The South African exhibit for the 2017 Chelsea flower show features flowers from all over the country and is celebrating its unique diversity of plant life!
The South African exhibit was revealed on the 21st of April by the Sanbi-Kirstenbosch team. This year they plan to make use of flowers and plants from 10 different botanical gardens to show the diversity of the country’s plant life.
The chosen theme for this year is ‘Windows of Biodiversity’. The exhibit will be a circular one with a backdrop of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. Each section will feature a different South African botanical garden.
Kirstenbosch, Harold Porter in Betty’s Bay, Hantam in the Northern Cape, Walter Sisulu in Gauteng, Lowveld in Mpumalanga, Free State in Bloemfontein, Karoo Desert in the Karoo, Kwazulu-Natal, Pretoria in Gauteng and Kwelera in the Eastern Cape.
“South Africa is home to nearly 10% of the world’s plants and contains three regions that have been declared global biodiversity hotspots, so it is fitting that we celebrate this heritage this year at Chelsea.” – Dr Tanya Abrahamse, SANBI CEO
The exhibit will show the diversity of the nine biomes of South Africa, displaying them to over 150,000 people who are expected to visit the show. It was designed by the multi-award-winning team of graphic designer David Davidson and landscape designer Raymond Hudson.
“We have been designers of the exhibit for the past 24 years, although this is the 42nd year South Africa is represented at the show. We try to include as much diversity and variety of plant life (as possible), representing all the botanical gardens in the country.”
“We’ve done well (over the years) in winning 34 gold medals and the Huxley Trophy for the best exhibit. One of the exhibits was about climate change. We hope for another gold,”
The Sanbi-Kirstenbosch has won 34 gold medals in the 41 years its taken part in the Chelsea Flower Show. They won gold in 2016 and are planning to work hard for the gold again this year.
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