A heatwave has arrived!

A summer heatwave could begin with record temperatures on Monday.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes put the odds of exceeding the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK at 7/1.

Thermometers climbed as high as 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in 2003, but that could be beaten this year.

Spokesman Robin Hutchison said: "If the forecasters are to be believed the thermometer could hit treble figures more times than England's batsman this summer.

"A nationwide gamble could seriously burn the bookies and see profits evaporate overnight."

The Met Office has issued a "heat health" warning for this week, with night time temperatures in some areas due to remain as high as 18C (64.4F).

It is expecting some of the hottest days of the summer so far and said there is a 60 per cent chance of temperatures reaching 32C (89.6F).

The Department of Health said the elderly and young children were most at risk from heat stroke in hot weather.

It advised staying out of the sun, avoiding going out in the hottest part of the day and strenuous activities, and drinking plenty of water.

This is what we have been waiting for for the last two years. We have many specimens where we cannot decide if they have virus or are under extreme stress due to the foul weather we have had the last few years. We need a year of good light to establish if they have virus or not.

In the meantime we have watered and fertilized the Canna beds so well that the plants are sitting in a soil soup, so they will have the water and nutrients to get the worlds best starch machine working overtime! Once the heatwave is over we will stop watering and allow the soil to dry out more and allow normal oxygen levels down at the roots. We can only do this as most Canna cultivars have an aquatic ancestor and they are happy to obtain their root oxygen from the high levels of water we have introduced.

Canna 'New Sensation'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, spreading habit; triangular stems, coloured green; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured burnt-red, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, labellum is burnt-red speckled with gold, stamen is burnt-red rayed with gold, petals purple, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple.

Introduced by Marcelle Sheppard, Texas, USA in 1987. Grown out from seed purchased from Parkes as ‘Opera Seeds’.

Marcelles Crinums

Canna 'Pallag Szépe'

A small Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oblong shaped, upright habit; spikes of flowers are open, pink with a narrow light orange margin, throat light orange, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, 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 and pink; tillering is slow.

Raised in Hungary in 1966. The name translates to 'Beauty of Pallag'

A heatwave on its way!

A heatwave alert has been issued by the Met Office in the UK amid warnings of extreme temperatures over the next few days.

There is a 60% risk of a heatwave for Monday and Tuesday with daytime highs in London reaching 32C and remaining warm at night.

NHS staff have been warned to prepare for a surge of elderly and ill patients suffering from the heat.

The Department of Health has also asked people to check up on vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours.

The Met Office has predicted that around the country daytime temperatures could reach 29-30C, with minimum night-time temperatures of 15-18C.

London, the East of England, South West, South East and the Midlands are the most likely to be affected.

Officials had already said this summer may be warmer than the past couple of years.

In the meantime, our Cannas are growing slowly and looking forward to this sunshine boost, just have to make sure that they have plenty of water as well.

The weather predictions above also bring home a Canna message... just enjoying high daytime temperatures is not enough for Canna, and they need high night time temperatures to really thrive and produce the growth that only Cannas can do. We are looking forward to a week of intensive Canna growth, unfortunately the weeds will probably grow just as fast as well!

Canna 'New Dawn'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, branching habit; flowers are pink with a narrow amber margin, throat amber, edges irregular, stamen is pink, style is amber, petals red, 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 white and pink; tillering is average.

Introduced by Marcelle Sheppard, Texas, USA in 1987.

Marcelles Crinums

Canna 'Nero'

A tall Italian Group cultivar; bronze foliage, large, oval shaped, branching habit; round stems, coloured purple; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured orange, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, petals red, fully self-cleaning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific.

The earliest reference to this cultivar is Tropical Plants and Gardening, H.F. MacMillan, 1935.

Canna 'Mignon'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are cupped, self-coloured cerise-pink, staminodes are large, edges ruffled, 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 white and pink; tillering is prolific.

One of the Opera series of Canna bred by Howard and Smith Nursery of Los Angeles, USA in the 1930's.

Canna 'Morwent'

A small Crozy Group cultivar; purple foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured deep-pink, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, 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 pink and purple; tillering is slow.

Introduced by Martin Davis, Gloucester, England, EU.

Canna 'Moonbeam'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, white margin, branching habit; oval stems, coloured green; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured soft yellow, throat some rose spotting, staminodes are medium size, edges ruffled, labellum is soft yellow, stamen is soft yellow, style is soft yellow, petals green with white farina, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average.

An Australian cultivar.

The plant that pretends to be ill

A leaf damaged by mining moths (left) compared to one faking it (right).

A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rain forests of Ecuador. The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.

It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.

The discovery is published in the journal Evolutionary Ecology.

