Leon Kluge and team take the flower crown at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London!
London, United Kingdom (19 May 2026) – In its 50th year participating in the world’s pinnacle flower and garden show, South Africa has done it again!
Leon Kluge and his right-hand, Tristan Woudberg, along with their phenomenal team of green thumbs, have just won gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This brings South Africa’s tally of flower show gold to 40 medals!
Adding to the gold medal, the team has also scooped the incredible honour of Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion – ie, the best display of the entire show!
This year’s display, titled ‘Life After Fire’ opens a window into the natural beauty and biodiversity that emerges once wildfires have swept over the Cape floristic region. The exhibit explores the striking duality of destruction and renewal that the blaze brings to the fynbos ecosystem.
The garden features a backdrop of burnt Protea skeletons woven together alongside a golden, flowing stream. Charred wood frames the edges of the display, creating an impression of the blackened landscape left behind by wildfire.
“Artist Tristan Woudberg led a team to assemble a sculptural vortex of Burnt material, including charred wood and burnt branches sourced from the remnants of the devastating fires which tore through the mountainous areas of the Western Cape last year.”
Pine-leaf Protea create an eye-catching contrast that leads into an oasis of stream-side plants like the Painted Lady, Guernsey Lily, Spinning Top and Chincherinchee, along with other spectacular flowering bulbs, orchids, and wildflowers that emerge in that first season after a fire sweeps through.
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On the opposite end, fresh cut blooms, including SA’s national flower, the King Protea, along with the Giant Woollybeard, Early Mountain Queen and Snow Leopard Proteas, frame a dark tannin-rich pool with a riot of colour.
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SA’s show-stopping display features over 20,000 stems of fresh cut flowers sourced from fynbos farms across the Western Cape.
Team SA’s participation in the prestigious international flower show, displaying our very own gold-winning floral kingdom, would not be possible without the supporters who helped make it happen – The Grootbos Foundation, The Rupert Foundation, Hazendal Wine Estate and Southern Sun.
This win adds to the gold SA struck at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year, with its ocean-inspired South African flower basket!
Despite the rain and storms, which ultimately determined whether the flowers could be harvested and sent from South Africa to the UK in time for the show this year, all collaborators persevered, and Team SA created an incredible work of art!
We could not be more proud of our flower king and his expert team!
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