Introducing Canna 'Forbidden Love'

Released in 2005 by Mr Brian Williams, the well known Canna hybridiser from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, was Canna 'Forbidden Love'.

Brian confirmed that "This is a great bloomer, which grows to 5ft tall with large colorful blooms. The flowers are orange with streaks of pink and white, with some yellowing as well."

Dry rhizomes for sale

The dry rhizomes are now in the shops, and this reminds me of an item in the Canna presentation that Keith and Christine Hayward deliver to gardening clubs, garden centres etc.

Keith always asserts that when you buy a packaged dry rhizome you always get three things:

1. a name
2. a picture
3. a rhizome

And the only thing that you can be sure of? None of them will match!

That certainly seems the case with the one on the left above. Canna 'La Gloire' is a medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; bronze foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; round stems, coloured purple; flowers are open, self-coloured apricot, staminodes are large, edges irregular, labellum is apricot, petals purple, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Vilmorin-Andrieux, France, EU in 1920.

The one in the picture looks like a red, and it certainly is not apricot. So, it waits to be seen if the rhizome matches the above description, or is something totally different.

Cynically, I am tempted to add that you always get a fourth item - Canna virus!

Club secretary's or garden centres in the South of England wanting an interesting presentation should contact Keith and Christine at Hart Canna.

Introducing Canna 'Borneo'

Mr Johnny K. Johnson of Kentucky, USA introduced four new varieties in 2003, the last ones he introduced before retiring from hybridising Cannas after suffering a heart condition. Amongst those introduced was Canna 'Borneo'.

Mr Johnson described it as having "Flowers that are fuchsia with rose spots. Foliage is medium dark with bold stripes which rival canna 'Red Stripe'. Very bold flower and foliage. Excellent! It is fertile both ways and 4' (130cm) tall."

Gamma rays to improve Thai crops

Thai farmers could soon be using gamma rays to produce better plant breeds, a nuclear scientist said yesterday as she accepted a coveted national award.

Siranut Lamseejan of the Gamma Irradiation Service and Nuclear Technology Research Centre (GISC) said she and her collaborators at the Ministry of Agriculture were well on their way toward making the technology available to farmers.

Siranut, 60, was presented the Nuclear Society of Thailand's Best Nuclear Scientist award yesterday in recognition of her considerable success using gamma rays to improve important characteristics of economically valuable plants.

She used the occasion to point out that nuclear technology is uncomplicated enough that any farmer could make use of it.

"Once we combine the technology with the farmers' own skills in conventional plant-breeding, new varieties of plants with the desired characteristics could be developed," Siranut said.

She has devoted more than a decade to increasing the genetic diversity of plants using gamma rays. She has created chrysanthemum flowers (Chrysanthemum moriforium) in at least six colours and canna (Canna generalis) in various forms and colours.

Twenty new canna variants have been named, registered and released internationally as products of Thailand, Siranut said, adding that a new rust-tolerant variety of soy bean was also a result of her work.

Siranut said gamma irradiation causes mutations in the plants' rhizomes to produce desirable characteristics. The mutant strain's shoots are then planted under greenhouse conditions to determine the appropriate soil conditions for their cultivation.

"It is not only genetic engineering [GE] that can produce new varieties," Siranut said. "Nuclear technology can do the same and, most importantly, no alien species would be introduced to the original species, which is a worry with GE."

She said farmers could bring their plants to be irradiated at the GISC, then select those with the specific characteristics they need for their land.

Article by Pennapa Hongthong

Plant Breeding & Genetics

New Agriculturist

Introducing Canna 'Wander Lust'

Mr Johnny K. Johnson of Kentucky, USA introduced four new varieties in 2003, the last ones he introduced before retiring from hybridising Cannas after suffering a heart condition. Amongst those introduced was Canna 'Wander Lust'.

"The flowers are rich pink with a quarter inch gold edge. Foliage is green.", was how Mr Johnson described his creation. He commented that Mr Donnie Hallman had said "This is one of my favorite pinks. It blooms when other cannas stop in the summer heat. This plant loves heat. Gorgeous!"

"It is fertile both ways. 4' (110 cm) tall.", concluded Mr Johnson.

Dry rhizomes, judge year 2

I have sometimes watched as keen gardeners plant their packaged, small dry rhizomes in early spring, they grow them on but express disappointment at the end of the season, complaining that while they had grown and flowered, there wasn’t the theatre effect that they had been led to expect from the Canna legend.

What we have to remember is that the rhizome is the sole source of energy for two separate things, not only the stem and flowers that you can see, but also a totally new rooting system. That is why small rhizomes that have dried often have a disappointing first year, any attached roots are certainly dead and useless, I always remove them altogether. The rhizome will start throwing more shoots once it has a root system to provide water and minerals, plus the required 6 hours of direct sunlight. The interaction of the rich canna foliage with light produces energy, the starch machine takes over and the starch is stored as new rhizomatic growth.

I suggest that at the end of the season, the plants should be dug up and stored with soil or compost as a clump, so that most of the root system can survive the winter as well. Then, when you have separated and planted them next season in fresh, well fertilised soil stand back quickly, while the Canna starts to perform as only Canna can!

So, my advice to anyone buying dry, packaged Canna rhizomes is to treat the first year as a growing and bulking exercise, enjoyable as that is, then pass judgement in the second season.

Introducing Canna 'Bubblegum'

Mr Johnny K. Johnson of Kentucky, USA introduced four new varieties in 2003, the last ones he introduced before retiring from hybridizing Cannas after suffering a heart condition. Amongst those introduced was Canna 'Bubblegum'.