Variegation is familiar to gardeners and affects many species of plant. Variegated plants have different coloured patterns on the leaf surface, produced by a variety of causes. One of the most common is when cells in the leaf lose chlorophyll and their ability to photosynthesise, appearing white. Canna 'Stuttgart' is an example of that type of variegation.

In theory, plants with variegated leaves should be at a disadvantage, because of this restricted ability to photosynthesise. But a chance discovery by a team of botanists suggests this may not be true after all. Instead, some variegated plants may be mimicking illness to avoid being eaten, putting themselves at an advantage.

"I was quite surprised," says Liede-Schumann. She believes that the plant essentially fakes being ill, producing variegated leaves that mimic those that have already been damaged by mining moth larvae. That deters the moths from laying any further larvae on the leaves, as the insects assume the previous caterpillars have already eaten most of the leaves' nutrients.

"The fact that there are both plain green and variegated leaves in the population indicates to me that both are useful in the long-term success of the species," says Liede-Schumann.

The reduction in a variegated leaf's ability to photosynthesise is likely to be more than offset by the benefits of not being eaten, the researchers believe, suggesting that variegation survives in wild plants because it confers a selective advantage.

Based on an article by Matt Walker, Editor, Earth Newsat the BBC.

Canna 'Montaigne'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; bronze foliage, oblong shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; panicles of flowers are open, red with a rose blush, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals purple with farina, partial self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter.

Introduced by H. Cayeux in 1924. Synonym: C. 'Montagne'.

This is a heavy bloomer, even during periods with little direct sunlight. At such times, the weight of the blooms will cause the stem to bend.

Canna 'Mohawk'

A medium sized Italian Group cultivar; dark foliage, large, oval shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured purple; flowers are cupped, self-coloured orange, staminodes are large, edges irregular, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average.

Introduced by Antoine Wintzer of The Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, PA, USA. Listed as early as 1928 in Vaughan's, USA catalogue.

Canna 'Mistress Dread'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, ovoid shaped, white margin, upright habit; panicles of flowers are open, gold with crimson spots, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals green, fully self-cleaning, average bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average.

Sizzling summer IS on its way!

TEMPERATURES are set to soar this week in Worcester, England in what could be the beginning of a sizzling, if somewhat stormy, summer.

Worcester News weatherman Paul Damari said yesterday that temperatures could rise to 25 C (77F) in the city over next weekend with the warm weather staying with us into the beginning of the following week.

Mr Damari said he expected it to be a hot summer although he predicted there would also be heavy storms.

Although Mr Damari said there could be some rain tomorrow he said generally the weather for the week would be warm with temperatures rising to between 21C and 24C (70F and 75F) by Wednesday and Thursday.

He said: “There’s going to be variable amounts of cloud.

"It think it’s certainly going to be beach weather. Although we had those storms where four inches of rain, around two months rainfall, fell in one day, it does not mean the rest of the summer is going to be a washout.

"I will be very disappointed if the temperature doesn’t get in the 90s Fahrenheit (over 32C) at some stage or other this summer."

It is good to see our Cannas growing at a healthy rate, and some fine foliage has already been produced, although some poor leaves were produced during the recent stormy weather.

Climate change causes phosphorus loss

Crop growth, including Canna, can be adversely affected if predicted changes in rainfall patters over the coming years prove to be true, according to research published in the journal Biology and Fertility of Soils.

Scientists from North Wyke Research, in the UK, say they have determined for the first time how the rate at which dried soil is rewetted affects the amount of phosphorus lost from the soil into surface water and subsequently into the surrounding environment.

For those short of biology facts, phosphorus (P) is an essential part of the process of photosynthesis. It helps with the transformation of solar energy into chemical energy; proper plant maturation; withstanding stress. Phosphorus effects rapid growth, encourages blooming and root growth. It often comes from fertilizer, bone meal, and superphosphate.

Dr Martin Blackwell, one of the project leaders, said the study's preliminary results show the changing climate might limit the ability to mitigate phosphorus losses at certain times of the year, especially summer.

"This is really worrying because high phosphorus concentrations in surface waters can lead to harmful algal blooms, which can be toxic, cause lack of oxygen during their decay and disrupt food webs," said Blackwell. "This can also affect the quality of water for drinking and result in the closure of recreational water sport facilities."

Canna 'Melody Dream'

A small Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, spreading habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured pink, staminodes are medium size, 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 white; tillering is slow.

Canna 'Monet'

A small Premier Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured salmon, staminodes are medium size, edges regular, petals purple with farina, 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 white; tillering is slow.

Months rain fell in hours

Dramatic picture of a tornado developing in the sky over Worcester

Nearly the whole of June’s rainfall quota fell within a matter of hours causing flash flooding across Worcestershire. We blogged this event under "The heavens opened".

Within an hour of the downpour starting on Wednesday, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service received numerous calls.

