Wednesday’s Club Night Lecture was a true double act: Christine and Keith Hayward co-presented an interesting glimpse behind the scenes at Hampton Court, revealing the pitfalls and triumphs of exhibiting their Cannas in the Floral Marquee. They hold the UK National Collection of Cannas, and have been exhibiting in the Floral Marquee since 2003, winning  Gold (2016), Silver Gilt (2017) and Gold (2018) medals. Along with pictures of the strict security, celebrities and of course their beautifully designed stands, we enjoyed plenty of anecdotes, tips for growing cannas and a fascinating diversion to Argentina, one of the places where Cannas grow in the wild. All this against a background of beautiful flowering cannas of many different colours and shapes, which Christine and Keith had brought along to sell. There were also plenty of leaflets with information on canna plants.

Any members who missed this entertaining lecture are welcome to visit the open day at their location at Wisley during the August bank holiday weekend, where they are holding a trial of many of the 75 varieties of Cannas shown in their catalogue for online sales. More information at   http://www.hartcanna.co.uk/ and  http://www.canna-trial-international.com/