Mr Johnson commented that, "The flowers are pink with an almost lavender overlay. Foliage is green. Sylvia Thomas came up with this name, which is a perfect description for this plant. Very pretty and unique! Fertile both ways. 4' (110 cm) tall. "

Size does matter

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of bulb size (10, 15, 20, 25 cm) on growth and yield characteristics of edible canna (Canna edulis) in Jeju region, Korea Republic, from 20 May to 24 Nov. 2003.

Plant height increased from 78.8 to 129.1 cm as bulb size increased from 10 to 25 cm. Leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves, tillers and bulb per plant and stem diameter followed the same trend as plant height response. Fresh matter yield increased from 29.0 to 91.1 MT/ha as bulb size increased from 10 to 25 cm. Fresh weight of above-ground organs and bulb yield showed the same trend as fresh matter yield.

Comment: So, there we have. That big juicy rhizome we instinctively reach for is going to produce a larger, stronger growing plant than the left-overs, often used as the seed rhizomes for the next year.

Reference:
English Title: Effects of bulb size on agronomic characteristics and yield of food canna in Jeju Island.

Personal Authors: Cho NamKi, Song ChangKhil, Jo IkHwan, Kang BongKyoon, Cho YoungIl, Ko MiRa, Park SungJun

Author Affiliation: Dept of Resources Science, College of Agric. & Life Sci., Cheju National University, Korea Republic.

Document Title: Journal of the Korean Society of Grassland Science, 2004 (Vol. 24) (No. 2) 123-128

Introducing Canna 'Katana'

When discussing his architectural specimens, the American Canna hybridist Brian Williams confided that "These are not the regular cannas most people look for but I find them useful and thought I would offer them in the spring. I use these varieties as a back drop for my other cannas. Tall growing with flowers held high above the foliage, they all of these are 7ft tall and up." Amongst these cultivars he includes Canna 'Katana'.

Mr Williams stated, "This canna grows to about 7ft tall with dark purple to maroon leaves. The flowers are a peach color with yellow streaking. It is self cleaning and produces tons of flowers. "

Fertilizers and crop rotation

Most people think of Cannas as being just a flower... wrong! Canna is an agricultural plant that has been recruited into floriculture. No vegetable gardener worth his salt would ever dream of growing a crop of root vegetables, which is what Canna is, in the same ground for a second year, a good farmer or gardener rotates his crops.

Monoculture, the continual growing of a single crop on the same ground, supported completely by chemicals has become questioned in recent years. It is true that vineyards, and orchards are examples of successful monoculture, but plants as greedy as Canna do not fall into the same category.

Crop rotation or crop sequencing is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same space in sequential seasons for various benefits such as to avoid the build up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped. Crop rotation also seeks to balance the fertility demands of various crops to avoid excessive depletion of soil nutrients. Crop rotation can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.

A low nitrogen level will leave Canna foliage with yellow striata, and slow its growth rate. Phosphurus helps with the transformation of solar energy into chemical energy; proper plant maturation; withstanding stress. Potassium helps in the building of protein, photosynthesis that keeps the foliage a consistent green, and reduction of diseases. As can be deduced from that, deficiencies in theses basic macronutrients can result in unhealthy plants with effects that can be mistaken for Canna virus. Those are only the three primary nutrients required for healthy plant growth, and many others are required in sufficient quantities to provide healthy, vigorous growing conditions.

Crop rotation is also used to control pests and diseases that can become established in the soil over time. Plants within the same taxonomic family tend to have similar pests and pathogens. By regularly changing the planting location, the pest cycles can be broken or limited.

Cannas grow remarkably quickly, and to do that they require great supplies of both nutrients and minerals. A good canna crop means that the soil is now stripped of most food and minerals. It needs a way of being replenished. Of course, in a small garden, you can swap Cannas from one bed to another, or even swap the soil between the beds, enriching it at the same time. Farmyard manures is the traditional preferred choice, but for those who do not access to that, then there are many safe packaged alternatives.

When making a fertilizer selection, remember that it is not only nutrients, mainly the big three of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but also the neglected calcium, magnesium and sulfur, and also the trace elements that are necessary in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of the Canna, i.e. iron, manganese, boron, copper, molybdenum, nickel, chlorine, and zinc.

In fact, there are 72+ biological trace elements in all, and many people are concerned about the historic agricultural focus on the big three elements, as over time, their residues turn into salt and eventually make the soil sterile and un-arable. Millions of acres in North America and elsewhere have already become too salty to grow anything. It is a huge problem, compounded by damaging 'fertilizer runoff' into our rivers and water tables. Such a 'complete spectrum', 72+ trace element fertilizer can be easily obtained from seawater, since the seas contain all of the 92 elements of the Earth in suspension. Fertilizers based on seaweed are particularly efficient at restoring many of the missing, ignored trace elements.

A green manure, ready for ploughing into the soil, about 3 weeks before planting with Cannas

Also, in the northern climates, one method of assisting is to take advantage of the 5-6 winter months when Cannas are safely indoors and the land lays fallow, just growing some tough old weeds. The technique is to grow a green manure crop over winter, which can be ploughed back into the ground come the following spring. This enriches the soil, interrupts the pest cycle, with the added benefit of suppressing weeds over the winter months. Combine that with mulching over the Canna growing season and you can be on your way to providing perfect conditions for growing perfect Cannas.

After thought:
Linus Pauling, winner of 2 Nobel prizes, stated: "You can trace every sickness, disease or ailment in the human body to a mineral (trace element) deficiency." Surely, that applies to our Cannas as well?

