And it has no long term effect?

PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR EFFECTS ON CANNA LILY

Extract from a paper by L.L. Bruner, G.J. Keever and C.H. Gilliam, Auburn University

The rather dramatic size of canna lilies makes them difficult to manage in nursery and retail settings. Canna lily species and cultivars are characterized by heights of up to five feet with leaves two feet in length and six inches in width. They bloom in mid- to late summer. Problems arise during container production due to their rapid and top-heavy growth habit. Pots blow over easily and shipping costs are increased. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are effective in suppressing height in numerous species and may offer benefits in the production, shipping, and marketing of canna lilies. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of several rates of four PGRs on height and flowering of canna lily.

Canna lilies were divided and repotted in a substrate consisting of 7:1 pine bark to sand medium amended with 10.7 kilograms Polyon 22-4-14, 0.9 kilograms Micromax, and 3.0 kilograms limestone per cubic meter. Plants were placed in full sun with overhead irrigation. After the plants were measured the following PGRs were applied as foliar sprays: B-Nine, Bonzi, Cutless, and Pistill.

Results of this experiment show that vegetative and inflorescence height of canna lilies can be significantly reduced during production using Bonzi or Cutless. Height suppression was more persistent with Cutless than with Bonzi; however, plants treated with either PGR and transplanted into the landscape outgrew treatment effects within two months of planting.

Canna (Miniature Group) 'Froken', if subjected to the above chemicals we would never find it!

Trademarks in ornamentals

When perusing catalogues a feature of naming plants becomes readily apparent, and that is the use of the registered and trademark characters, ® and ™. A trademark is legally defined as a word(s) or symbol which identifies the place of origin of a product. Conard-Pyle's Star™ trademark is a good example. The consumer recognizes that roses with the Star® designation are from Conard-Pyle and can make an assumption of quality with this information.

Confusion arises when a company uses a trademark name as a cultivar name. For example, a particular holly is often designated in the trade as Ilex x 'China Girl'. Many of you will recognize this name. If, however, you were to come upon Ilex x 'Mesog', would you expect to know this holly? Probably not. In fact, the cultivar name for this holly is 'Mesog' and the trademark is China Girl™.

This naming practice violates both trademark specifications and nomenclatural rules, but it is becoming increasingly common. The reason is profit. If a breeder patents a new plant, he restricts others from propagating it without paying royalties. The patent is in effect for 17 years. A trademark may be renewed indefinitely. So when the patent expires, anyone may propagate the plant, but they must call it 'Mesog' which does not have any commercial recognition factor. The name China Girl™ is still the property of the original producer.

In the USA, the ™ symbol may be used when trademark rights are claimed in relation to a mark, but the mark has not been registered with the government trademarks office of a particular country or jurisdiction, while the ® is used to indicate that the mark has been so registered. It is not mandatory to use either symbol, although the force of convention is such that the symbols are widely used around the world. However, in various jurisdictions, such as the EU, it is unlawful to use the ™ symbol in association with a mark when that mark is not registered. Either symbol is typically placed in the top left- or right-hand corner of a mark.

Comment:
Users of computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system can enter the ™ and ® characters into text by holding down the Alt key and typing 0153 and 0174 respectively into the numeric keypad.

More polyploidy in Cannas

Fertility
Fertility in Cannas is affected by the chromosone number, and the following table and comments were published by Dr Khoshoo following his research in India in the early 1960's.


Tillering capability
As a rule, triploid cultivars tend to have fewer tillers (underground rhizomes) than diploids, although 'Roi Humbert'', a triploid, is an exception. In general, the diploid cultivars have rather large but relatively narrow leaves in comparison to the triploids. The leaves in triploids are thicker than in diploids.

Flowering Period
Being a perennial plant, Canna has the potential to bloom throughout the year, however, under the hot subtropical conditions, as found in its native environment, most of the elemental species and cultivars are unable to bear the heat in the hottest month or so. For the remaining period, weather conditions being suitable, both elemental species and cultivars show a variable response. In the main diploid cultivars will flower for nine months while triploids will flower for 10 months. Tetraploids have the potential to flower for longer periods.

Flowers

Canna 'Wintzer's Colossal', photo courtesy of Malcolm McFarland

In the main, the sterile cultivars have larger flowers than those that are fertile. Triploids in general have larger flowers than diploids. The largest triploid, C. 'Wintzer's Colossal', has a flower diameter of 21cm, not quite as large as the early nurserymen alleged in their catalogues, but nevertheless a large flower.

Conclusions
The phenotype transformation from wild to the cultivated condition has involved reduction in plant height, change in form and colour of leaves, spikes well above the foliage, free flowering, erect flowers, increase in flower size and colour diversity, increase in thickness of flower petals, durability of flowers and self-shedding capability.

Diploids
Studies have shown that over 80% of cultivars are diploid. The majority of these belong to the Crozy group which are rather small in size but produce an abundance of relatively large flowers.

