Daleen Roodt joins Chelsea Flowers in Stanford
South African artist Daleen Roodt won three awards at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Botanical Art and Photography Show held in London’s Saatchi Gallery in June. She was awarded a coveted gold medal, as well as two additional awards. Her body of work produced for the RHS show, ‘Orchids: Specialised Pollinator Interactions’ is returning to South Africa and will be on display at the ‘Chelsea Flowers in Stanford’ exhibit, alongside a replica of Leon Kluge’s floral display that received three awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.
South African artist Daleen Roodt won three awards at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Botanical Art and Photography Show held in London’s Saatchi Gallery in June. Credit: RHS/Matt Chung
Disa uniflora with mountain pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia)
The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show is the most prestigious botanical art show in the world. Artist’s applications are only accepted if their work is of excellent quality. Once accepted, artists have a 5-year period in which to prepare and submit their work. Artists must submit six works under a single theme; Daleen’s body of work celebrates South African orchids, a family of highly specialized flowers that Daleen is particularly passionate about. A panel of judges award the participating artists with medals in gold, silver or bronze – an RHS gold medal being a bucket list goal for many artists.
In spite of this being Daleen’s first time exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, her work was very well received. Not only was she awarded a gold medal for her submission, but her artwork “Eulophia horsfallii & Dissotis princeps with carpenter bees (Xylocopa flavorufa)” won the award for “Best Botanical Artwork” and her artwork “Disa uniflora with mountain pride butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia)” won the “People’s Choice Award”, an award based on votes from the public.
Daleen’s win came shortly after landscape designer Leon Kluge received a gold medal for his South African flower display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Followed up by his more recent gold at the Singapore Gardening Show, South Africa is clearly on a winning streak. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve (one of the private sponsors for the SA display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024) is bringing the magic back to South Africa and will be building a full-scale replica of the award winning RHS Chelsea display in collaboration with designer Leon Kluge. Daleen’s winning artworks will be on display in the same venue along with a selection of artwork from the Grootbos Florilegium (a collection of illustrations depicting plants of the reserve). Daleen has also contributed to the Grootbos Florilegium, so it is extra fitting that her work be shown at this exhibit.
Daleen painted the upside-down sandy Cinderella orchid (Acrolophia bolusii) for the Grootbos Florilegium
Chelsea Flowers in Stanford exhibit:
Open from 10am - 6pm from 21 September - 6 October 2024
Door sales: R200pp (children 12 years and under - free of charge)
Online ticket sales via Webtickets: R175pp (children 12 years and under - free of charge)
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1551124585
For more information, contact:
chelsea@grootbos.co.za or call 028 384 8070 during office hours
*Grootbos offers a combination of luxury tourism, conservation, research, art, educational programmes and sports development delivered through the Grootbos Foundation. Any profit generated from the floral exhibit will go to Grootbos Foundation NPC 2003/014519/08.
