A Global First for Karoo Gems

How do you transport an entire Karoo succulent garden to the United Kingdom? 

One ancient rock at a time … 

It began with a vision. Koos Bekker wanted something extraordinary for the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a bold, breathtaking tribute to the arid expanse known as the Karoo. From the quiver tree forests of Nieuwoudtville to the gravel plains of the Knersvlakte, the idea was to replicate the heart of South Africa’s arid biomes in the soft English spring. 

On 3 July 2024, the project took root. Months of planning, permits, plant passports and paperwork followed, and soon a monumental feat in botanical storytelling was underway. 

A Garden of Firsts 

This extraordinary exhibition garden is the result of a partnership in plantsmanship between Babylonstoren’s succulent experts under the leadership of Ernst van Jaarsveld, and Katie Lewis, landscape architect at our sister estate, The Newt in Somerset. This will be the first Chelsea Flower Show garden dedicated exclusively to Karoo succulents – and, as Ernst reminds us with a smile, to rocks too. “People underestimate rocks.” 

Set on a generous allotment measuring 15 x 45 metres and rising 3 metres high, the garden will feature a stark, sculptural landscape in dramatic contrast to the verdant displays Chelsea is famous for. But unlike other show gardens, it is non-competitive. It is purely an exhibition: immersive, interactive and deeply educational. 

Stones, Soil & Succulents 

The Karoo Succulent Garden will incorporate three to four indigenous biomes, with an emphasis on the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes, both globally recognised for their resilience and biodiversity. The Nama Karoo biome is a dryland biome of dwarf shrublands and hardy grasses, while the Succulent Karoo biome is a biodiversity hotspot, teeming with endemic plant life, particularly succulents. It borders the Fynbos biome – with a few representative specimens included – as well as the transitional thickets of the Eastern Cape, home to hardy Euphorbia species (noors plants or spurges) and spekboom (Portulacaria afra), also known as pork bush or elephant’s food. 

The garden’s foundation is shale. Katie fortuitously managed to locate grey shale in the UK that perfectly matched the Malmesbury shale of the Karoo. Authenticity was non-negotiable: massive rocks ranging from 15 million to over a billion years old were meticulously shipped by sea, along with smaller stones that were washed and dried by hand to ensure no insects tagged along on their journey. Stones and rocks were selected to partner indigenous plant species, as they would in nature.  

Precious Cargo 

More than 120 indigenous species will be displayed, including 13 quiver trees – three of which are mature adults. Four separate airfreight shipments carried these living treasures, each lovingly packed in cloth, space blankets and shade cloth before being crated and sent to The Newt in Somerset.  

There, they’re acclimatising in heated glasshouses, awaiting their moment in the London spotlight. “We’ve got a FaceTime meeting scheduled with our quiver trees at The Newt on Wednesday,” says Cornell Beukes, assistant to Ernst, with an almost parental tone. 

Botanical Diplomacy 

To add to the numbers, Karoo succulents sourced from British horticultural collections will stand proudly beside their newly imported kin. And if all goes to plan, some 2500 Livingstone daisies (Cleretum bellidiforme) will burst into bloom just in time for the show – a riot of colour against a canvas of shale, stone and spindly spines.

This is not just a garden. It’s a celebration of arid beauty, of survival against the odds, of rock and root and resilient growth. “It is a very different kind of landscape to what the English are accustomed to,” adds Ernst. Shades of shale and ancient rock confront the absence of bright green, while the stocky succulent shapes require a closer glance to reveal their geometric otherworldliness. 

It’s the captivating Karoo – wild, ancient and resilient – blooming in the heart of England.

QUIVER TREE FACTS 

• South Africa is home to three species of quiver tree: 

Aloidendron dichotomum – the iconic quiver tree. 

Aloidendron ramosissimum – the smaller, shrub-like maiden’s quiver tree. 

Aloidendron pillansii – the critically endangered giant quiver tree. 

• Named for the quivers (arrow holders) the San people made from its hollow branches. 

• Grow in the desert regions of northwestern South Africa and central to southern Namibia. 

• Can live up to 200 years and grow as tall as 9 metres. 

• In quiver tree forests, trees are typically spaced 20–40 metres apart to maximise access to sunlight, water and nutrients – essential for survival in arid conditions. 

Visit the Karoo Succulent Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London from 20 to 24 May 2025.  

Visit Babylonstoren in May and June to view our annual succulent exhibition in the Puff Adder walkway.