Triploids
Triploids make up about 15% of cultivars and the properties of them varies dependant on their horticultural species (x generalis and x orchoides). The use of those garden species names is pertinent, as Dr Khoshoo was applying L. H. Baileys' definitions to them.

Tetraploids
Stray tetraploids have occurred, but the slow growth and lack of fertility has meant that these are freak exceptions.

It is speculated that triploidy appears to be the highest effective level of polyploidy achieved in ornamental canna. This is also true of cannas yielding starch (C. discolor). Perhaps cell size increases to an optimum at this level and higher levels, as well as aneuploid progeny, are not possible because of total seed sterility. Therefore, unlike hyacinth, also a vegatively reproduced ornamental, unbalanced progeny is not possible with canna.

References

Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas, T.N. Khoshoo and I. Guha (Neé Mukherjee)

Polyploidy in Canna

Each cell of a canna plant naturally has 18 chromosomes, or 9 pairs. These plants with their paired chromosomes are termed diploid, from the Greek word for "double".

The pollen and ovules, are formed through a process called meiosis, which results in the production of cells that have only half the parent organism's chromosomal material; these cells are termed haploid, from the Greek word for "half". The haploid pollen and ovule join in fertilisation to form the new diploid cell that eventually becomes the offspring organism, and jointly provide the 18 chromosomes.

Canna 'President', a triploid cultivar

Sometimes, however, the process of meiosis fails, and pollen or ovules are produced that have the full complement of parental chromosomes; this type of cell is called a non-reduced gamete. When such a reproductive cell participates in fertilisation with a haploid cell, an event that does not occur as easily as normal fertilisation, the resulting offspring has three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two and is termed triploid. When both pollen cell and ovule cell have the diploid chromosome number, the offspring has four sets and is termed tetraploid. All organisms with more than the normal number of chromosomes are collectively called polyploid.

Polyploid cannas tend to be larger, stronger, more substantial, and more persistent in every respect. This has obvious advantages in any growing context.

The offspring of a triploid and a diploid parent is a tetraploid. Such a cross usually produces few or no normal seeds. With their 27 chromosomes, diploid cannas are difficult to cross with other cannas.

Although in other plants it has been possible to create cultivars with a higher chromosome level, the tetraploid seems to be the limit of the Canna, even after extensive laboratory experiments. Tetraploids can occur naturally as the resulting failure of meiosis, as described for triploids, if there are irregularities in the formation of both parent's reproductive cells. They can also be produced vegetatively under laboratory conditions.

References

Origin and Evolution of Cultivated Cannas, T.N. Khoshoo and I. Guha (Neé Mukherjee)

Eating your Cannas

It is often forgotten that Cannaceae is a vegetable, that was turned into a garden cultivar by early horticulturists. Although originating only in the tropical and semi-tropical Americas, the genus is found all over the world. The early explorers did not take Cannas to Japan and China because they liked the foliage or flowers so much, but because it was a fast growing vegetable that filled their empty stomachs.

Canna tubers can be used all year round, as a potato substitute. Peel the tubers and cut them into chips, then bake in the oven until golden brown, the flavour is improved by a sprinkle of garlic salt. Cut into cubes they can then be added to soups, or steamed like potatoes, until tender. Young tubers have the best flavour, older ones are fibrous.

To make arrowroot flour peel the tubers and cut into 2-4 cm cubes and blend with water to a pulp, or mince finely. Tip the pulp into a large bowl and add water. The flour will quickly settle to the bottom and the brown fibrous pulp can be drained off the top. Continue to rinse until the water runs clear. Drain off the water and pour the white flour into trays, 1-2 cm thick. Dry in the sun until soft and powdery.

The flour keeps well and can be used as a thickener. To thicken to a light syrup use 2 level teaspoons of arrowroot to each cup of water, heat, stirring until thick.

It is asserted by some that all Canna rhizomes are eatable, but like all vegetables, different varieties will have different tastes and properties, and personally I would be reluctant to eat rhizomes from garden cultivars. Eating them would feel a bit like cannibalism to me, and remember, they have not been selected for taste, only their looks. In addition, we should recall that whilst the food industry has strict rules over what chemicals they can use, there are few of such rules governing the ornamental flower industry.

The species grown mainly in Asia for food is Canna discolor. This is an interesting species, as not only does it grow very large rhizomes, but it is also the only Canna wild species that is seed sterile, indicating that it is a triploid, as stated by the premier authority, Dr Khoshoo, and confirmed by Dr Tanaka in his revision of the Canna species.

Wild species tamed

It has long been the practice when writing about Cannas to assert that the species are in total disarray, nobody knows how many there are or what the hundreds of published names are synonyms of. That is no longer the case.

Dr Nobuyuki Tanaka is a botanist at the Tokyo Metropolitan University and at the Makino Botanical Garden in Kochi prefecture, Japan. He has published a full taxonic revision of the Canna species and he has identified 19 species as being distinct and separate.

