a talk by Sue Pinsent.

Sue is the current Chairman of the Hardy Plant Society. 
Her talk enlightened us about the work of the National Body.

Sue structured her talk around the pleasures of being a member of the Hardy Plant Society.

To begin with we were shown historic pictures of some of the founding members and how they spread the spirit of growing hardy plants and their delights. Then moving on to specialist groups, such as conservation and how the Society is helping to conserve the older cultivars. How to contact the local groups and how we could all learn by exchanging ideas -  those that worked and those that did not. Sue touched on many aspects of the Society including publications, seed distribution, shows - the Hardy Plant Society being awarded the Holford Medal from the  Royal Horticultural Society (best exhibit in 2009 by an amateur group - staged at Chelsea) just to mention a few.
A lively discussion followed with members making suggestions as how we might entice more members. Let us hope this combined with the much improved website  www.hardy-plant.org.uk will lead to more discovering how much pleasure we can all get from growing hardy perennials.
At the conclusion of Sue's talk she was presented, by our chair Linda Hall, with some plants born and raised in this fine County of Norfolk, Baptisia 'Nelson's Navy', Kniphofia 'Toffee Nosed' and Nepeta 'Little Titch' and Chrysanthemum 'Buxton Ruby'