Kirstenbosch aims for gold at Chelsea Flower Show

South Africa's unique flora is a draw card at every Chelsea Flower Show and visitors flock to see the unusual and exotic plants. This year promises to be even more attractive as designers David Davidson and Ray Hudson have once again created an innovative design showcasing our diverse floral heritage.

Launching a Gold Mandela medallion

The exhibit documents scenic attractions of the south-western Cape coast and interior extending into Namaqualand and the semi-arid Karoo and onward to the northern provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

For the second year the South African Gold Coin Exchange is the major sponsor of the exhibit. Chairman of the SA Gold Coin Exchange and the Scoin shops, Alan Demby, is delighted at the synergies that being a sponsor has brought.
"As a sponsor of last year's exhibit, we were delighted that the team won yet another RHS Gold Medal at Chelsea. We also learned that a Strelitzia at Kirstenbosch is named after Nelson Mandela with the moniker Mandela's Gold. We are launching a limited edition Gold Mandela medallion featuring the portrait of Mandela on the obverse and the Strelitzia on the reverse. Let's hope that this will create as much awareness of South Africa's flora and fauna as Mandela has done for numismatics in South Africa," Demby said.

Ecosystems provide benefits

Dr. Tanya Abrahamse, CEO of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is enthusiastic about this year's exhibit. "Biodiversity is our natural capital; it is the extraordinary variety of life, such as plants, animals and insects that are the foundation of ecosystems which provide people with benefits. From ecosystems we derive essential goods and services, such as food, water grazing, pollination, fish and medicines. Our ecological infrastructure is an extremely valuable national asset, and we embrace the opportunity Chelsea affords us to highlight this."

Over the past 36 years the SA exhibit has notched up 31 Gold medals, two Silver-Gilt medals and three Silver medals, as well as numerous other special awards for outstanding contributions, including the Lawrence Medal in 2006 for the 'Best Exhibit shown to the Society' in that year and was the first recipient of the new 'President's Most Creative Award' in 2008.