South Africa’s blooms scoop gold for a second year at Chelsea Flower Show

South Africa claims floral glory once more at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, clinching a Gold medal for the second consecutive year under the visionary leadership of horticulturist Leon Kluge and artist Tristan Woudberg.

This year’s exhibit, the largest South Africa has ever showcased at the event, featured 25,000 stems of vibrant fynbos, celebrating the country’s extraordinary biodiversity shaped by the convergence of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

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The 2025 display was an ode to SA’s mind-boggling natural landscapes, celebrating the rugged fynbos of the Cape to the lush, subtropical florals of KwaZulu-Natal.

At its core was a dramatic canyon carved through a mountain of Proteas and colourful blooms, revealing waterfalls and cliffs adorned with cliff-dwelling plants of the eastern escarpment.

Notable among the floral stars were the blue Streptocarpus, an indigenous relative of the African violet, and the iconic Disa orchid, emerging from mossy ravine walls. Other highlights included the vibrant Sandersonia aurantiaca, known as Christmas bells, and striking flame lilies, representing the summer rainfall regions.

Inspired by the Storms River mouth on the border of the Western and Eastern Cape, the exhibit featured amber-hued streams tinted with Rooibos tea, a quintessentially South African touch that mirrored the tannin-rich waters of Cape mountain catchments. Hundreds of Rooibos tea bags were steeped to achieve this warm, earthy glow, with the shrub itself nestled among the fynbos.

In a playful twist, the Rooibos-infused waters drew a nightly London visitor—a curious fox that sipped from the streams under cover of darkness, leaving only paw prints as evidence of its approval.

“Seeing nature respond so instinctively to something so proudly South African was a moment of pure wonder,” said Kluge, photographed pointing to the fox’s tracks. “It reminded us that when we create with authenticity and respect for nature, even the wild comes to honour it.”

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Woudberg, who also collaborated with Kluge on last year’s award-winning display, described the 2025 exhibit as a celebration of the ecological diversity born from South Africa’s two mighty oceans.

“This year’s display was 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.”

This victory follows South Africa’s 2024 triumph, where Kluge, Woudberg, and their team secured the nation’s 38th Chelsea Gold, along with “Best New Design” and “Best in the Great Pavilion” awards for a display of 22,000 stems framed by clay sculptures.

That exhibit, hailed as one of the Great Pavilion’s most outstanding, marked South Africa’s return after a four-year hiatus.

The 2025 display builds on this legacy with an even grander vision, earning perfect scores from RHS judges and cementing South Africa’s horticultural prowess.

“A heartfelt thank you to the Grootbos Foundation, Hazendal Wine Estate, Southern Sun and all the farmers and farmworkers whose dedication helped secure this Gold. This moment belongs to all of us – and to the fox who knew a good brew when he found one,” said Kluge.

Woudberg added, “We celebrate this Gold together and may it encourage us to protect and conserve our beautiful natural heritage!”