Introducing Canna 'Porcelain Petals'

Mr Johnny K. Johnson of Kentucky, USA introduced four new varieties in 2003, the last ones he introduced before retiring from hybridising Cannas after suffering a heart condition. Amongst those introduced was Canna 'Porcelain Petals'.

Mr Johnson stated that, "Flowers are cream to yellow with a pink to rose center. When fall arrives, the flowers even turn totally pink. Foliage is green. Very compact plant. Very pretty. Fertile both ways. 3' tall."

I have described it as a small Premier Group cultivar; green foliage, broadly oblong shaped, white margin, upright habit; round stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are open, cream with a pale pink blush, throat pale pink, staminodes are large, edges irregular, petals purple, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average.

Proving to be a force as both a seed parent and pod parent, producing many interesting new seedlings.

Entered in the 2008 International Canna Trials.

Low Cost - Indestructable - Plant Labels

Keeping a large collection of plants permanently and clearly labelled can be an expensive task if you are fortunate to have access to metal mass produced labels on a long wire leg.

Here in Australia, we cannot obtain these, so make do with dinky white plastic nursery ones designed for pots that only have a lifespan of two years. Our high UV radiation fades any permanent inks or chinagraph pencils in less than a year so constant re-applying of the name is necessary and they become brittle at the same time unless one sinks the label into the ground where it is protected but not visible. Added to this we have a mischievous bird population that consider it a challenge to pull up labels and drop them wherever they tire of the sport. The parrots will just chomp them into pieces. Then, I tend to forget they are there and stomp on them, snapping them off when galloping across the garden beds in hot pursuit of weeds and snails.

Some gardeners write plant names in plastic house paint on bricks or rocks. It's very effective as a label. Unfortunately the garden then resembles a cemetery. Could be handy if you are into mourning deceased plants.

Many years ago I tried engraving plant names on aluminium strapping 2.5 Cms (1") wide with one pointed end which was pushed deeply into the ground. Those very rigid labels are still as sound and clear as a bell to read, but quite vicious to ones legs and ankles when weeding. I have the scars to prove it! They are also fairly expensive to make as the piece of aluminium strip needed to be 25-30 cms. (10-12") long to foil the birds. To read the label one needs to lay on the ground or heave it our and ram it back into the ground after perusal.

The problem has had my mind spinning for many years. I've tried numerous devices. I even cut, sharpened and painted 400 wooden stakes an aesthetically pleasing green and wrote the plant names in house paint. I hammered them in with a sledge hammer. They didn't look too bad, but I've lost count of the times I've tripped and fallen over them and eaten dirt. I don't bounce like I used to. Alas the termites or rot had them tumbling over in a year if I hadn't beaten them to it. The paint didn't protect them one jot.

I've finally devised an inexpensive solution to the problem: An aluminium strap name tag dangling on a length of heavy gauge galvanised soft fencing wire pushed deeply into the ground. It's flexible if bumped when weeding, unobtrusive, will last for years, portable if I move rhizomes, bird proof, can be tucked into the clump yet found easily and, important in my case, can easily be straightened if stomped upon by a bovine escapee. Ever tried to find a plastic label that has been driven deeply into wet earth by a bull's hoof?

Requirements:

• Lengths of aluminium strapping about 2 cms (or 1" wide if you are not on metrics) which comes in 1 or 3 metre lengths (1 or 3 yards). You can buy it narrower if that is more aesthetically pleasing and you are dexterous with an engraving tool, but I'm ham fisted and have aging eyes so the wider lengths suit me. It is more economical to buy the longer lengths. A metre length should cost around AUD$2.60 (EUR1.60, USD$2.30), and will make 7-10 labels. The longer the lengths of strapping, the cheaper per metre (yard). Note: quite successful for use instead of the strapping are old metal venetian blind slats. These have the advantage of being obtained free from the local garbage dump.
  

• An engraving tool. A Dremel (see below) with a flexible arm is good but expensive here in Australia. A cheaper alternative is an engraving tool designed for marking household appliances. (AUD$15-A$20). Aluminium is comparatively soft so not hard to engrave. I prefer a plug-in engraver rather than a battery operated one.
  

• An electric drill with a drill bit that is designed to poke holes in metal as opposed to one for drilling wood.
  

• A pair of tin snips.

• A pair of stout pliers for cutting lengths of wire and bending the loops on which the labels hang.

• Quantity of heavy gauge galvanized "soft" fencing wire. Note do not use "High Tensile" wire. It is way too difficult to bend into a loop and usually only available in lighter gauges. Pre-used wire from an old farm fence is fine as long as it is not rusty which will shorten its lifespan. You can also purchase this at large hardware chains in shorter lengths than farmers use.

Method:
Study the first illustration so you know what you are aiming to produce.

With a pencil write the plant name on the aluminium strip. After three or four labels you will have the hang of the engraving process and pencilled names will not be necessary. Engrave the plant name on the aluminium strip. You can put accession information on the back if desired. With the engraving tool mark where the hole for the wire hanger will be close to the top of the label. This helps centre the drill when the time comes to use it. Work your way along the aluminium marking the end of each label with the engraver and the dot for the hole on the next label with the names engraved between. This way you can tailor each label length to the plant name.

When you have finished engraving, separate each label with the tin snips and drill the hole for hanging. At right are labels cut from 1 metre of aluminium. I like my engraved letters large so I can read them without scrambling for my reading glasses. And just think - I'll have braille labels when I'm blind! You could make them smaller and neater than mine.