In addition, the botanists at Kew Gardens have assigned all of the published species names to one of the 19 accepted species, i.e. sorted the synonyms.

References:

• The original Canna checklist at Kew Gardens can be located at: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/.

• The Wikipedia has a separate article for Canna species, containg both the accepted species, plus all of the synonym names linked to the species. That article can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canna_species and reflects both the taxonic revision and the Kew checklist.

• Tanaka, N. 2001. Taxonomic revision of the family Cannaceae in the New World and Asia. Makinoa ser. 2, 1:34–43.

Well done to everyone concerned... now if we can find a source of Canna liliiflora seed, then I'd be totally happy.

Chocolate teapots and cultivars

The continued use of the term x hortensis when describing Canna cultivar names must be the most useless naming convention in existence. It is apparently used to identify a variety as being a horticultural creation and not a wild species. I have not been able to identify a formal definition, although I have seen it attributed to a Professor André Guillaumin, and it is reasonable to assume that he must have defined it's usage in a learned journal at sometime.

However, it is well beyond its sell-by date, just consider it being used on a cultivar, such as Canna x hortensis 'Moonbeam'. The fact that the name Moonbeam is non-italic and surrounded by inverted commas tells us immediately that it is a cultivar. Why use a made-up species-type name to indicate that it is a cultivar? That is not only belt and braces, but string as well! A totally useless convention, only used by people trying to impress the uninitiated. As much use as a chocolate teapot!

Canna (Crozy Group) 'John Layden', shown here for no good reason; other than I like it, and wanted to share it!

Then we should consider the two garden species names invented by the great Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey. Following the practise of the day he resolved to solve the problem of accurately categorising Cannas by creating two separate garden species names, namely:

• Canna x generalis, which is a hybrid shorthand for C. glauca x C. indica x C. iridiflora
• Canna x orchiodes, which is a hybrid shorthand for C. flaccida x C. generalis

These hybrid shorthands were formally defined in the following learned journals:

• Canna x generalis. Hortus, 118 (1930); cf. Standley & Steyerm. in Fieldiana, Bot., xxiv. III.204 (1952).
• Canna x orchiodes. Gentes Herb. (Ithaca), 1 (3): 120 (1923).
  

Following the convention of the day, these two names are describing the internals of the plant, its genetic make-up, or genotype. But we cannot see DNA and we don't know if the term is being used correctly by visual inspection of the plant, i.e. the phenotype. The use of such garden species names for cultivars has long been deprecated. Inevitably, cultivars of both types became crossed, and people were not sure which term to use, and confusion reigned.

Then we had the absurd suggestion made in a gardening book that as we are all confused, we should simply drop the use of x orchiodes altogether, and just use the term x generalis for all cultivars instead. It simply isn't acceptable to informally redefine an accepted scientific term in that manner. But, even more important, it brings us full circle. Somebody has just created a competitor for x hortensis! That is like creating a competitor for a chocolate tea pot! The name Canna x generalis 'Moonbeam' is just as pointless as Canna x hortensis 'Moonbeam', unless you are sure that Moonbeam contains only the DNA of C. glauca, C. indica and C. iridiflora.

If we want to achieve what Bailey attempted to create, i.e. a workable categorisation mechanism, then the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) gives us a far superior and more understandable mechanism, i.e. the cultivar group. The species behind our modern cultivars are so confused that attempts to identity them visually by the genome are doomed to failure. Humans classify things by what they see and creating a group of similar cultivars is the only thing that can possibly work, unless somebody created a group resulting in Canna (Cultivar Group) 'Moonbeam', another chocolate teapot!

A link to the Wikkipedia definition of cultivar groups: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar_group.

Incidentally, the term cultivar was created by Professor Bailey, one of my all-time heros, from the joining together parts of the two words CULTIvated VARiety. Not many people know that.

No Grubby Undies on These - Part 2

Earlier we looked at two self-cleaning cannas lacking identities. Now I'd like to show you a few more that have the same habit of shedding their spent blooms and ridding themselves of their soiled petticoats.

Two of the most lovely cannas in my collection have this wonderful trait. The first is C. x 'Richmond Pearson'. Named for an American, Richmond Pearson (1852-1923), who was a diplomat and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina. It was probably raised in the USA from Crozy seed - a popular pastime in the early 1900s, but I have not yet discovered who is responsible for the introduction. It was not bred by M.Crozy. First released in Australia by Brunning's Nursery in St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1906.

