Cape flowers bloom at Chelsea
20 May 2003
A ton of Cape beach sand was freighted to London to create a sandcastle sculpture of Table Mountain for the 27th Kirstenbosch South Africa exhibit at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show running from 20-23 May.
The "Cape of Flowers" exhibit features a tapestry of coastal fynbos species extending "from the mountain to the sea", complete with bucket and spade, deck chair and umbrella.
The exhibit picked up a silver-gilt medal, ending South Africa's 25-year run of gold medals at the prestigious show.
According to David Davidson, the designer of South Africa's Chelsea exhibit for the past nine years, pristine white sand as found on the beaches of the Cape is impossible to come by in London, and is proving a big lure for visitors to the show.
"Besides being internationally recognised, Table Mountain is also home to some wonderful flora, and we are planning to use endemic Table Mountain species such as the Pride of Table Mountain disa
(Disa uniflora) and the Silverleaf tree (Leucodendron argenteum) as part of the exhibit", Davidson said prior to the opening of the show.
"We will be using flowers from the length and breadth of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which stretches west from Cape Point to Namaqualand and east to Port Elizabeth. Besides the ever popular proteas, restios (Cape reeds) and ericas which make up the Cape's well-known fynbos vegetation, we will also be incorporating Namaqualand daisies (Osteospermum), succulent Karoo plants, and Cape bulbs such as freesias, arums, chinkerinchees and gladioli."
The exhibit is finished off with decorative edging woven from alien plants, made by the government's Working For Water programme.
The plant material remaining after the show will be donated to various botanical gardens in the UK.
The SA exhibit, made possible by a partnership between Old Mutual, the City of Cape
Town and the Western Cape provincial government, showcases the Cape as a prime eco-tourism destination with rich floral diversity.
Alderman Mandlenkosi Sitonga, executive councillor responsible for economic development and tourism, said the exhibit was "not just flower arranging on a grand scale ... It is about the economy of our city and region, the cut flower industry, the bulbs growing, the increasing number of by-products like face creams, health drinks, medicines and crafts, and of course it is about attracting people to come here.
"Kirstenbosch is one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world, and the flower events in and around Cape Town can make Cape Town a 'must' for tourists".
Western Cape minister of agriculture, tourism and gambling, Johan Gelderblom, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity to expose our natural attractions and to show how we use the fynbos sustainably with job creation through production of hand made paper, crafts, herbal teas,
essential oils, etc.
"Carefully managed, the fynbos generates economic development - tourists come to enjoy it, and we export products made from it."
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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