Welcome to our 2017/8 list hope we can tempt you with plenty of our old favourites as well as some exciting new plants that we have searched out on our travels.
2016 started at full speed for us yet again January into February had Sue and I back in Colombia for our second winter/early spring expedition there. We certainly have developed a soft spot for the country, from only exploring about a third of it and just hope it all holds together there to give us the opportunity to carry on. Our hosts there have been tremendous, we are so fortunate to have such close family ties. Again we were able to investigate some remote areas that would have been impossible just a few years ago. The autumn saw the start of our quest around the Mediterranean and beyond for Ruscus in its more than the few species and forms we are led to believe exist. Which carried on through most of 2017 taking us to many new and interesting areas. Vietnam has also featured strongly over the past year, I was invited in the spring to join an international team headed by the University of British Columbia,investigating the biodiversity of Y Ty in the extreme north. An area I first discovered in 2003, which has become a focus for collectors after the discoveries I made there.The object of our work was to obtain protection status for the area, which I am really pleased to announce has just been granted in late 2017.
Reluctantly we have taken the decision that flower shows such as the February Show at Vincent Square are far too expensive for us to attend. Our speaking engagements were rewarding in many ways especially when it gives us the opportunity to cart a van load of plants along with us. The Boconnoc Show in Cornwall really gave us a boost, even if it was soggy. Then over in County Wexford on route to the Fota Show, which took us by surprise, at one point we were fearful that there wouldn’t be anything left for the show. May found us helping out a young couple who stuck their necks out by building an un-sponsored Fresh Garden. It was so rewarding to see the public reaction to an inspirational and truly original design. Back to back was our next event the very first North Wales Garden Festival, where another good friend Roy Lancaster performed a characteristically enthusiastic grand opening. Soon after we were in Italy with Rosie Atkins and her husband Eric, being entertained by another dear gardening friend, when the bombshell of Brexit hit us. Only the success of the heroic Welsh Football Team was capable of cheering us up. As it may come about that Brexit will close us as we have become so heavily dependant on exporting to the EU. The restrictions as they stand would impose draconian penalties on trading, to a level we would not expect the gardening public to be aware of (until it is too late).It must have been August when we were finally able to take up Arabella Lennox Boyd’s long standing invitation to visit Gresgarth, again with Rosie and Eric. The stamina of that Lady really does shine through in the energy that has been directed at that inspirational garden. Then it was back to Italy for yet another Murabillia Flower Show in Lucca, sloping off to Sicily for some collecting. Returning to the mainland to accept another invitation, to stay with Ursula Salghetti Drioli in Boccanegra,the infamous Ellen Willmott’s Italian garden. And on it went with another visit to La Mouissone where our dear friend and self confessed Hardy Perennial Maggie entertained us royally. Living close to the infamous Dino also has its benefits.
On it went on our return, with more speaking engagements, with the highlight of the Mount Stewart Collectors Weekend, where we met up with Roy and Sue Lancaster as well as Dan Hinkley. Leaving home not long after for more collecting in Morocco and southern Spain. All in an effort to see as many variations of Ruscus, a project that I have immersed myself in.
Please note our OPENING HOURS reflecting the need to open our gates earlier in the day for visitors staying locally. As always all the details of our opening hours are on the left hand panel of this site. For those of our customers who are unable to visit the nursery we are offering an online shopping experience, with deliveries throughout the UK and EU, from https://mailorder.crug-farm.co.uk/ . Where there are search facilities by many criteria (i.e. colour), as well as by plant name, while indicating availability, pot sizes and prices. Our new carrier, DelSol (APC) offer an overnight fragile service, which should have your plants delivered in fresh condition before 5.30 pm the following day to dispatch (UK). Unfortunately since the demise of City Link none of the national carriers will accept anything over 1.2 m tall, unless on a pallet then it is still only 2 m. Our carriage charges are by the box, (volume not weight) hence please consider ordering enough plants to fill a box, rather than one plant as the carriage charge would be the same. There is no minimum charge for the plants purchased. For additional queries on plant availability etc contact Sue at mailorder@crug-farm.co.uk . We try our best to reply to any queries, a brief e-mail can be the surest way of a prompt reply. For any other information click onto the appropriate tabs on this page, where there is additional information on our events, accommodation and some seasonal plantings.
Collector’s References
These combination of initials and numbers are accession numbers that are assigned to collections we and others gather from wild populations from all over the world. These are assigned to each collection as they are made to enable interested parties to track their origins.
B&L C.D. Brickell & A.C. Leslie
BSWJ Bleddyn & Sue Wynn-Jones
BWJ Bleddyn Wynn-Jones
CWJ Finlay Colley & Bleddyn Wynn-Jones
DJH Daniel J. Hinkley (followed by country and year code)
EDHCH Eric Hammond China 1997
FMWJ A. Floden, T. Mitchell & B. Wynn-Jones, Vietnam 2011
GWJ Sally Goddard, B. & S. Wynn-Jones
GUIZ Guizhou Expedition (1985)
HWJ Crûg-Heronswood Joint Expeditions, Vietnam
HWJCM Crûg-Heronswood Joint Expedition, E. Nepal 1995
HWJK Crûg-Heronswood Joint Expedition, E. Nepal 2002
KR Keith Rushforth
KWJ Crûg-World of Ferns Joint Expedition Vietnam 2007
MF Maurice Foster
MF Maurice Foster
NMWJ Taiwan National Museum of Natural Science, Bleddyn & Sue Wynn- Jones
Joint expedition Taiwan 2015
PBR
Pascal Bruggeman
RH M. Rickard & R. Hayward
RWJ Crûg-Rickard’s Ferns Joint Expedition to Taiwan 2003
SEP Swedish Expedition to Pakistan
WJC Crûg-Rare Plants Ireland Joint Expedition Sikkim 2013
WWJ Peter Wharton & Bleddyn Wynn-Jones, Vietnam 2006-7
Yu Tse-tsun Yu
Abbreviations
aff. affinity to (bearing a similarity to)
cf. compare to
etc additional collections available
f. forma
sp. species
ssp. subspecies
× hybrid
v. variety