Decide how tall you want your labels to stand. Measure a length of wire that distance then add 20-30 cms (8-10") for inserting into the ground and the same again for forming the bent top of the wire hanger and the future loop on which the label is to hang. The top measurement is arbitrary depending on your personal preference of how far out of sight you want the wire to nestle amongst your plants. Leave the future loop open. Thread the label onto the topmost bend in the wire and squeeze gently shut with the pliers so that the label is not clamped tightly but remains free swinging but safe from removal by birds or garden visitors. This will save your shins from scratches from a rigid label. Perfectionists could grind off the sharp corners on the labels. I just want to get the job done fast, so don't bother with the grinder.

If you wish the names to be more visible and the shine to be taken off the aluminium, you can rub green or black plastic house paint over the label with an old rag. Wipe off most of the paint from the surface leaving the bulk of it lodged in the engravings. The atmosphere will soon do the same thing without the mess if you are patient.

This is a good job to fill long winter evenings or days too hot to venture outside. Be warned the engraving tool is noisy so the use of ear muffs is advised. The Dremel is much quieter to use. If you don't know what a Dremel is check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dremel

Introducing Canna 'Sunburn'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured burnt-red, throat canary-yellow with burnt-red spots, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, labellum is canary-yellow with a wide burnt-red margin, stamen is gold with a wide red margin, style is gold, petals red, not self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured pink and purple; tillering is average.

Introduced by Malcolm McFarland in 2006 and offered for trial in the 2008 International Canna Trials.

Visit Malcolm's Canna Blog

And the heavens opened again

The River Severn in Worcestershire, England has broken its banks again, and another few weeks of rain are forecast. The soils in the areas not flooded have also reached their limits for absorbing water, and everything that comes down from the heavens is now run-off water.

Rivers, streams, drains, gulley's and ditches are not dredged or cleaned anymore, so we face many weeks of flooding, flash-floods and general chaos.

As the county braces itself for more rain and floodwater continues to rise across Worcestershire, many families are facing devastation for the second time in just months.

Hundreds of Worcestershire families are still living in caravans or temporary accommodation since floodwater devastated their homes in July.

With more bad weather predicted, the Environment Agency has warned that river levels are yet to peak, urging people to be vigilant and move valuables upstairs and vehicles on to higher ground.

But for some they can only watch as the water once again laps towards their newly-decorated homes.

At this time of the year, I would normally be making preparations for the coming Canna season, but that is totally out of the question for the time-being.

Claines Canna Catalogue for 2008

The 2008 Catalogue for Claines Canna is available on their web site for download as a pdf file. If you have a slow download, then write for a free CD instead.

The Claines Canna new releases for 2008 have been registered with the KAVB, and the plants that are available for sale have been recorded with the RHS Plantfinder Guide for 2008.

We can all only hope for a good growing year in 2008.

We will not be selling dry rhizomes this spring, as we cannot be sure which plants were suffering as a result of the stress caused by last summers weather conditions, and those that may have virus.

So, we have to get the collection back into shape again after the most fearful weather attack in the last 150 years. Then, we may be selling growing plants from May onwards. Sorry if its inconvenient, but we have no alternative, as we do not believe that anybody should be selling Canna knowingly infected by Canna virus.

We will report here on the blog how we progress.

Claines Canna web site

Introducing Canna 'Prelude'

Developed 2006, Crozy type. Flowers are pale apricot, faint ivory margin, some spotting towards centre. Foliage is plain green, grows to 100cm.

Parentage: C. 'Annjee'(C. 'Una' x unknown) x C. 'Cardinal'.

Intoduced by Bernard Yorke, Australia.

Visit Bernard Yorke's Canna Biz

Canna virus identified in 1928

Sydney Percy-Lancaster

"An Indian Garden", 1928

This is a quote from the book, "Cannas frequently show a wonderful streaking and striping on the petals, resembling the "broken" Tulips. If transplanted to fresh ground this variegation disappears and the bizarre effect is lost. As it has lately been discovered that breaking of Tulips and other flowers is due to a virus disease, Cannas probably are similarly affected. There does not appear to be any cure except changing the site and destroying the stock if the plant is badly diseased."

Comment:
There we have it, Canna have suffered with virus for at least eighty years. So why has it suddenly grown out of control? Well, the use of the WWW has meant that more people around the world are now in contact with each other, and there has been a gigantic increase in the exchange of rhizomes. Could it be that over a period of time different varieties appeared that prospered in a given climate, and although the virus is present its effects are not noticeable. However, when grown in a different climate the effect is to make the virus more virulent? Purely speculation, of course.

Introducing Canna 'Polonaise'

Developed 2006. Flowers are heavily margined with yellow, flowers are a magenta /like shade, somewhat loose petals, small spotting from centre, plants grow to 100cm, foliage green.

Parentage: C. 'Annjee'(C. 'Una' by unknown) x C. 'Cardinal'

Introduced by, and submitted to the 2008 International Canna Trials by Bernard Yorke, Australia.


Visit the Bernard Yorke Canna Biz

A Sahib's Manual for the Mali

A SAHIB’S MANUAL FOR THE MALI
Everyday Gardening in India.
By Sydney Percy-Lancaster.
Edited by Laeeq Futehally.
Published by Permanent Black, Delhi 2005.
ISBN: 81-7824-100-5.

This book is a compilation of Percy Lancaster’s monthly bulletin ‘Garden Chat’, which was produced in Delhi from 1949 to 1952. The last British Superintendent of Horticultural Operations; Lancaster was a dedicated gardener, who had published several other works on gardening in India.

