SALI National Chairman, Norah de Wet, joined the national team to build the Kirstenbosch-South Africa exhibit in the Great Pavilion at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show, London, Britain.
Led by the award-winning designer, Leon Kluge, the South African team were thrilled to have bagged a Gold Medal for their design.
SALI interviews SA Team Leader – Leon Kluge
Reflections on the South African exhibit to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) 2018 Chelsea Flower Show which won a Gold Award.
SALI National Chairperson, Norah de Wet ask South Africa’s design team leader, Leon Kluge to explain the concept of the national design.
On behalf of the everyone at SALI, we would like to congratulate the team on a fantastic Gold Award.
#SALI #ChealseaFlowerShow2018 #SANBI #Kirstenbosch #Landscaping #SouthAfrica #Biodiversity #FlowerShow #GoTeamGo #GoldAward
Did you know?
The Gold Medal Award @ the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show brings to 36 the total number of gold medals that the South Africa – Kirstenbosch exhibit has received over a 43-year period.
The theme for the 2018 exhibit was ‘Iconic Landscapes’.
The South Africa – Kirstenbosch design exhibit was inspired by an area of high density housing in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
While photographing arum lilies, South Africa’s design leader, Leon Kluge sat down for coffee at Lookout Hill and was inspired by the view of Table Mountain with the houses of Khayelitsha in the foreground blending in with the landscape of indigenous flora.
Leon then saw this blend of nature and culture depicted in the colourful creations of the local crafters.
Elmon Muringani, a local crafter from Cape Town, was invited to create the art work that forms the backdrop of the exhibit.
What did the South African exhibit showcase?
The South Africa exhibit at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show starts off in Cape Town and the Table Mountain National Park, then travels northwards along the West Coast with its very different vegetation of succulent forms and the architectural styles along the West Coast.
The exhibit then moves north of the country to Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumulanga with its own unique and diverse flora.
Along with the popular fynbos species of proteas, pincushions and arum lilies, other plants of interest used in the exhibit are Medusa’s head (Euphorbia caput-medusae), living stones (Lithops spp.), horse teeth (Haworthia truncata), Freesia spp. and klipmelkbossie (Euphorbia schinzii).