When first Canna x 'Richmond Pearson' begins to open it just looks like another boring, narrow "petalled", yellow Canna with somewhat blurry rose red spots. Nothing at all to get excited about with its average looking broadish green leaves and medium height. Then the magic begins to unfold. Many flowers open together forming a good head of blooms. The golden yellow very quickly fades to pale cream and those mucky looking spots also fade. This occurs within an hour or two of the buds popping open. This magic continues with the flower swelling in size. the staminodes becoming broader and reflexing back until each bloom looks like an exotic lily. The blooms hold very well at this stage, each one lasting several days. As soon as they begin to blemish, they are flung to the ground as there are other new blooms unfolding above them. On close examination the flowers are not perfectly round in outline, the lip being longer than the upper staminodes. Because of the reflexing this is not immediately apparent. One drawback to this cultivar is the lack of branching. Each flowering spike only branches three times giving three successive flowering heads. Fortunately it is quick to increase so there are always new leafy spikes awaiting their turn to bloom. Some hybrid Cannas will branch thirteen times from the one spike if the season is long enough.

Looks can be deceiving with my next little self-cleaner. 'Effie Cole' looks so ethereal but she is as tough as old boots and the flowers last and last. Raised by Australia's old Canna master Charles Frederick Cole, sometime between the two world wars this confection in baby pink with cream edge and lemon throat, rarely grows over 1 metre (3') tall with me. The foliage has a faint waxey bloom indicative of C. glauca in her ancestry. 'Effie Cole' is often confused with the taller pale pink 'Elma Cole'. Their colours may be similar, but they are very different cannas. 'Elma Cole' was fairly widely distributed through nursery catalogues in the 1960-70s but 'Effie Cole' never was. She was passed from one collector to another and has been distributed in more recent years, incorrectly, as 'Elma Cole' by Thelma Reiss and her daughter Vicki Staal. My thanks to these ladies for preserving such a beauty.

No Grubby Undies on These.

So often we ooh and aah over the big, blowsy, beauties of the Canna world. Granted, they are spectacular, but most of these can look pretty grubby when they are nearing the end of a flowering cycle. Unsightly dead flowers nestle in the heads, detracting from freshly opened blooms.

Amongst my favourite cannas are some that are better behaved. Their flowers are not enormous saucers. They are more airy looking and discard their spent flowers which enables them to always look pristine. We have no group classification for these cannas of more modest proportions. Some of them are early Crozy hybrids and many are newer Australian hybrids. They often exhibit their ancestral traits from C. iridiflora and C. glauca. A friend calls some that have non-overlapping staminodes (those things that look like petals), "Windmill Cannas". I suppose it's as good a description as any other.

Left is pictured an old heritage Canna of unknown name. It's temporary nickname is "Topsy's Spotty Foundling" and I thank Topsy for giving me a piece. It reaches approximately 1 metre (3') in height and exhibits thick, waxy blue, somewhat lanceolate foliage indicating C. glauca genes back in its pedigree. Clumping nicely and not galloping around like C. glauca, it increases moderately well. Flowers are about 10 cms in diameter (4"). It is the most spectacular spotty Canna I have. Instantly shedding aged blooms, it is always clean and neat. No dirty undies for this girl. For a while I was convinced this was old 'Kronos' as it seemed to match perfectly the old Australian nursery catalogue descriptions but they rarely stipulated the type of Canna over which they enthused. I have since learnt that the original 'Kronos' was not a Crozy type Canna as is my foundling, but an Italian type, so that shot my naming theory down in flames. Aah well, time may uncover her true identity.

Another of my neat and tidy ladies is also missing a correct name. She was found in the heart of C.F. Cole country and had been passed from mother to daughter in the one family for three generations. I can find nothing in the literature matching a possible ID for this Canna, which reinforces my vague theory that it may be another Cole hybrid. We only have a handful of descriptions for the twenty-eight named hybrids Charles Cole distributed. No description = a likely Cole hybrid. He did breed a pale lemon Canna, but that is all we know of it.

The foundling temporarily known as "Lemon Cole Foundling" is such a well behaved plant. It clumps tightly, and increases rapidly. - sorry for the lack of imagination in the nickname but accession numbers give me the pip! Leaves resemble those of C. glauca but with less blue waxy bloom. The flowers resembling those on the species C. glauca, are arranged in evenly distributed umbrels like a multi-tiered candelabra and very quickly shed their blemished flowers. This Canna relieves any possible heaviness in a bed mass planted with bigger cannas. Height under 1 metre (3'). Flowers are approximately 7 cms (around 3") across.

Both the above cannas set copious amounts of seed.

This ends my mystery neat freaks still needing their original identities. If anyone can shed some light on the identity of these two cannas, I will be delighted. Later, I will show you some named Australian hybrids who like-wise have very tidy habits and tasteful sized blooms in keeping with their stature.

Canna obsession

A new Canna blog has opened its portals, called Canna obsession. It has very well put together articles, and comes highly commended. But, please keep reading this blog as well (o:

http://canna-obsession.blogspot.com/

Canna Trial web site opens

Keith Hayward of Hart Canna and Malcolm Dalebö of Claines Canna are pleased to announce the web site for the 2008 International Canna Trials has now opened at http://www.canna-trial-international.com/. Trial entries are now being received.

Entries are invited from both professional and amateur Canna breeders, collectors, growers and gardening enthusiasts alike, from all countries of the world. The trial is for new Canna cultivars, meaning those introduced in the last ten years or so. Submitters to the trial do not have to be the introducer of the cultivar, so those that are growing something new and special can enter it in the trial and share it with the rest of the world.