There were reports of manhole covers bursting open, spilling torrents of water onto Worcester roads.

Worcester News weatherman Paul Damari said that 53.4mm (2.1 inches) fell within the space of eight hours.

On average, 57.7mm (2.27 inches) falls here in the whole of June. When combined with the amount of rain that fell last weekend – 48.5mm (1.9 inches) – that means more than June and July’s average rainfall quota has already fallen within the space of a week.

We are supposed to be having a better summer than the last two years, but as yet I am unimpressed.

More on porous hose

Dale McDonnell wrote from Australia to give her opinion on the porous hoses that we are using at Claines Canna, she wrote…

This leaky hose stuff is excellent, but do keep it under a layer of mulch as it breaks down like any rubber product when exposed to direct sunlight.

If placed on top of the garden beds above the mulch, it will only last two seasons here in Australia. Under mulch you should get seven or eight seasons out of it. This hose also slices easily if hit with a fork or spade! Keep a few joiners on hand to repair any accidental demolishing when using garden tools.

It doesn't work very well on a sloping garden bed either. The water all runs downhill and pools at the lowest point.

If you have light, sandy soil, you need to run the lines of leaky hose very closely together (30-35 cms) as the water soaks in rapidly and lateral spread is minimal.

In heavier clay soils the lines of hose can be up to 90 cms., apart. I think the manufacturers say you can lay it 1 metre apart, but for perennial plants, that is just too far. It would be fine for shrubs and trees though.

In my last garden I had miles of the stuff laid and the garden really appreciated the thorough deep soaking the leaky hose provided. Everything responded much better to this method than to overhead watering from sprinklers. The deep soaking at longer intervals, (weekly in hot weather) encouraged the roots to delve deeply down rather than hang about near the surface in the hope of a shower every couple of days.

If you have a largish garden, you can buy leaky hose in 100 metre rolls, which is more economical than buying it in dinky little 20 metre packages from your nursery or hardware store. Use the business listings in the telephone directory to find irrigation suppliers selling poly pipe, or ask the nursery/hardware to order it in for you in bulk.

A trick to bear in mind when using this product is to try and have the hose running in a loop, joined with a "T" join. Attach your water supply to the long leg of the "T". By doing this you even up the pressure in the leaky hose through the entire length of the run. If you do not do this, then the end of the garden bed where your leaky hose has a stop plug, will receive far more water than that nearest to your water attachment.

Do not turn your tap on full blast when using this leaky hose stuff. If you see any tiny fountains blossoming upwards, you know your tap is turned on too much. Over time, you will blow the leaky hose apart, - been there, done that! The hose should just drip and dribble over a long period of around two - three hours.

Unfortunately I cannot use this product here at our new place as we water from irrigation channels and the muddy water clogs up the small pores in the leaky hose.

And then the Heavens opened...

I had just finished planting the last of the Claines Canna collection in their specially prepared beds, when a storm of Biblical proportions arrived. There was thunder and lightning and there was rain in gallon drops, and I am still trying to work out what it means, other than not having to water them in! Was it a warning of things to come or approval of all the effort I had expended?

The hard winter that we experienced meant that about 40 of the varieties making up the collection were not ready to be planted out, and they will now be nursed along in the polytunnel, while the other 200+ cultivars and species are growing in soil that has had much compost worked in and had a good fertilizing with chicken manure pellets. About 40 stock plants were lost to the freezing conditions, a small disaster. Porous hose has been laid in a network all around the beds and each plant will be assured of good watering this summer.

With a good summer promised us by the met office, we are really looking forward to seeing the collection in a healthy, blooming state again after the disappointments of the last two years of flooding and non-stop rain.

Canna 'Michelle M.'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; triangular stems, coloured green; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured rose, staminodes are medium size, edges lightly frilled, petals red, 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 and pink; tillering is average.

Canna 'Meyerbeer'

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; panicles of flowers are cupped, gold heavily spotted with red, staminodes are large, 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 pink and purple; tillering is slow.

David Clulow in Venezuela reports: "I would rate this as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Canna. It has the most incredibly spotted flower in any Genus I have seen. The flowers are huge, open well and are held way above the disease resistant foliage. It is constantly in flower all the year around and everybody who sees it wants it. It is self-cleaning and also an excellent parent both as a female and as a male."

Revisiting Canna 'Italia'

I just had to share with you this superb illustration taken from the original May 1898 issue of "The Mayflower",a magazine that I had not heard of before, but which had 273,082 subscribers that is "devoted to the cultivation of flowers and plants, fruits, vegetables, and to gardening and home adornment in general."

The illustration clearly shows the colouring and shows that the labellum (lip) is almost all red and has that distinctive notch in its irregular edge.

Other contents include articles and information on "Evolution of the Canna", "Cannas Austria and Italia". All round, this is an informative 111 year old gardening catalog for those interested in the history of Canna.