Introduced by Sydney Percy-Lancaster and named for his father

Although intended primarily for people gardening in the Delhi area; it has much that is applicable to many other parts of India, and selected articles from this scarce magazine are here republished for the first time, offering a fascinating and still useful glimpse of Indian gardening in a more leisurely age.

Also, to be remembered, is that the Alipore Canna Collection was founded in 1894 by Mr Lancaster's father and was expanded and popularised by Mr Lancaster in his many published works.

For gardening enthusiasts with an interest in exotic gardening, this makes an interesting winter read, combining both good gardening advice and a little social science.

Introducing Canna 'Mazurka'

Developed 2006. Crozy type, height to 110cm. Flower cream to yellow with pink shading from centre,foliage green. Large heads of blooms which appear too heavy for the plant.

Parentage: Orchid(C. indica purpurea var 'Red Stripe' x C. ' Pretoria') x C. 'Cardinal'. The indica parentage has created a sturdy grower.

Introduced by Bernard Yorke, Australia.

Visit Cannas by Bernard Yorke

Eden Project

The Eden Project is a large-scale environmental complex in Cornwall, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located 1.25 miles (2 km) from the town of St Blazey and 3 miles (5 km) from the larger town of St Austell.

The complex comprises a number of domes that house plant species from around the world, with each emulating a natural biome. The domes are made out of hundreds of hexagons plus a few pentagons that interconnect the whole construction together; each of these is a transparent cushion made of tough plastic. The first dome emulates a tropical environment, the second a warm temperate, Mediterranean environment.

The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by the architect Nicholas Grimshaw, the project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.

At the bottom of the pit are two covered biomes:

• The Humid Tropics Biome, which is the largest greenhouse in the world, covers 1.559 hectares (3.9 acres) and measures 180 feet (55 m) high, 328 feet (100 m) wide and 656 feet (200 m) long. It is used for tropical plants, such as fruiting banana trees, coffee, rubber and giant bamboo, and is kept at a tropical temperature.


• The Warm Temperate Biome covers 0.654 hectares (1.6 acres) and measures 115 feet (35 m) high, 213 feet (65 m) wide and 443 feet (135 m) long. It houses familiar warm temperate and arid plants such as olives and grape vines and various pieces of sculpture. The Outdoor Biome represents the temperate regions of the world with plants such as tea, lavender, hops and hemp.

Comments: For visitors to the Canna Trials 2008, this spectacular attraction is close to the Lost gardens of Helligan, and combined with a visit to 3-4 exotic nurseries could provide a pleasant excusion away from London.

References: See Wikipedia 'Eden Project'

Star of the Day: Canna X 'Van Houttei'

Revelling in our current prolonged heatwave with the past eight days averaging 40 degrees C, (104 F), is one of the very early (1850s) hybrid cannas that was raised purely as a foliage plant to be grown in conservatories. It shows no sign of fading or blemishing in the blast furnace temperatures we are currently experiencing. It has however finally decided to that it's hot enough to unfurl its leaves.

Canna X 'Van Houttei' is a stunning foliage Canna unlike anything else available today. It has dark red stems, not burgundy or maroon. The big leaves grace what promises to be a tall height plant, of around 2 metres. The old literature informs that it reaches 6.5 feet and has large, (for the time when it was raised), well formed, poppy red blooms. Robinson, in his Sub Tropical Gardening published in 1879, says it is vigorous and hardy. I suppose he means hardy to cooler climates so now it looks as if we can add that is hardy to extremely hot climates as well. He adds that the rhizomes are grey, long and cylindrical. Which I vaguely remember is correct.

The undersides of the broadly lanceolate leaves, which are held on show, are the glistening colour of fresh liver. The upper surfaces of the leaves are duller and of a dark green, rayed along the veins and blushed with dark burgundy. The leaves are about 75 cms. (2.5 feet) in length. The underside is definitely more red than the maroon or brownish-green seen with most of the other dark foliaged cannas. The leaf colour shrieks its presence, putting my other dark foliaged hybrids to shame. I do hope it flowers for me as I would like to play around with some seedlings from this one.

It all seems a little ridiculous when one becomes so excited about something that was bred nearly 160 years ago. Makes one wonder what we have lost in the interim.

Here is another photo taken a week earlier than the one above. It is very slow to take off into full growth as can be seen by the surrounding cultivars in the stockbeds that were planted at the same time and have already finished their first flush of flowers. Both photographs are completely untouched apart from resizing and in no way has the colour been altered. What you see is what you get with this treasure.

'Van Houttei' has not reached maturity yet but looks already dominates the stock beds by the very vibrancy of its leaf colour. The leaves appear very large for the height of the plant and are daily increasing in size as it strives towards the first flowering. Hopefully I will be able to post more pictures when it flowers.

This wonderful old cultivar was rediscovered in an old garden in Victoria, Australia by Raelene Cowan who very generously gave me two rhizomes, for which I will be eternally grateful. Malcolm Dalebo provided invaluable help with identification. It really is unique and he tells me it was not very hard to pin this one down with three separate descriptions. We are fortunate that very early hybrids were exceptionally well documented with detailed botanical descriptions - far better than those which flooded the market after M. Crozy made his breakthrough with the larger flowered cannas.

References:

E. Chaté et fils, Le Canna, 1866.
Nicholson's Dictionary of Gardening 1887.
Robinson's Sub Tropical Gardening 1879.

Introducing Canna 'Margaret Strange'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; dark foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are medium size; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured pink and purple; tillering is average. Introduced by James Ranger, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, EU and also entered for trial in the 2008 International Canna Trial.

