We have personally met the Queen, and other senior members of the Royal Family on many occasions.
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8 How long does it take to prepare before the show… and once you are in London?
What makes you the dream team?
Ray: The Preparation happens over a period of
reason we have earned that title. Chelsea is
several months of thinking about a new design, creating the props and sourcing the materials. Once in London, we have six days to create the exhibit so it can be very tight for time once we arrive. Does the fact that we are approaching our winter months and the UK their summer months effect the exhibits you create?
David: I guess winning awards is the main always something of a nightmare in terms of getting everything organised and having our design realised and we don't think of ourselves as a dream team very often, but we do get on very well together! We also have a fantastic support team, this year we had the aid of Lihle Dlamini, Alice Notten and Sthembile Zondi.
David: We are fortunate that some of South
Which has been your favourite exhibit to date?
Africa’s best known flora flowers during the
David: Well my favourite was the
winter (fynbos) which is why it provides the mainstay of our plant material. If the Chelsea spring show were to be held in September we would have far more to show and would really knock their socks off, but we of course have to exhibit what is flowering and thus build our designs around availability! During your 23 years working together, how many golds have you garnered? Ray: 19 Gold Medals together-as well as many other awards, which is a great achievement.
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Pro Landscaper Africa / June 2016
Kirstenbosch Centenary exhibit in 2013. Ray: Another favourite was the exhibit featuring an organic portrait of Madiba, created from dry proteas. Do you believe that these exhibits teach people abroad more about our rich heritage and in turn contribute to SA’s tourism as a whole? David: The whole purpose of our exhibits is to convey something of the geography, locality and topography of various locations in different
parts of South Africa to the onlooker, and we also endeavour through the incorporation of indigenous art, architecture and artefacts to showcase the cultural diversity of the country. What sections do you enter into at the show? Ray: We compete in the ‘Flora Medal’ range of floral exhibits housed in the Great Pavilion. When you aren’t designing award winning exhibits what are your day jobs? – How do they aid your designing skills for each show? Ray: I am a full-time landscape designer, currently working on major landscaping projects based in the Cape winelands and David is a graphic designer. What are one of the common problems you face each year at these shows? David: Funding, or rather sponsorship is never easy to source, and the other main problem is that of handling the logistics of moving the entire exhibit from SA to London. After 23 years it still isn’t any easier. www.prolandscaper.co.za