Kluge has shared a glimpse into the inspiration behind SA’s display at this year’s ‘Olympics’ of the flower world.
Cape Town, South Africa (08 April 2026) – Hot on the heels of taking top honours at the Shenzhen International Flower Show, Leon Kluge and his team revealed their design for South Africa’s exhibit at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
South Africa is heading into its 50th year of participation in the international flower show, with award-winning Kluge at the helm again this year. Last year, Kluge and his team struck gold for their ocean-inspired masterpiece, which later made its way back to South Africa for display.
This year, the inspiration for the exhibit comes from the wildfires that tore through the Cape over the past season.
“The inspiration for this year’s display was the devastating wildfires which tore through several mountainous areas of the Cape this past season. Fire plays a crucial role in the fynbos landscape and without it we simply would not have the incredible biodiversity we enjoy on our doorstep.” says Kluge.
The display will include over 2000 stems of fresh cut flowers from fynbos cut flower farms across the Western Cape.
Kluge has gone into incredible detail about what to expect for this year’s design, painting a vivid picture of the duality of destruction and renewal that wildfire brings.
“This year we aim to not only put on a spectacular show of South African plants but educate visitors about this unique fire-driven ecosystem. A large part of the display will showcase the diversity of bulbs, orchids and wildflowers which emerge in the first season after a fire has swept through the landscape. A whirlwind mass of burnt Protea branches woven together serves as a backdrop to the colourful regeneration of flowering bulbs in the foreground. A stream of tannin rich water flows out of the mass of burnt material and gives life to streamside plants such as Disa orchids, carnivorous plants and the green shoots of ferns. The opposite end of the display will include a variety of fresh Protea cut flowers, providing a contrast to the burnt landscape. The display is enveloped by a charred wood edging which emphasizes the dark textures seen after devastating fires. The display will also include a lush waterfall with summer rainfall plants such as Rhodohypoxis and Arum lilies, both of which are grown across the world and are proudly South African.”
The display sponsored by Grootbos, Southern Sun, Hazendal Wine Estate and the Rupert Nature Foundation.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be taking place in London from the 19th to the 23rd of May. The show draws in a massive crowd of over 170,000 visitors each year and is the runway for the latest international Garden and flower trends in the horticultural world.
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