Lost Gardens of Heligan

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall, are one of the most popular botanical gardens in the UK. Originally the gardens were part of the estate owned by the Cornish Tremayne family. After the First World War, which led to the deaths of 16 out of the 22 gardeners, the gardens fell into a state of neglect until Tim Smit and a group of fellow enthusiasts decided to restore the garden to its former glory. Their attempt proved to be an outstanding success, not only revitalising the gardens, but also the local economy around Heligan by providing employment.

The gardens now boast a fabulous collection of aged and colossal rhododendrons and camellias, a series of lakes fed by a ram pump over a century in age, highly productive flower and vegetable gardens, an Italian garden, and a stunning wild area filled with primaeval-looking sub-tropical tree ferns called "The Jungle", see photo. The gardens also have Europe's only remaining Pineapple Pit, warmed by rotting manure, and two figures made from rocks and plants known as the Mud Maid and the Giant's Head.

The style of the gardens is typical of the nineteenth century Gardenesque style, with areas of different character and in different design styles.

Note: We bought one of our first Cannas from here, it had grown outdoors for over seventy years before the gardens were civilised again.

Visitors to the Canna Trials 2008 might consider visiting this unique garden, although it is a day away from London. There are many other gardens and exotic garden nurseries in the neighbourhood as well.

Stars of the Day: The Yellow Italian-types 'Austria', 'Asia' and 'Burbank'.

In 1895 when Carl Sprenger of Dammon & Co., in Naples, Italy, distributed his radically different "orchid flowered" cannas with Canna flaccida in their ancestry, they startled the gardening world. Never before had such huge Canna blooms been seen. They were bred for use in glassed conservatories and never claimed to be excellent open bedding plants.

The modification of anthers into what resembled extra staminodes (those showy parts of a Canna flower that look like petals), created the illusion of a semi-double flower. In fact the old nurserymen describe them in their catalogues as outer petals being such and such a colour and the inner petals (the modified anthers) being of another colour or pattern of colouration. They likened them to large orchids - hence the early epithet. Today they are better described as "Italian-type" cultivars even though the dark foliaged, orange flowered 'Wyoming' and the green foliaged, yellow flowered 'Burbank' we know were bred in the USA by Luther Burbank. He may have bred a few of other red ones that as yet are unidentified, as a couple of good reds were illustrated in his booklet The Canna and the Calla: and some interesting work with striking results. The Italian-type cannas do not set seed and their pollen is only moderately fertile due to different chromosome numbers between the initial cross of C. flaccida with the Crozy-type 'Madame Crozy'. This, plus their modified anthers that resemble extra "petals" distinguishes them from the seed setting Crozy-types.

One of the complaints in the gardening press in the late 19th century was that many of these new cannas were very similar and it was difficult to distinguish between some of them. If it was difficult for gardeners involved in all the excitement of these new releases, it has been even more difficult for researchers trying to unravel them one hundred years later. Slowly scraps of information have been pieced together. Old illustrations have been found, old gardening press articles and many catalogue descriptions sifted through for any crumb that might shed light on which Italian-type was which. The picture is slowly emerging as more and more of these old cultivars turn up and/or we notice that some of them are actually different from each other.

At least one can be confident that any of these big, blowsy, "floppies" with thinly textured staminodes that are constantly turning up in both hemispheres, are not chance seedlings or more recent creations, although Bernard Yorke of Australia has produced F2 and F3 generations in the past year or so, many were not sufficiently different from their pollen parent to be released and those that are being released exhibit few of the original Italian-type ancestor's characteristics. The window for the orchid-flowered canna's creation was brief and well documented. It can be placed between 1895 and 1905 in Italy and the USA. We also know that only two hybridizers worked with the difficult C. flaccida. Here in Australia we have quite a few of these old beauties still thriving. Most have long lost their names or acquired new ones.


The yellow coloured Italian-types have proven particularly difficult to differentiate, but at least three of them have been identified. These are 'Austria', 'Asia' and the USA bred 'Burbank'. Their patterning of spots never varies, unlike the chameleon-like yellow and red cannas that boast loud splashes and splodges of red patterning on a yellow ground such as 'Bavaria', Britannia', 'Allemania' etc., and even 'Italia' which is the most stable in flower patterning of that colour type yet still displays occasional variations.

To be found growing absolutely everywhere in Australia is Canna X 'Austria'. (Sprenger, Italy). (Erroneous synonyms: R. Wallace, Richard Wallace, Lemon Gem etc.) This Canna has tall, bright, apple-green, broadly lanceolate, upward pointing foliage. The acid yellow flowers open their faces upwards and are crowded on their stems. The throat, modified anther and base half of the lip is lightly lineally spotted with pale red which instantly fades to a pale brownish orange on exposure to sunlight. Each flower only lasts a day or two and is bleached white by strong sunlight. The lip is sometimes split and often entire. You usually have to grasp the stem and tip it forward to actually view the centre patterning. A real star gazer. For this reason the central spotting is often entirely ignored in some old nursery catalogue descriptions.

The plant is a profuse increaser with very tight tillering and quickly forms tall, massive, crowded clumps. Very easy to identify even when not in bloom by the distinctive foliage and habit.

Not so easy to identify is the very similar Canna X 'Asia'. (Sprenger, Italy). The spotting in the centre is almost identical to 'Austria', being closer to orange than red, but the blooms are better distributed on the head and some face outwards. The shape is distinctly like a Cattleya orchid with the lip cocked up a little at the outer end where 'Austria' is flatter and reflexes slightly. 'Asia' has a split lip (seen in the photo at right), as do many of these Italian-type cannas but may occasionally be found with an entire lip free of the end notch.

