South African landscape designer Leon Kluge has been awarded Gold at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held annually on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. His winning garden was created in partnership with South African institutions and private supporters, including Hazendal Wine Estate.
Kluge’s work forms part of an ongoing curatorial narrative positioning South African botanical heritage within the framework of global-design excellence. This year’s installation drew conceptual and material influence from the biomes shaped by the country’s two ocean systems, the Atlantic and Indian, and the intersection of their associated ecological zones.
Constructed with more than 25 000 stems of fynbos cut flowers, the garden featured a constructed canyon cut through a protea-covered mountain. The installation revealed cliff faces and waterfalls densely planted with indigenous, cliff-dwelling flora. Botanical selections included Streptocarpus dunnii, Disa uniflora, Sandersonia aurantiaca and Gloriosa superba. These are species that reference the gradients of altitude, water access and soil type across South Africa’s eastern escarpment.
To evoke the chromatic quality of Cape mountain streams, water was infused with rooibos. This act of material translation further connected the installation to its geographical origins.
“Kluge’s ongoing relationship with Hazendal reflects a shared curatorial mindset regarding the preservation and presentation of South African botanical and cultural heritage through contemporary design language,” said a spokesperson. “His recent work at Hazendal includes the ‘Between Two Worlds’ installation, a temporary garden work that functioned as a spatial echo of his award-winning 2024 Singapore Garden Festival exhibition. The piece contributed to Hazendal’s broader spatial identity and drew on multiple disciplines to integrate architecture, horticulture and contemporary art.”
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, now in its 112th year, remains one of the most internationally respected platforms for landscape and garden design. It is curated and presented by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and frequently attended by British royalty, industry experts and collectors. Its medal system defines an unofficial canon of horticultural excellence. A Gold Medal positions Kluge’s 2025 garden among the most significant new works in international garden design.
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