IN OTHER NEWS BY JESSIE TAYLOR
SA takes gold at the Chelsea flower show
South Africa blooms bright
S
outh Africa stole the show at this year's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show in London when it was given three prestigious awards.
The display won a gold medal with perfect scores from the RHS judges and was awarded the "Best Exhibit in the Pavilion" and the "Best New Design" award. This is unprecedented for South Africa at the Chelsea Flower Show. AN OUTSTANDING EXHIBIT Described as one of the most outstanding exhibits in the history of the Great Pavillion, this year's design was inspired by the windswept slopes of the Western Cape mountains.
44| Public Sector Leaders | June 2024
It is South Africa's 38th Gold medal since it first participated in the show in 1976. It's the first time in history South Africa has won "Best New Design" and "Best in the Great Pavillion". Head designer Leon Kluge and artist Tristan Woudberg led a group of volunteers to create this year's multi-award display, which included large clay sculptures that formed the backdrop for an eye-watering display of fynbos cut flowers. A multitude of species was presented in the display, from the high-altitude fynbos to the strandveld brimming with bulbs which hug the coastlines. The display celebrates the beauty and significance of one of the most
biodiverse regions in the world. An unprecedented 22 000 stems were used in the display to create a proudly South African explosion of fynbos. Leon is an acclaimed plantsman and landscape designer with numerous international floral exposition awards. This is his third gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. He previously won the top prize in 2018 and 2019 for South Africa. He has always envisioned a career working with plants. Since a child, Leon has been collecting plants and seeds, building a bank that he can tap into this day for projects. His grandfather was also the curator