Selene Brophy

There are flower shows, and then there’s the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - the crown jewel of British horticultural society, complete with all the bells, whistles and fascinators to make it blooming brilliant.  It’s such a spectacle, with the show previously ranking as one of the world’s top travel experiences - and it makes South Africa’s top RHS honours this year all the more meaningful as it puts one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet firmly in the global spotlight.   To date, South Africa has won a total of 39 gold medals at this long-standing event.  Acclaimed horticulturist Leon Kluge, whose design also won gold last year, states this year’s winning display was the biggest yet, “with up to 25,000 stems of fynbos cut flowers”.RHS President Keith Weed CBE presented Kluge and his team the Lawrence Medal, awarded to the best floral exhibit over all the RHS shows throughout the calendar year - and the first time South Africa has received this award. “Inspired by South Africa’s two mighty oceans, the Indian and Atlantic, which have given rise to a multitude of habitats from the fynbos of the Cape to the more subtropical lushness of KZN,” adds Kluge. Kluge also praised the “generous support” of the display’s sponsors, including the farmers and farmworkers who helped bring it to life and the Grootbos Foundation, Hazendal Wine Estate, and Southern Sun.    “We celebrate this Gold together, and may it encourage us to protect and conserve our beautiful natu