Gardener Adam Jones has been appointed as new Director of Horticulture for the Royal Welsh Show.

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society is delighted to announce the appointment of Adam Jones (Adam yn yr Ardd) as the new Assistant Honorary Director of Horticulture at the Royal Welsh Show.

The promotion of horticulture is one of the Society’s key charitable objectives and plans are underway to establish a new Horticultural Village at the 2024 Royal Welsh Show, celebrating all aspects of horticulture in Wales.

To help deliver this vision, the RWAS has appointed Adam Jones as the new voluntary Director of Horticulture to take a lead on the section. The role will involve overseeing the development of the new horticultural village, liaising with key stakeholders, and bringing exhibitors and sponsorship opportunities to the Royal Welsh Show.

The renowned gardener from Carmarthenshire, known as Adam yn yr Ardd, will be a familiar face and voice to many. Adam has developed a large following on social media with over 26,000 followers on Instagram (@adamynyrardd). Adam is also a children’s gardening book author, and regular guest on BBC Radio Cymru and S4C programmes Prynhawn Da and Heno.

Adam began gardening when he was only three years old following his grandfather’s gardening delight. Now, with more than 20 years of gardening experience, Adam advocates organic and nature-friendly gardening and strives to encourage and enhance biodiversity, working with schools and community groups. 

“When the RWAS Chief Executive and I met Adam, we were both hugely impressed by his energy and vision,” commented Show Director, Richard Price.

“Adam has so many fantastic ideas to make the horticultural section an interesting and vibrant area. We are looking forward to working with Adam, and our team of volunteers and stakeholders from across the industry to bring the new horticultural village to life in time for next year’s Royal Welsh Show.”

“I am delighted to be offered this fantastic opportunity to work with the Society and excellent individuals from across Wales to realise the potential of the new horticultural village,” said Adam.

“I support wholeheartedly the vision to inspire, educate and collaborate and this will prove crucial in re-igniting the prestige of the horticultural section as an integral part of the show.

“I’m really looking forward to encouraging a new generation of exhibitors and growers to compete and celebrate their work, with a big focus on education. The opportunities to work together with groups across Wales and promote horticulture are endless.

“The horticultural section has a long and rich history of showing Wales at its very best on an international stage and we now have a golden opportunity to develop and celebrate Welsh horticulture further.”

Adam will be joining in at the upcoming Winter Fair later this month as a guest speaker during the new educational programme ‘Our Land / Ein Tir’.