Revisiting Canna 'Liervalii'

A tall Foliage Group cultivar; purple foliage, oblong shaped, maroon margin, spreading habit; round stems, coloured purple; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges irregular, fully self-cleaning, outstanding bloomer; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is prolific. Introduced by Lierval, rue de Villiers, au Thernes, France, EU. in 1860.

Synonym: C. 'Red Bird'

Revisiting Canna 'Van Houttei'

A tall Foliage Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, very large, lanceolate shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured purple; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured scarlet, staminodes are small, edges serrated, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is average.

Introduced by Lierval, rue de Villiers, au Thernes, France, EU. in 1861.

Named for Louis-Benoit Van Houtte, 1810–76, a Belgian horticulturalist and politician . He assembled extensive plant collections on travels in South and Central America. He was associated with the Jardin Botanique de Bruxelles, 1836–8. In 1839, he moved to Gentbrugge, where he founded the Ecole d'Horticulture and the horticultural journal Flora des serres et des Jardins de l'Europe. Walter Pfitzer, son of the founding Wilhelm Pfitzer, gained his early training at the Van Houtte nursery establishment in the 1860's.

Revisiting Canna 'Auguste Ferrier'

A giant Foliage Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, large, oval shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are erect, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, petals red, fully self-cleaning, low bloomer; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules round.

We have grown this for several years alongside Canna 'Red Stripe', and we have no doubt that the latter, a recent introduction from TyTy Nurseries in the USA, is simply a synonym of this old cultivar.

It's earliest reference is the George Nicholson book, The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening, of 1888. Nicholson described it as "Flowers orange-red, medium-sized. Leaves very large, oval, erect, pointed, deep-green, with narrow stripes and margins of dark purplish-red. Stems green, very thick, downy. Height 10’.

Introducing Canna 'Leprechaun'

New introduction

A miniature Foliage Group cultivar; green foliage, lanceolate shaped, white margin, upright habit; spikes of flowers are scarlet and orange-red, staminodes are medium size, edges regular, stamen is scarlet and rose-red, style is scarlet, petals red with farina, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is slow. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'Elfin' x C. 'Wye'