Canna 'President' was 'Oiseau de Feu'

The first rhizome of Canna 'The President' that we purchased at Claines Canna was from a British Garden Catalogue in 2001, accession 15 in our collection. The accompanying documentation stated that it was imported from the USA.

We never queried it's origins and simply grew it for several years before it began to dawn on us that this specimen did not match the descriptions we were reading from others and from the old catalogues we were collecting as we learned more about Cannas.

On the 10 July 2004 we purchased a Canna 'Oiseau de Feu', aka 'Firebird', accession 335. Growing the two alongside each other it became apparent that what we had purchased as C. 'President' was actually C. 'Oiseau de Feu'.

Keith Hayward, of Hart Canna, often states that when you buy pre-packaged Cannas you acquire 3 things:

• a rhizome
• a name
• a picture

And the only thing that you can be sure of is that none of them match!

Catastrophic crop failure

The dependence on a monoculturely produced crop can lead to large scale catastrophic crop failures when the single genetic variant or cultivar becomes susceptible to a pathogen or when a change in normal weather patterns occur.

The Great Irish Famine (1845-1849) was caused by susceptibility of the potato to Phytophthora infestans. The wine industry in Europe was devastated by susceptibility to Phylloxera during the late 19th century. Each crop then had to be replaced by a new cultivar imported from another country that had used a different genetic variant that was not susceptible to the pathogen.

When I look at that field of virus contaminated cannas, I think that qualifies as a catastrophic monoculture crop failure as well. The picture originates from Keith Hayward's article on Canna virus. Unfortunately, we don't have anything that is immune to Canna virus at present. However, if that field had been rotated with another crop regularly, is it possible that it would not have occurred?

This brings the topic around to crop rotation. Crop rotation avoids a decrease in soil fertility, as growing the same crop repeatedly in the same place eventually depletes the soil of various nutrients, causing plant stress. Crop rotation is also used to control pests and diseases that can become established in the soil over time. Just adding chemical fertilizer does not avoid catastrophic crop failure.

There is no evidence to suggest that our major problem of viruses is transmitted through the soil, but the general rotation principles apply, and Cannas are a particularly hungry crop, quickly consuming whatever nutrients are present. It is actually an agricultural plant. Should we be thinking about rotating the locations in which we grow our Cannas?

Visit to the Canna Trials

It has been a hard year, the weather has not helped us at all, every task taking much longer than normal. It took Margaret and I up to this weekend to visit the Canna Trials ourselves. We had entered 12 of our recent cultivars for examination. The trials are being conducted at the home premises of the National Collection holders, Christine and Keith Hayward at Farnborough, Hampshire, in England.

We had good weather and no rain interrupted what turned out to be a very pleasant day out. Not many of the Trials Cannas were in bloom, but I was particularly impressed with C. 'Leopardeau' and C. 'Bird of Paradise'. Two totally different Canna types, but both new varieties deserving of praise.

C. 'Léopardeau', raised by Raphaël Roger in Belgium, is a very sophisticated, modern Premier Group, small cultivar with unique markings on the flowers, reminiscent of the spotting on young leopards, hence its name! [Click on any of the photos for larger images]

This is an exciting, new type of marking that has a great potential with other colour combinations if we can exploit its potential. In my opinion, Monsieur Roger deserves a round of applause for his efforts.

C. 'Bird of Paradise' is a large Foliage Group cultivar,with lance-shaped nicely marked foliage and a delightful small flower. Of course this is grown for its foliage primarily, but the smaller, minimalist flowers are pleasing in their own right, being only marginally smaller than the early Crozy Group.

Congratulations are due to Brian Williams for raising this beauty. It proves that the architectural Foliage Group are just as important to us, going forward, as the cultivars developed for the Garden Centre bench.

Others that were in flower when we visited were C. 'Eden', C. 'Honeybunch', C. 'Panama', and C. 'Sadd 2.05'. They all impressed as quality plants that could be grown for commercial sale with reliable results. Remember that they are mainly without virus infection!

We saw all of the other trial entries without flowers, and we saw much good, strong foliage. It left us wishing that we had been able to attend the trial earlier, and enjoy what the other entries had to offer.

The trial has received about 150 visitors and received many complimentary comments, in spite of the extremely poor weather conditions experienced this year which obviously affected the number of flowers and foliage, and possibly the number of visitors as well.

Raphaël Roger web site
Brian Williams web site

Introducing Canna 'Tropical White'

A small Miniature Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, white margin, branching habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, cream speckled with rose, staminodes are medium size, edges serrated, stamen is lemon, style is primrose-yellow, petals yellow, 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 slow.

Introduced by Takii & Co., Japan, and offered for trial by Keith Hayward of Hart Canna, England, EU.

Link to Hart Canna web site

Growing Cannas from Seed

A posting by Keith Hayward on the International Canna Group

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, now is the time to sow seeds for flowers this year. Here are a few pointers for those who've never done it before.

Canna seeds have a very hard and impermeable coat, and you can't just bury them in compost and expect them to grow. The chances are that nothing would happen.

You have to scarify them. But this is not as easy as it sounds. It truly is an engineering job, requiring engineering equipment if you are to make any impression on the hard seed surface.

I use an engineers file and a pair of engineers pliers. I grip the seed in the pliers, and wipe it several times across the file until the white interior of the seed just shows through at one place.

Then I bury the seed to a depth of about 1 cm in peat-based seed compost. I soak the compost in water, and enclose the whole seed tray in a polythene bag, and then place the whole thing in a propagator at 80F (30C).

Done this way, germination is very quick. The first shoot usually comes through in about 7 days, and most are up after about 10 days. Germination rate is very good, 70% to 100%.

I find that pre-soaking the seed makes no difference to the speed of germination. What is important is the humidity and the germination temperature. The great danger to seedlings is damping-off, which happens more at lower temperatures. Also, canna seedlings will not tolerate being dried out.

Other people may have other techniques - let's hear them.


The photo shows C. tuerckheimi sown on 22 January 08. Tuerck is a particularly fast mover and the first shoot came through in 4 days! The photos were taken 31st January. Germination was very good, and they are growing well.

Also shown are seedlings of Tropical Rose about 2 weeks from sowing the seed. Seeds of the Tropical Series will flower in 100 days from sowing the seeds, so you can sow them in March and still have them in flower in summer. They come in 5 colours: Rose, Yellow, Red, White, Salmon. The Tropical series are pre-scarified, and germinate in 7 to 10 days. If anyone would like to try them but can't find the seed, then we will post it anywhere worldwide.

See website www.hartcanna.com/seeds.htm

Keith Hayward

Farnborough, England

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.

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.