It is anticipated that horticulture trade growers will be visiting the trial, to take an opportunity to see for themselves this rare exposition of the best new Canna cultivars the world has to offer. Breeders can take the opportunity to present their new varieties to potential new markets.

The International Canna Trials in England during summer and early autumn are a must for all Canna enthusiasts and keen gardeners. Visitors will be welcomed by appointment, and we are all looking forward to meeting many old and new Canna friends in person from all over the globe.

England has much to offer as a tourist destination, and the trial is being held within easy travelling distance from London, so a visit can be included as part of a vacation agenda. So now, gardening enthusiasts who have been talking about a trip to England have the perfect excuse. England can also offer the world famous Kew Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Societies gardens at Wisley. The parks in London are a gardeners joy, and those willing to travel outside London will be amazed at what gardening treasure are available.

See you at the Canna trials…

Web sites:
Canna Trials
Hart Canna
Claines Canna

Canna 'Mersey'

New introductions

Canna 'Mersey'

A medium sized aquatic cultivar, equally at home as a water marginal or in the border; light green foliage, lanceolate shaped, upright habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured cerise-pink, staminodes are long and narrow, edges irregular, petals yellow, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white and pink; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007.

The breeding is Canna 'Avon' x C. 'Wye'

The Effects of Drought on Cannas

The Canna blooming season has well and truly arrived in the southern hemisphere. At least it has where Cannas are receiving any water. The southern half of Australia is still in the grip of an eleven year drought, the worst in our history and it is only recently that the northern tropical and subtropical climes have started to have their summer rains after several below average rainfall seasons.

Here in the southern half of the country most towns are on severe garden watering restrictions after the winter and spring rains failed completely. Farmers dependent on summer irrigation to milk cows, grow crops and produce fruit, have had their "guaranteed" irrigation water allocations slashed. Normally they have 100% allocation plus another 100% excess water sales. Ensuring an effective buffer against our sweltering, dry summers. Most will only receive 10% allocation, no excess water sales and some areas will have zero allocations apart from stock and domestic supplies which will at least water their livestock. The stock will have to be hand fed very expensive grain and hay in place of lush pastures.

Last summer my Canna collection had to subsist on recycled water from shower and washing machine. We were not allowed to use any clean water outside the house. This spring, restrictions have, at the moment, been eased a little to allow watering of garden beds (no lawns allowed) twice weekly for one hour per day. This can only be done using a hand held hose. In a garden so crammed with plants as mine, this means that each bed is lucky if it receives a splash of water once every two weeks. Although it is the last month of spring, the temperatures are soaring and more like those of mid summer.

How are the cannas faring? Surprisingly they are still alive. Last season the severe lack of water saw them only reaching about 30% of their normal height. Prolonged flowering was much reduced due to lack of increase of the rhizomes.

The foliage this season is showing signs of stress although it was okay last season apart from the leaves being smaller. Foliage on those 100 or so overwintered in the ground at our old property is better than that of those living in luxury in their new environment. These 300 cultivars were moved to our new property and planted in early winter. The first leaves of these are also showing horrible streaked and blotched foliage but the most recent leaves are unfurling fresh and clean. Flowers do not seem to be affected and the first blooms look wonderful. A plentiful water supply was the primary motivation for the move and cannas growing on the new property have received a thorough weekly soaking. They went into stockbeds lavishly enriched with well rotted cow manure. Consequently they are at least two months ahead in development compared with the poor old 100 still languishing in their old home. These later are looking very parched and only just unfurling their first and second leaves, but the streaking and blotching is nowhere near as obvious as those already transferred. The sooner we have them all settled into their new stockbeds with lots of water available and some of the most productive soils in Australia to dine upon, the better. This reinforces my belief that the most optimum time to divide and move cannas is when they are in full growth.

The delay in completing the transfers of the last 100 cultivars before the growing season commenced has, in part, been due to the fact that these particular rhizomes had not been lifted for three years. Consequently a lot of them had "walked" away from their name stakes and cuddled up amidst neighbouring cultivars. Until they showed some leaves, it was very difficult to find who had walked where. Indeed, it was difficult to determine even if a cultivar had survived the cumulative abuse of the past few years until they poked their noses up out of the ground. I grow my cannas in mixed plots with other shrubs, grasses and perennials and was loathe to plow up whole beds looking for them. We still have to put the house up for sale and a backyard of fallow dirt is not a good look. Remaining perennials should soon cover the bare spots where cannas are removed providing we don't completely devastate them. As soon as we have a cool spell these laggards will join the rest of the collection. I can't face lifting and bagging cannas and then replanting in temperature hovering around 38 degrees C. The cannas will not mind the heat, but I will.

