Canna 'Phœbe'

A tall Italian Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured purple; flowers are open, self-coloured orange-red, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning, late bloomer; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is average.

Introduced by C. Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy, EU. Synonym: C. 'Fire Red'

A good Christmas to all

To those who have been growing Cannas all the summer and persevering with the perverse English climate I extend my sympathies. Those of us in the English Midlands hardly saw any sunshine, and when it wasn't raining it was cloud most of the day. It really shows that the old growers knew what they were talking about when they stated that Canna cultivars needed 6-8 hours of direct sunshine daily to flourish.

Enough discussion of the weather, we can do that after Christmas and the New Year. In the meantime we, Margaret and Malcolm Dalebö, are thrilled with the arrival of twin grandaughters Phoebe and Faith, but still grieving the recent loss of Arne Dalebö, the last of the Vikings.

We wish all blog readers a great Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous new Canna growing year. Whether you're east or west, celebrate Christmas or just enjoying a few days off, we at Claines Canna hope you take pleasure in what you are doing.
For those of you who have driven across town or travelled around the globe to be with loved ones, keep safe.