There’s nothing quite like the Chelsea Flower Show to put the world’s most beautiful blooms in the spotlight—but this year, it was a proudly South African shrub that stole the show… and a little fox’s heart.
At the centre of South Africa’s dazzling, Gold-winning exhibit stood none other than Rooibos. Yes, the same beloved tea that’s brewed in mugs across the country was reimagined as both a botanical feature and a storytelling element. Over 25 000 stems of vibrant fynbos—including Rooibos in its natural shrub form—transformed the space into a slice of Cape mountain magic. And as if that weren’t enough, the designers took it a step further: they actually brewed Rooibos to tint the exhibit’s winding streams a warm, golden amber.
Those streams, designed to echo the tea-stained waters of the Storms River and other Cape mountain catchments, flowed through a rocky canyon carved into a mountain of Proteas, complete with waterfalls and dramatic, cliff-hugging plants. It was wild, it was theatrical, and it was authentically South African.
But then came a twist straight out of a fairy tale. As night fell over the Chelsea grounds, a furry little visitor appeared: a curious fox, lured by the gentle scent and warmth of the Rooibos-steeped water. Night after night, he’d tiptoe through the garden, sipping from the stream under a blanket of stars. By morning, only his dainty pawprints remained—proof that he’d been enchanted by the Cape’s magic too.
“Watching nature respond so instinctively to something so proudly South African—it was a moment of pure wonder,” says award-winning garden designer Leon Kluge, who led the team behind this extraordinary display. “It reminded us that when we create from a place of authenticity and deep respect for nature, even the wild shows up to say thank you.”
The showstopper display, the biggest South Africa has ever staged at Chelsea, was a vibrant ode to the country’s biodiversity. From the tough, rugged beauty of the Cape fynbos to the lush, dramatic flora of KwaZulu-Natal, it celebrated the unique collision of two mighty oceans. Think dazzling Disa orchids, fiery flame lilies, delicate blue Streptocarpus and cheerful Christmas bells, all sharing the same fantastical stage.
And while the Gold Medal was a proud win for South Africa, Leon is quick to share the credit: “Huge thanks to the Grootbos Foundation, Hazendal Wine Estate, Southern Sun and every single farmer and farmworker who made this dream possible. This gold belongs to all of us – and to the fox, who clearly knows a good cuppa when he finds one.”