The most noticeable effect on the cannas from such draconian treatment is that the amount of rhizomes have dwindled alarmingly. Where once there was a clump one metre in diameter containing a potential forty or fifty divisions, there is now only one or two skinny, undernourished rhizomes left alive. This is not the case for all, but the majority have dwindled. Surprisingly we have only lost two cultivars completely. Apparently unaffected by the drought are 'Pennsylvania' and ancient 'Guttermanii'. No two cannas could be more unalike. C. x 'Pennsylvania' is a big, red Wintzer raised triploid and C x 'Guttermanii' (syn. 'Sparks' in USA) is one of the very early Année French hybrids circa late 1840s.

C. x 'Pennsylvania' (left).

C x 'Guttermanii' (below)

The most devastated canna in the collection was one obtained from the old Bendigo Canna Collection. It long ago lost its identity and is either another of the very early French hybrids or a species Canna. I nicknamed it "The Bendigo Banana" because of its close resemblance to a Musa. It has never flowered for me and cannot be identified until it does. The foliage is a pale, lettuce green, poised on long, arching pedicels. The long leaves, have prominent, close veins, undulate margins and fold downwards. In windy weather these split and look just like Musa foliage. One small clump of this has completely died. The other much larger clump is reduced to just two small knobs of rhizome. Fortunately it is bouncing away in its new home but for a few weeks I thought it was caput. No doubt that this lack of rhizome stamina is due to the peculiar rhizomes the plant produces. It does not tiller like other cannas. Each leaf stalk arises from an individual small conical knob. I believe this to be the only plant left in the world of this cultivar. Supposing of course that it proves to be an early hybrid and not a species. On the right, you can see the peculiar rhizomes.

King Humbert had a fan

THE GARDEN MAGAZINE - May 1917 page 234

Is King Humbert the Best Canna?

I have tested fully one hundred varieties of Canna and have visited the Canna fields of two of the largest producers of these plants for sale critically examining the several hundred varieties while in flower with the result that I picked out King Humbert as the most magnificent dark-foilaged, red-flowered variety, of the whole lot.

I planted a clump of it on each side of the steps leading to my front door. As the house is built of light cream-colored brick the contrast of big bronzy leaves and brilliant, red-flowers (most of them more than four inches across) the plants were very striking. They gave a strong emphasis to the front of the house visible the moment one turned the street corner a block away. Probably the size of the specimens was increased over the normal because I made the soil very rich with poultry manure and rather friable with sand and leafmold.

John Alexander, Illinois.

Note: Canna 'King Humbert' is an English synonym of C. 'Roi Humbert'.

Hort. Society of New York, 1902.

MY EXPERIENCE IN HYBRIDIZING CANNAS

By Antoine Wintzer, West Grove, Pa.

It is about nine years since the writer first commenced to experiment with cannas, with the object of improving the strain and creating some new and desirable varieties, suitable for our trying climate. At that time we depended almost entirely on the skill of the European growers for our novelties in cannas, and they sent us annually a great many new varieties. While some of these novelties were good, a great many were little, if any, improvement on existing varieties.

After growing a few seedlings from the best strains, the writer commenced to cross breed with the intention of producing a good solid yellow canna. There were plenty of spotted yellows, but we desired something purer. In 1893, from a batch of Crozy and Star-of-1891 seedlings, I was fortunate in getting one almost yellow. It was named Golden Star. The next year I succeeded in growing from another lot of seedlings another almost pure yellow; it was named Coronet. By crossing these two varieties I succeeded in producing Buttercup. This variety seems to have the desirable qualities long looked for in a yellow canna. It is rather dwarf, an early and free bloomer, erect head held well above the foliage, endures the sun without bleaching, drops its faded flowers, which always gives it a bright and clean appearance. It will also bloom under a lower temperature than most varieties, and last, but not least, its tubers are small and solid, making it especially valuable for pot culture.

Besides the yellow, I was also desirious to grow some good pink varieties. To enable me to get these I had a good start with Pink Ehmani, which I raised in 1894 from seed hybridized by Dr. Van Fleet. Having a start in color, I hybridized it with other varieties, and produced Maiden’s Blush, Rosemawr, Martha Washington, Betsy Ross. The main difficulty found in the varieties of this color was the poor keeping quality of the tubers. In the earlier varieties they were soft and spongy and liable to rot in a dormant condition, long before the weather was warm enough to plant them in spring. The last two named varieties are free from this bad habit. They usually produce small hard tubers of good keeping quality.

After breeding cannas for a few years, I noticed that it was desirable to produce small and solid tubers. A great deal of this work is still in its infancy, but we are slowly advancing along that line. In the early ‘gos there were several good red cannas in commerce, and any one at that time looking over the leading catalogs and reading the description of such varieties as Alphonse Bouvier, would wonder how a more brilliant color could be produced, and I often longed for the shade of red we had in such roses as Prince Camille de Rohan and Baron de Bonstettin.

