City of Durban Exhibit at the 2008 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

eThekwini Municipality has for the second year in a row won a Silver Gilt Medal for it's exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show in London of which it can be very proud. The theme of the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show was Gardening for Climate Change. Members of the eThekwini Municipality Parks, Leisure & Cemeteries Department went over to London to build the stand. Francois Lenferna, horticulturist with the Department, who was responsible for the design of the exhibit came up with a very innovative design.A modern gazebo, consisting of three tiers on a veranda area. Structures captured water that ran down living pillars, watering flower pots on the way down. This water then seeped into other flower beds, thus making full use of the trapped rain water, which finally drained down the pillars The deck of the gazebo was made out of recycled plastic and two chairs were created out of old car tyres. Both dry and tropical plants were used in the display, demonstrating the movement of plants from desert and dry areas to areas with lots of rain. All plants in the display were indigenous, which included five species of cycads, many aloe varieties from around KwaZulu-Natal with the main feature plant being Euphorbia Ingens. Raised beds created height within the design and allowed for isolated watering of specialised plants. The use of ferns, intertwined with Gloriosa Rothchildiana dripping down the pillars, softened the feature. Said Christo Swart, Deputy Head, Parks, Leisure & Cemeteries, "Once again our stand created tremendous interest amongst the exhibitors, with particular attention given to our selection of plants and the innovative design of the gazebo. We were honoured to have Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visit our stand for the second year running. Durban can be very proud of it's achievements at this year's show."
The Durban Botanic Garden is a 15 minute walk from Gibela Backpackers Lodge. Leaving Gibela Backpackers Lodge, you will walk along Cowey Road, where you will pass L'Espresso Coffee shop, Woolworths Food Store, Fruit and Vegetable Market and Bread Ahead Bakery - all you need to stock up on some nice goodies to sit back relax and enjoy a picnic at the bird pond in the gardens. SEE YOU SOON !!!