2 days ago
A slice of the Karoo in London
Adjacent to the garden, The Newt's tent offered cider tastings, and then the tent that made my heart sing — the familiar blue logo of Babylonstoren, which provided the official rosé for the show. Sipping the 2025 rosé took me to South Africa's sunny vineyards, as hints of watermelon and strawberries delighted the palate.
Congratulations were also due to landscape designer Leon Kluger and artist Tristan Woutberg for clinching both a gold medal and the prestigious Lawrence Medal (awarded to the best floral exhibit across all the RHS shows throughout the calendar year). Their impressive display of 25,000 stems of fynbos celebrated the country's biodiversity, specifically as shaped by the convergence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
The overall feast of 'local is lekker' made this South African rather homesick, but equally, incredibly proud. For those who weren't fortunate enough to see the floral magic in person, the good news is that this will not be the end of the road for the Karoo succulent garden. The display will be transplanted to its final resting space at The Newt in Somerset, open to the public in a few months, where a slice of pristine Karoo wilderness will stand proudly in the UK's veritable garden of Eden.