In the production of Philadelphia and Pillar of Fire, I became hopeful, and more so when later, Duke of Marlborough, Black Prince and Cherokee came into existence through my efforts along that line. The Duke had the most interesting history, as being the production of a very inferior seedling, which had nothing to recommend it except its dark color. Its pollen used on Philadelphia produced the Duke of Marlborough. In working for solid color, I managed to produce a great many shades and combinations of colors found in such varieties as Lorraine, Niagara, Conqueror, Schley, Duke of York, Striped Beauty and a host of others, most of which were thrown into the mixture after they were tested for a couple of seasons.

Alsace, the nearest to a white canna, although small, was useful in massing, and is now extensively disseminated. It was produced in 1894. From its pollen I produced Montano, Starlight and quite a number of seedlings of little value, and only useful for breeding. At last I produced one which proved superior, and it was named Mt. Blanc. It was almost pure white, with full-sized flowers produced on strong, vigorous, erect stalks, carried well above its rich, massive foliage. The habit of plant is vigorous and of good constitution.

In the Canna indica section we had very little variety in colors. After crossing these for several years, I produced Mt. Etna, Queen of Holland, Shenandoah, Evolution. These are giving us a wider range of colors. The last named is proving very hardy and vigorous. Its odd color, a blending of orange, salmon and yellow, making a fine contrast with its rich bronze foliage.

To produce the different colors and types mentioned, it was necessary for me to do a considerable amount of hand hybridizing. This work was done at odd times when condition were favorable, generally in early morning. We usually plant from four hundred to five hundred of these seedlings in the field annually in June. The seed is started under glass in April, and germinates quickly. When they show two leaves they are potted into 2 l/2 or 3-inch pots. The majority of them bloom in August. At that time I always look over them daily and number or mark the most promising ones.

In reviewing the work of the past I find that the mistake made is in numbering too many. I find that it is well not to do much of this work on cloudy days, as under such conditions cannas of average quality show up well. For several years I have selected hot, dry days, from 1 to 5 o’clock p.m., with the thermometer anywhere from 90 degrees, up, in the shade. Under such conditions it is necessary for a canna flower to have substance to make a show.

The work of selecting seedlings is becoming more difficult, as there are several expert canna hybridizers in Europe and in this country who are working and developing fine novelties, and we are all striving for the ideal canna, with the hope of producing it in the near future. Any one looking back a decade will admit that the work of the canna hybridizer has developed the flower to a remarkable degree, and the canna of the present time is worthy of a place in the finest conservatory, and in the near future will be used as a decorative plant. The canna has not received the attention it justly deserves. Nearly all our public parks are planted with inferior varieties. If these were thrown into the dump pile, and their places filled with the improved varieties, the public would have a better opinion of the canna as a blooming plant.

In conclusion, the writer would say that the labor of the hybridizer is not so arduous as some would have us believe. Why should he care if the dew is wet, or the sun hot; is he not laboring for love? Is it worth nothing to watch a plant grow and thrive under your care and produce its beautiful flowers for your eye to behold?

Comment:

The Canna master from Pennsylvania starts to take on a personality at last. Up until now, he was just a name in old catalogues, and I can relate to his love of Cannas, and the growing and hybridizing of them. An immigrant into the USA from Alsace in France, he made it onto the board of a US corporation because of his extraordinary horticultural skills. The American dream realised...

Dale is joining Canna News

I am very pleased to be able to confirm that Dale McDonell is joining me on the Canna News blog. Dale has unrivalled experience of the Austra-Asian Canna viewpoint, and so will bring a different perspective to the blog. While those of us in the northern hemisphere freeze, those lucky people in the southern hemisphere are going into their spring right now, and soon into summer. Of course, the southerners experience the same during our happy northern six months!

Maybe, Dale posting here means that Canna enthusiasts all around the world get a 52 week of the year Canna experience, instead of 6 months of pleasure and 6 months of canna misery!

Anyway, welcome to Dale, and I await her first postings with happy anticipation...

Crozy had many visitors

Garden and forest. / Volume 7, Issue 339. [August 22, 1894, 331-340]

Cannas.

NOTING the improvements in Cannas several years ago, a friend of mine gave it as his opinion that we should soon have varieties with flowers as large as those of the Gladiolus. That stage was past when Madame Crozy was introduced, some three years ago. This variety has been the standard by which all subsequent varieties of its color have been judged. When looking at a large bed containing some three hundred plants of Madame Crozy recently at the University garden, Cambridge, it was hard to imagine how this can be excelled. The dwarf, erect, free.-flowering habit of this variety, with its large spikes of scarlet flowers, bring it close to absolute perfection.

Going to Claredon Hills, Boston, the home of Mr. James Farquhar, I was astonished to see some of Crozy's latest productions, which, by special favor, Mr. Farquhar was allowed to select while in France last summer, some of which exceed even Madame Crozy in brilliancy of tone and finish. Most meritorious among these are:

Baron M. D. Hirsch: Flowers large, but brighter than the type, with a very narrow, but clearly defined, yellow edge.

