Sep 2019 - Lowveld

Painting
flowers
WITH
Having won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show for six years running,
Leon Kluge’s successful career in show gardening sees him jet-setting from
China to France, Singapore to the United States, showcasing African flora.
We meet up with him on a rare visit to Mbombela to find out what it
takes to produce winning floral displays.
Text: LINDI BOTHA. Photographer: BELINDA ERASMUS
We sit under a tree in
the Lowveld Botanical
Garden, watching as
the finishing touches
are being put onto his display for
the Innibos Arts Festival. Leon has
succeeded in bringing a part of his
winning exhibit from the Chelsea
Show to the Lowveld - the only
place outside of England where it
can be seen.
This remarkable privilege bestowed
upon Mbombela is fitting, as his
father was once the curator of the
botanical garden. “I grew up in this
garden. We used to go on hikes every
weekend and I don’t think there is
a trail in the Lowveld we haven’t
walked. My favourite is Fairy Land
close to God’s Window. There is a
spectacular array of plants there that
most people don’t even know about,”
says Leon.
He divulges that staying inspired to
create winning exhibitions requires
spending as much time in nature as
possible.
“You have to hike to find new plants.
If you are not big on walking you
won’t succeed in creating inspirational
landscapes.”
Of inspiration, there is much to
be had in South Africa’s rich floral
diversity. As such, the Kirstenbosch
National Botanical Garden has won
gold at the Chelsea Flower Show
an astonishing 37 times, the last six
years being through Leon’s leadership.
This year’s exhibition was titled
“Mountains of Abundance” and featured
a cornucopia of proteas, aloes
and indigenous grasses.
“Africa always seems to be on the
back-burner - but not in this sphere.
There is only one exhibit representing
our whole continent and it is
one of the most popular exhibits
at the show, and the biggest within
the grand marquee. People stand in
queues for hours to see our proteas,”
Leon proudly states. As the only
person in Africa who does show
gardening, Leon carries the continent’s
responsibility with gratitude
and humility. “Show gardening is
extremely important to the horticultural
sector. What the Milan runway
does for fashion, gardening shows do
for horticulture.
“I love the drama of show gardening
and how everything comes
together in a wave of colour. We
set new trends in gardening, introduce
new plants and colours, and
ultimately convince nurseries to stock
new varieties of plants.”
Attaining his position has been a
lifelong dream. With green fingers
running in the family, Leon’s foray into
the horticultural world was inevitable.
“I never dreamt of being a fireman,”
he laughs, “my interest was always in
plants. Gardening is in my blood.”
Leon studied landscaping and
horticulture and set his sights on
show gardening, something which
one needs to be invited to do rather
than applying for it. He made his
mark and after winning the Gardening
World Cup in Japan in 2014,
Leon Kluge
38 Get It Lowveld September 2019
September 2019 Get It Lowveld 39