The greatest difference is in the foliage. 'Asia' lacks the bright apple-green leaf colour, being what might be termed light green. The leaves are broader, held at about 45 degrees and their outer half is lax and droops a little. It does not increase as rapidly as 'Austria' yet increase is satisfactory.

Tillering is longer so the clumps do not appear as crowded. Overall, the appearance of the clump is more pleasing than 'Austria' due to the better spacing between the stems and at least the lower flowers in the head of blooms try (not very successfully) to look at the viewer. Flowers do not bleach out in sunlight as badly as 'Austria'. 'Asia' is quite rare here probably due to it being not quite as drought hardy. The broader, openly held foliage would transpire moisture more quickly than the narrower, upright foliage of 'Austria'.

I found my clone growing in an old municipal planting in shallow water retained on the top of that ghastly solid black plastic weed suppressor. It enjoyed permanent water provided by the sprinkler system, deep shade from nearby deciduous trees, and grew at the base of an old water tower. It's only food source being the decomposing spent leaves from the previous season and any decomposing mosquito lavae that didn't make it to adulthood. It had colonised the entire plastic ground cover making it a cinch to liberate a small piece. It is now thriving in good soil but I suspect it might be even happier back in its old swamp.


Head and shoulders ahead of the previous two as a garden star is Canna X 'Burbank'. (Burbank, USA). Strangely, Luther Burbank in America was experimenting with the same Canna cross breeding at the same time as Sprenger was flicking C. flaccida and 'Madame Crozy' pollen around in Italy. I suspect, from Burbank's notes that he may have taken his experiments a generation or two further than Sprenger before he was satisfied with the outcome. He mentions that it was almost impossible to breed F2 and subsequent generations and so the process of improvement was very slow.

Canna X 'Burbank' is extremely beautiful. The yellow colouration of the blooms is indistinguishable from Sprenger's two, but the red spotting in the centre is darker and heavier and there is a hint of red blushed on the stigma. It produces a lot of pollen and is well loved by the bees. Flower shape is more even and rounded than either 'Austria' or 'Asia', due to broader staminodes . The flowers are pleasingly arranged, gazing outwards all around the head and free from crowding. They last longer than those of 'Austria' and fade to white before browning off or shrivelling of the edges of the blooms. One more often sees multi-coloured heads of yellow and white. The red spotting shows little evidence of fading, remaining distinct and bright for the life of the bloom. Another tall grower, yet one does not need to grasp the stem and bend it downwards to see the true beauty of the blooms and the highly visible red patterning is invariably mentioned in the old catalogues.

The foliage is mid-green, very broadly spoon-shaped and large, One could almost describe it as massive for this type. All but the terminal leaves on a stem arch pleasingly outwards and have a lax tip. Tillering is good with well spaced stems and the whole quickly bulks up to make a large clump without galloping off into the neighbour's backyard. It is not as drought tolerant as 'Austria' and is harder to find. The foliage badly pictured on the left was taken in furnace-like 42.8 degrees C. (109 F). Humidity was 30%. It shows remarkable hardiness for a "conservatory" plant. Perhaps Burbank employed a criteria for thriving both indoors and out in a hot climate (California). Rhizomes are stouter than the previous two yellow cannas. All have white rhizomes.

References:

Burbank, Luther. The Canna and the Calla: and some interesting work with striking results. Paperback ISBN 978-1414702001
Burbank, Luther. The Training of the Human Plant. Century Magazine, May 1907.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burbank

The first Canna cultivar

Théodore Année, a wealthy, retired French diplomatic agent in America, returned to France in the mid 1840's and settled in rue des Réservoirs, Passy, Paris, where he devoted himself to the culture of tropical plants from South America, having brought back with him the taste for plants with beautiful foliage, especially the Canna genus. Passy is now an exclusive area of Paris, France, located in the XVIe arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is traditionally home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. At the time of Année settling there it was still a separate commune, not becoming part of Paris until 1860.

Canna innovation

At that time in Europe, Canna species were confined to botanical gardens, cultivated in greenhouses, and their custodians hardly dared to expose them to the open air, because of their tropical origins.

It was in 1846, that Année, who had brought back from South America a collection of Canna species, trialed a solid mass of Canna in open ground. The two species which he trialed were Canna indica and C. glauca, (aka C. nepalansis). The manner in which they flourished under the northern temperate climate of Passy exceeded his expectations. They flowered abundantly, which allowed him to try the first artificial insemination made on the Canna genre. He applied pollen from C. glauca on to C. indica; and it is the offspring of this crossing that first flowered for Année in 1848. The resulting F1 hybrid was called Canna 'Annei'.

Monsieur Année then spent the next six years bulking-up the new hybrid until he was ready to introduce it to an amazed Parisian society. The popularity of the plant was such that it was stated that 20,000 tufts of Canna 'Annei' were used in displays in Paris in 1861. He was rapidly joined by many other enthusiasts and professional horticulturists as Canna hybrids enjoyed rapid popularity in France, and later the rest of Europe and North America. Amongst the professionals was the rose breeder Monsieur Pierre-Antoine-Marie Crozy of Avoux & Crozy, La Guillotière, Lyon, France, who first started hybridizing Cannas in 1862, and who went on to become the greatest of Canna hybridists.

Canna cultivation

Monsieur Chaté, the author of Le Canna published in 1866, stated of Année that he was, "A happy, skilful hybridiser, he operated on a great scale and thus became the creator of all the most beautiful varieties of the floral trade. All the amateurs and horticulturists who occupied themselves with foliage plants visited his garden, which he filled up each year with seedlings of Canna. We, (the firm of E. Chaté et fils) owe him the majority of our successes. It is thanks to his councils and his friendship that we delivered to the trade so great a number of Canna innovations, and which enabled us to write this work."

