SA’s floral exhibit which won three of the most prestigious awards at the Chelsea Flower Show will be in Stanford from 21 September to 6 October.
The thrill of South Africa winning a World Cup in any sport buoys the nation up and builds pride. It was the same when South Africa won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, lifting the spirits of South Africans as much as our Rugby World Cup win did. “The beautifully designed display of our nation’s stunning proteas achieved not only a gold medal, but also the coveted Best in the Pavilion and the Best New Design awards,” Penelope Goemans, Communications Officer of Grootbos Foundation, said. “Leon Kluge designed the stand and, with the help of a hard-working team and private donations, showcased the spectacular Cape fynbos in a unique layout, breathtaking for its creativity, array of flowers and heady fynbos scent, which filled the pavilion. Now, Leon Kluge is building the fynbos display again . . . this time, for South Africans.”
Goemans said the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve (one of the sponsors of the South African display at Chelsea) and Kluge have decided to bring the glorious floral design home to South Africa so “everyone can experience the uniqueness of the display garden and triple-award win from the most prestigious garden show in the world.”
Kluge and his team will build an exact replica of the winning design, in full size as it was built in the Chelsea Pavilion for South Africans to visit on their home turf.
“Grootbos and Leon are thrilled to be able to share the beauty of fynbos with the people who are its natural custodians,” Goemans said. “Just as the Springboks did a victory tour when they returned home to South Africa and shared the Webb Ellis trophy with the nation, this perfect replica floral display is for locals to share the victory of fynbos.”
Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie is the patron of this home-grown exhibit called Chelsea Flowers in Stanford. “I am incredibly proud to announce that, thanks to the exuberance and long-term efforts of Grootbos to champion fynbos,” Rabie said, “the very best of the world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show is coming to Stanford! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Overstrand and is sure to be a resounding success.”
Following South Africa’s win at Chelsea, local Grootbos Florilegium artist Daleen Roodt won a Gold Medal, Best Botanical Artwork and the People’s Choice Award at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Botanical Art and Photography Show held in the Saatchi Gallery in June. Her winning artworks will also be a part of the display in Stanford.. Chelsea Flowers in Stanford will be open to the public from 21 September to 6 October in the village of Stanford close to the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. The full-sized 100 square-metre floral display will be replicated so local South Africans can enjoy the full experience. In all, 120 illustrations and vignettes from the Grootbos Florilegium, a private collection of fynbos botanical artworks, will also be on display in the venue along with Grootbos Florilegium books.
