Champion vegetable grower Medwyn Williams won his twelfth gold medal on his return to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show after an absence of nine years. The tally is a record for vegetable exhibit.

In the eight months leading up to the show, Medwyn has been working with sponsors CANNA, producer of nutrients and growing media, to develop the biggest and best vegetables.

The winning stand (above) flew the Welsh flag with pride by not only displaying the principality’s ubiquitous giant leeks but by introducing the brand new ‘Y Ddraig Goch’ (or The Red Dragon) F1 hybrid tomato – the first vegetable to have been registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the Welsh language.

A Welsh dragon was carved from vegetables in honour of the Y Ddraig Goch launch, drawing attention from journalists and VIP guests such as Clare Balding and David Seaman.

Medwyn said: “Chelsea is horticultural Olympic Games, so to achieve a gold medal upon my return means a lot to me and makes the months of hard work worth it.”

Other highlights on the stand include another new tomato variety with a Welsh connection, ‘Maisey’ (named after tomato grower Charles Maisey) and a miniature okra, ‘Baby Bubba’, which is only half the size of regular okra plants but produces a hefty crop.