Monsieur Année then spent the next years creating many more cultivars, until retiring to Nice, in Southern France, in 1866. Fittingly, his last Canna cultivar was named C. 'Prémices de Nice'.

References

• Chaté, E. - Le Canna, 1866.
• Cooke, Ian. 2001. The Gardener's Guide to Growing Canna, Timber Press. ISBN 978-0881925135
• Khoshoo, T.N. & Guha, I. - Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas. Vikas Publishing House.
• Percy-Lancaster, S., An Indian Garden. 1927.
• Robinson W., The English Flower Garden, John Murray, Albermarle St, London, England. 1883.
• Robinson W., The Subtropical Garden, John Murray, Albermarle St, London, England. 1879.

External links

• https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/documents/canna03.pdf

Introducing Canna 'Carolina Gold'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; dark foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured purple with white farina; flowers are open, self-coloured gold, staminodes are large, edges ruffled, labellum is gold, stamen is gold, style is gold, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by Donnie Hallman, Deerspring Nursery, South Carolina, USA. The breeding is Canna 'Rosy Lear' x Canna 'Louis Cottin'.

More on Canna virus

Canna Trials were held in 2002 at the Royal Horticulture Society. The trials were the first occasion that the prevalence of Canna virus was made known to the general public.

Published in Proceedings of The Royal Horticultural Society for that year, is an interesting Canna reference. It states that at a committee meeting held on the 19th November 2002, a committee member stated that the canna virus was less apparent during September and it seemed to be more prevalent where the soil was poor.

This confirms our own experiences at Claines Canna, and it provides us with several possibilities.

The first possibility is that many Canna cultivars suffer stress in northern latitudes, and this results in foliage markings that are the same visually as the effects of various viruses. We saw evidence of this during this last summer, when we had record rain and flooding, and also saw very little direct sun-light. Cultivars that I am convinced are virus-free produced foliage that could easily be confused with virus contaminated foliage. The vocabulary of Canna is very limited, and this is not surprising.

Secondly, there is a viewpoint advocated that much of the worlds Canna is contaminated, but good growing conditions can conceal its presence. That theory could also be confirmed by our own summer experiences if we accepted that hypothesis.

It seemed at one time this year that horticultural authorities were prepared to spend money on research at the UK Science Laboratory, but news from that quarter has become scarce. Therefore, it looks like we will face 2008 in the same sorry state of ignorance, with each of us just doing the best we can.

References:
2002 Proceedings of The Royal Horticultural Society

Introducing Canna 'Golden Orb'

Canna 'Golden Orb'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage; flowers are open, golden yellow, staminodes are large, stamen is yellow, style is yellow, petals yellow, self-cleaning, good bloomer. Introduced and submitted for trial in the 2008 International Canna Trials by James Ranger, England.

Canna 'Roi Humbert' revealed

"The Garden", September 9, 1905, page 154

The Editor's table.

Mr Millar writes from Vomero, Naples:

"I am sending you a flower of the famous Canna King Humbert. I am astonished that I have never read anything about this Canna. It is the most perfect of all in foliage, which is dark red, and the flower is a fine vermilion colour. I have counted on a single plant more than 300 flowers. It was raised by Mr Sprenger, and the whole stock was given to Messrs. Vilmorin-Andrieux and Co., Paris. Have any of your readers tried this variety?"

Comments:

This article is the earliest reference to this great Italian Group cultivar, and adds to our knowledge of that group. The photograph above was taken at a park in Nantes, France, where it has been grown for 100 years.

Thanks to Keith Hayward, of Hart Canna, for sharing this great historical article. Herr Carl Sprenger, who introduced this great cultivar, stated that "It will surprise the horticultural world". Although considered by many at that time to be the greatest Canna of all, the early years of Canna 'Roi Humbert' are vague. It raises questions, like:

• Why wasn't it entered in the 1906/07 Canna Trials at RHS Wisley?

• Why did it take until 1909 to get the RHS Award of Merit?

The article also answers my question as to whether the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, which destroyed much of the Damman nurseries, was the cause of the volatile nature of this cultivar, having been the parent of the chimeric mutation C. 'Yellow King Humbert' . This article was published in 1905, the year before the volcanic eruption, and it states that all the stock had been already been given to Messrs. Vilmorin-Andrieux and Co., Paris, France.

Additional information:

Umberto I, King of Italy or Humbert I of Italy (Umberto Ranieri Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoy), (14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. Canna 'Roi Humbert', aka 'King Humbert', was named for him by Herr Carl Sprenger, a principal of Messrs Damman, Naples, Italy.

Canna 'Yellow King Humbert' is also known as:

• Canna 'Anthony and Cleopatra' - name confined to Europe.
• Canna 'Cleopatra' - the name first appeared in US catalogs in the 1960s, not to be confused with C. 'Cleopatré' which is a Crozy Group cultivar from the 1890s.
  
• Canna 'Fusion' - name confined to eBay in USA.
  
• Canna 'Goldkrone' - confined to Europe.
  
• Canna 'Harlequin' - name appears to be confined to the USA.
  
• Canna 'Queen Helena' - name appears to be confined to the USA.
  
• Canna 'Queen of Italy' - name confined to India.
  
• Canna 'Spanish Emblem' - - name appears to be confined to the USA.
  
• Canna 'Striped Queen' - name confined to India.
  
• Canna 'Yellow Humbert' - first appeared in the 1990s, presumably as a shorthand for the correct name.