the scorched landscape and the vitality of fresh Protea cut flowers.
“A whirlwind mass of burnt Protea branches woven together serves as a backdrop to the colourful regeneration of flowering bulbs in the foreground.
“The opposite end of the display will include a variety of fresh Protea cut flowers, providing a contrast to the burnt landscape,” he added.
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Over 20 000 stems of fresh cut flowers will be incorporated, sourced from fynbos cut flower farms across the Western Cape.
This year will mark the 50th time South Africa has exhibited at the “Olympics of the flower world”, as the event is often termed.
