Chelsea Flower Show exhibit at Kirstenbosch

The award-winning Havens of Diversity scooped South Africa's 30th gold medal and will be recreated on the Marquee Lawn. The exhibit will be open during normal garden hours and a small entry fee of R10 will be charged in addition to the normal garden entry fee.

Designers David Davidson and Ray Hudson saw their display gain their 17th medal (in 17 years of designing the exhibit) at this year's Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Biodiversity, the theme

The creative team took the theme of biodiversity to show the world how our Botanical Gardens are the vital link in teaching the public about the foundation blocks for our survival: food, fuel, fibres, the energy we use, the water we drink, and the air that we breathe.

The exhibit features four of the National Botanical Gardens of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) from the following areas: Kirstenbosch (Cape Town), Hantam (Nieuwoudtville), Lowveld (Nelspruit), and Walter Sisulu (Roodepoort). The quadrants represent the vista of the region in a postage stamp-styled photograph with the unique flora of the specific area growing out of the picture. Cleverly executed, it creates the feeling of walking into the actual scenes, so now visitors will be able to take a peek at some of the other glorious gardens in the country.

“This 2009 exhibit shows some of what makes South Africa the third most biologically diverse country in the world and really captured the imagination of the judges and visitors at the Chelsea Flower Show,” said designer David Davidson. “To be able to show it on home ground is such a wonderful opportunity and we look forward to welcoming many visitors to the garden during the week it is shown.”

Small entry fee

“Although we did not have a sponsor this year for the exhibit to go to London or recreate it here, the popularity of this event spurred us on to find a solution. We did not want to disappoint our loyal visitors so took the decision to charge a small entry fee to cover some of the expenses,” said Kirstenbosch curator Philip le Roux. “The public demand cannot be ignored.”

Details: Chelsea Flower Show exhibit on show at Kirstenbosch on the Marquee Lawn (top gate) Saturday, 3 to Sunday, 11 October.

The Garden is open from 8am to 7pm and entry is: R35 for adults, R20 for students, R10 for scholars (between six and 17) and free for children under six. Entry to the exhibit R10.

For further information, go to the Kirstenbosch What's On page www.sanbi.org.