Kings Park and Botanic Gardens win again at international Chelsea Flower Show

23/5/00

Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes today announced that Kings Park and Botanic Garden has again won the prestigious gold award at the international Chelsea Flower Show in London.
This is only the second time that Kings Park has entered the event and both times it has received top honours. In 1997 Kings Park won gold for a display of Western Australian wildflowers.
"This second award cements the international success of the Kings Park and Botanic Garden team," Mrs Edwardes said.
She said twice achieving international success at the Chelsea Flower Show would boost knowledge and recognition of our natural environment, encourage Western Australia as a tourist destination and promote wildflowers in the European market.
"Some 200,000 people at this year's show will have seen the display and international media have shown a unique part of our environment to the world," Mrs Edwardes said.
"This year the Kings Park team presented 300 indigenous plants in a landscape of Toodyay rock, red soil and a boab tree to represent our arid regions. The plants on show include the natural "bonsai" of arid regions, banksias, northern annuals and desert peas.
"The central theme of the display is indigenous plant usage and the indigenous plants on show were specially grown at the Kings Park nursery to ensure they flowered out of season for this auspicious show.
"They include fruits - like red and yellow quandongs used to make jam, zamia fruit and toxic scarlet nuts of the macrozamia cycad which the Aborigines render harmless by soaking them in running water - now out of season but collected months ago and frozen so they could be used at Chelsea.
"Aboriginal presenters were on hand to tell visitors how these plants were used, to show them food preparation and demonstrate skills like didgeridoo playing and boab nut carving."
Mrs Edwardes congratulated the Kings Park and Botanic Gardens staff for their efforts in not only showing Western Australia's unique flora and landscape but for representing the nation.
Visitors to the Chelsea show have been fascinated by the red sand and open character of the Western Australian display which contrasts dramatically with the neighbouring exhibits of roses, herbs, greenery and pastel hues of European plants.
The display, named the Centenary of Australian Federation Display, was a forerunner to July's Australia Week in London marking the centenary of the British Government's passing of legislation enabling Australia to achieve federation.
The gold awards at Chelsea follow award-winning performances at Japan Flora 2000 in Awaji Island, near Osaka, where Kings Park has won 3 gold medals in the first of three rounds of judging and 15 medals in the second phase. The third round will be judged in September.
Media contact: Steve Manchee on (08) 9421 7777