Canna 'Maudie Malcolm'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; round stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured cerise-pink, throat ivory, staminodes are large, edges frilled, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not known if true to type, not self-pollinating, capsules round; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and pink.

This cultivar was introduced by Patrick Malcolm of Ty Ty Plantations, in the South of the USA. Many Canna authorities believe this to be the best pink Canna of all.

Said to be a seedling of Canna ‘Rosenkavalier’, the great pink from Wilhelm Pfitzer, one of the Grand Opera Series as marketed by Wayside Gardens.

Canna 'Maggie'

A small cultivar; purple foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; triangular stems, coloured purple; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured pink, staminodes are medium size, edges lightly frilled, petals red with farina, 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 white and pink; tillering is slow.

We do not know who introduced this cultivar, but it is very popular with persons named Maggie!

Canna 'Mandy Robinson'

A small Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; triangular stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are open, red-orange with a wide yellow margin, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals green, 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 and pink; tillering is average.

Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2002. The breeding is Canna 'Tangerine' x Canna 'Yara'.

Introducing Canna 'Tivoli'

A tall Australian Group cultivar; green foliage, large, lanceolate shaped, upright habit; spikes of flowers are pendulous, deep-pink with a wide ivory margin, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals yellow, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer, blooms open in the evening; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and pink; tillering is average. Introduced by Bernard Yorke, Queensland, Australia in 2008.

When writing, Bernard explained that plants of Tivoli are quite tall, (nearly 6ft) and leaves are obviously related to the pollen parent in that they are long green and quite pointed. However, the plants make a good sized clump quite quickly with foliage all pointing upwards. The rhizomes are not creeping like the pollen parent. Flowers are somewhat pendulous but nicely variegated. C. heliconifolia(Omega) is the pollen parent, "I have had some successes with using a species type as one of the parent plants, but a lot of ‘trashy' ones can result before getting the special ones I am after."

"We are now approaching winter in Queensland, and with a lot of recent heavy rain, rhizomes are already showing new growth from the base, and I haven’t yet cut them back to give the plants a rest for our short winter. I still have a moderate show of flowers in the garden, but as I said earlier, our winters are usually short lived, but with climate change, nothing is the norm any more."

Cannas by Bernard Yorke

Canna 'Madeira'

Photoghraph courtesy of Malcolm McFarland

A medium sized cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, white margin, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, red with a narrow gold margin, staminodes are medium size, 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 white and purple; tillering is prolific.

One of the Island Series, in total there are: C. 'Corsica', C. 'Gran Canaria', C. 'Kreta', and C. 'Madeira'. It is said that they were originally propagated as meristem cultures and distributed as small plugs, but apparently Canna does not lend itself easily to that form of culture and they have been removed from widespread commercial production.

What confuses me is that in his Canna book Ian Cooke refers to this specimen as being deep pinkish red, but the ones being sold nowadays are a bold red. I have heard it mooted that the Island series was a marketing exercise and consists of many of the older varieties from years gone by. Certainly, C. 'Maderia' bears a strong resemblance to C. 'Madame Crozy', which we were fortunate enough to acquire some years ago.

Canna 'Madame Paul Cazeneuve'

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; bronze foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured pink, throat pink with yellow stripes, staminodes are large; 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 prolific.

Introduced by A. Crozy, Lyon, France in 1902. Synonym: C. 'Madame Paul Caseneuve'. It was named for the glamorous wife of French-born actor Paul Cazeneuve (born May 11, 1871 in Paris, France) who spent 30 years on French and American stages supporting famous stars while starring in his own productions. Cazeneuve was made a director with the Fox company in 1920, when he took over direction on Buck Jones' first Western for the company, Square Shooter (1920). The original director, Charles Swickard, had found himself out of a job when William Fox termed the daily rushes "miserable, terrible, and rotten," but Cazeneueve's rescue did not further his fortunes with the company and he spent the remainder of his career playing supporting roles.

Cunning resident admires Claines

This picture shows a fox lounging contentedly on a garage roof in the quiet Worcester suburb of Claines.

The wild animal is so tame it is quite happy to come within a yard of residents.

The fox has been in the street since last year and has taken to lying on the roof sleeping and watching the world go by from the early hours until 9pm at night.

A resident said: “It’s great, he’s lovely. I’m a countryside person anyway, and this is the countryside coming to me.” He added there are another two foxes in the area and the three of them call to each other in the streets at night. Even the local cats are used to having the wildlife around.

He said: “I was sat watching the fox and he just went over to one of the neighbour’s cats, sat up on the wall, and started nuzzling him. We’ve got a real menagerie around here these days, with blue tits in my nesting box, hedgehogs and about a dozen frogs in the pond.”