May 18, 2026 - 223 views
A pair of intrepid North Wales plant hunters who were robbed by machete-wielding thugs in Guatemala have been given a royal seal of approval.
For decades, the remarkable story of Sue and Bleddyn Wynn Jones has unfolded far from the spotlight – in the remote mountain passes, dense jungle trails and hidden valleys across the world.
But on Monday, June 29, viewers of the popular S4C gardening show, Garddio a Mwy, will get a rare glimpse into the extraordinary world behind one of Wales’ most celebrated nurseries.
From Buckingham Palace to the wild forests of Vietnam, the couple behind Crȗg Farm Plants Nursery near Caernarfon have spent a lifetime collecting rare species and bringing them back to North Wales.
Their work has now earned a Royal Warrant from King Charles, recognising three decades supplying plants to Buckingham Palace and the royal estates including Balmoral and Sandringham.
The forthcoming episode of Garddio a Mwy, filmed by Caernarfon-based television production company Cwmni Da, follows presenter Meinir Gwilym during a visit to the nursery.
Sue said: "We were delighted to receive news of the Royal Warrant. We are the only plant nursery in Wales to have such an honour and there are currently only 14 other businesses awarded the warrants in Wales.
"We have done a lot of work in supplying many of the Royal gardens. The head gardener at Buckingham Palace would come here to pick up plants and when we went to a garden party in the palace grounds we were able to see our plants growing. It was a great thrill.”
In contrast, some of the couple’s other stories involve real danger and jeopardy.
During their scary encounter with the machete-wielding robbers in Guatemala, Bleddyn recalled how the gang tapped their blades against him while hidden accomplices lurked in bushes nearby.
The thieves stole cameras, watches and equipment before ransacking their vehicle.
In Mexico, soldiers manning roadside checkpoints quietly emptied their vehicles of valuables and when the pair later reported the theft to police they were threatened with arrest themselves.
Over 35 years, Sue and Bleddyn have travelled Asia, the Middle East and South America searching for species capable of thriving in the British climate.
They have discovered hundreds of previously unknown plants and introduced more than 4,000 cultivars to the UK. Among them was a remarkable new lily species and a potentially entirely new genus in the witch hazel family, causing a stir among botanists around the world.
Sue added: "In the early days there were no mobile phones, no internet, no GPS mapping and everything was arranged through letters, phone calls and word of mouth. During our trips we have met some wonderful people and made lifelong friends."
Back at Crȗg, those discoveries transformed what was once a 200-acre beef farm into a horticultural treasure trove that’s legendary among plant lovers.
Garddio a Mwy presenter Meinir Gwilym said: "As someone who loves gardening and plants, and has lived in the area for years, I am of course familiar with the work of Crȗg Farm. But I had never had the opportunity to go there to chat with Sue and Bleddyn until I went there for the filming of Garddio a Mwy.
"Crûg Farm is a treasure, and each plant has its own history and story. For Sue and Bleddyn, all the plants are a reminder of where they were collected, and of the people they had met along the way.
"It was also a privilege to chat with such knowledgeable and experienced horticulturists. The fact that plant collectors formerly known as Crȗg are located here is undoubtedly a feather in the cap of North Wales - and brings credibility to horticulture in Wales as a whole!"
Garddio a Mwy co-producer Euros Wyn said the item on Crûg Farm Plants will appear in the programme due to be broadcast on Monday, June 29.
He said other programmes in the next few weeks will include a visit by co-presenter Adam Jones to St Fagan’s National Museum of History.
“It’s a large estate, and Adam was intrigued to see how the gardens there are managed. People tend to concentrate on the architectural heritage aspect of the museum, which is rightly lauded, but the gardens, such as those of the famous terraced row of houses from Rhyd-y-Car, and the rose garden of St Fagan’s Castle surely deserve some of the limelight?
"Also in the same programme, guest presenter Rhona Duncan, who has a shop in Cardiff called Blasus Succulent Emporium, shows us how to re-pot a house plant – which is always a handy skill to have if you own a slightly tired looking house plant. It might simply be that it’s outgrown its current pot.
"We’ll also be at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd in mid-July. As Adam is the show’s Director of Horticulture, we thought it made perfect sense that he presented the programme, to be shown on the 27th of July, from the Horticulture Village itself. And of course, we’ll no doubt be featuring some of the excellent produce on show."
Garddio a Mwy is broadcast on S4C on Monday evenings at 8.25pm. The programme will be available on demand on S4C Clic and BBCiplayer and other platforms. English subtitles are also available.
