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Guatemalan machete gang robbed us at knifepoint, says plant hunting couple

James McCarthyBBC Wales
News imageBleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones Bleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones in tall grass with trees and mountains in the backgroundBleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones
Bleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones have spent their lives collecting plants from around the world, known as plant hunting

A couple who have spent their lives travelling the world collecting exotic plants have revealed they were robbed by machete-weilding gangsters in Central America.

Intrepid adventurers Sue and Bleddyn Wynn Jones, from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, collect species and seeds from their trips to bring back to Crȗg Farm Plants Nursery at Griffith's Crossing.

Their travels have taken them to countries including Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico and Guatemala.

In Mexico, soldiers at roadside checkpoints quietly pilfered valuables from their vehicles - when they reported the theft police threatened them with arrest.

And Bleddyn recalled being threatened with knives on a 2001 trip to Guatemala.

The 77-year-old said: "My experienced guide warned me not to spook them as they literally were tapping us with the blades, while there were more hiding in the bushes who could have had a gun.

"They took my expensive altitude measuring watch and my camera, and moved onto my guide, taking his mobile - and their eyes lit up on seeing his Rolex."

News imageBleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones Bleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones. Sue is stood in front of a boulder and Bleddyn is sat on oneBleddyn and Sue Wynn Jones
While in Guatemala they were robbed by gangsters armed with machetes

The robbers even handed back his digital watch telling Bleddyn: "Gracias, señor.

"The amusing part of it was the Rolex was a fake which he had bought in the local market for a few pounds, while mine was expensive, without being in the same league as Rolex," Bleddyn said.

"Unfortunately, on returning to our vehicle we found that it had been ransacked, with lots of other items stolen."

The couple have discovered hundreds of previously unknown plants and introduced more than 4,000 cultivated varieties to the UK.

Among them have been a new lily species and what may be a new kind of witch hazel.

Sue, 74, said: "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."

Sue and Bleddyn's finds transformed a 200-acre beef farm into a horticultural treasure trove.

News imageRick Matthews A man and two women is stood in a row. The man on the left has grey hair and beard, is wearing a black fleece, and is leaned down, touching a green plant. The woman in the middle has long brown hair and is wearing blue jeans and a brown leopard print fleece. The woman on the right is wearing grey jeans, a check shirt and an orange cardigan. She has short grey hair. They are all stood in woodland with shrubbery around them and are smiling as they look at the camera.Rick Matthews
The couple have introduced more than 4,000 cultivated plant varieties to the UK

The nursery has now been awarded a royal warrant by King Charles.

The business, to feature in S4C's Garddio a Mwy [Gardening and More], has supplied Buckingham Palace and royal estates including Balmoral and Sandringham with plants for 30 years.

Sue said they were delighted to get a warrant.

"We have done a lot of work in supplying many of the royal gardens," she said.

"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."

S4C's Garddio a Mwy airs on Mondays at 20:25. Sue and Bleddyn will feature on 29 June and the episode will be available on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.