Paola Radaelli: Deep crimson flowers and bright yellow edge.

Antoine Crozy: More erect flowers.

C. H. Morlin: Large, compact, vermilion spike and handsome foliage, which give it great promise both as a bedder and a pot-plant.

James Farquhar: Flowers striped as well as bordered with yellow.

Van dem Berg: With considerably larger flowers than the type, and of a lighter shade of scarlet, and a wide yellow margin. It is a strong dwarf grower.

Among some of the Crozy seedlings raised at Claredon Hills is one very bright and beautiful variety well adapted for bedding. It is dwarf, and though the flowers are small, the spikes are large and even, and last for a long time-a very good recommendation. It has never been named, and Mr. Macdonald, the foreman, said it had not been kept because it was thought to be any better than Crozy, but because it was different, and just as effective as a bedder.

Among yellow varieties of recent introduction it is hard to say which is at the head. Captain Suzzoni has large roundpetaled flowers, spotted with reddish brown, but does not carry either so large or handsome a spike as Florence Vaughan, the flowers of which are more densely and darkly spotted. Following this is Mrs. Cowing, raised by A. H. Fewkes, of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, and recently decorated with a silver medal by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. This carries an elegant spike of carmine spotted flowers, each standing out well and evenly, and giving a certain fullness of aspect often lacking in others.

Monsieur Crozy's introductions for 1895 will include the grand yellow Madame Montifiore, which is a very strong grower. The spikes are large, erect and open. In general form and color it resembles Captain Suzzoni. and may be described as a great improvement on that variety. I could not help observing how well Admiral Courbet, a fine canary-yellow bedder introduced several years ago, holds its own among the newer introductions.

While visiting among the growers I found every one in love with J. D. Cabos, the comparatively new bronze-leaved variety with salmon flowers. Admiral Aurellan, one of Crozy's for 1895, is several points ahead of this. The flowers, on comparison, are larger and more regular in outline. Ingegnoile Fratelli is another handsome dark-leaved variety with buff-colored flowers. General de Miribel is salmon, with green foliage, and Secretary Nicholas clear brick-red. Charles Henderson, so far as seen, has not come up to general expectation. The spike is open, regular and erect, and the flowers, though not extra large, are a very bright crimson. The general opinion is that it does not come up to Alphonse Bouvier. What was once considered a defect in this is now considered a recommendation by many. The hanging spike, when half open is succeeded by a secondary one just above it, and considerably enhancing its effective value. As far as I have seen, there is nothing new in the way of Paul Marquant. Its dwarf, erect habit and full spikes of satiny, salmon-red flowers should recommend it to all, and especially for winter blooming. Paul Bruant has extra-large vermilion-colored flowers, but they do not hold well, so that there are never many open at one time. Egandale is promising, and apparently is better as a foliage plant than President Carnot. To the many admirers of this lovely variety it will appear to be saying a good deal.

François Crozy is a new green-leaved, salmon-tinted variety, of which much was expected. It does not seem to hold its color well. As the first flowers to open were very fine in tone, I should like to hear from growers whether this color defect is likely to be characteristic.

Speaking about raising Cannas from seed, Mr. Macdonald showed me a lot of self-sown seedlings scattered where the bed had been last year, and particularly where a bunch of fifty or so came up together on a spot where he had dropped a handful of seed the previous autumn. From this one may conclude that Canna seeds sown in a cold frame in the autumn will come up the following spring.

Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfeld.

The end has arrived!

That is it... our amazing escape from several predicted frosts has been brought to a resounding stop! Last night Jack Frost did not mess about! Everything that could be zapped was given the treatment. So, the challenge now becomes to get the rhizomes into frost-free conditions for the winter.

The plants grown in large pots will all be stacked, 3 tiers high with timber separators to allow for ventilation. Those dug out of the ground will be placed in black plastic sacks, open at the neck, until they can be cleaned, separated and stored in seed trays (flats for those from the USA) filled with perlite or vermiculite.

The winter is now well and truly arrived and adjusted, and the whole pace of life will slow down to a more leisurely pace, work when the weather is kind, and more visiting of friends and relatives, plus Canna research when the weather is not nice.

Canna 'Croome'

New cultivar

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; dark green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; flowers are open, rose-red and ivory, staminodes are large, edges irregular, 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 purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'Doreen Morris' x open.

Introducing Canna 'Charming'

New Introduction

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, large, oblong shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; flowers are open, gold with a deep-pink blush, staminodes are large, edges irregular, petals red, 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 white and purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'J.D. Cabos' x open.

This one has to be seen to be believed, the photograph was taken on 5th November 2007, it had been flowering continuously since June. It took us all our time to keep it fed, watered and groomed. Only grow this one if you are prepared to enter servitude for five months of continuous flowering!

Made it through the night!

Incredibly, the frost never arrived in our garden, and we still have Cannas flowering away! What an incredible genus. The earliest ones start flowering in June, and here, mid-November they are still flowering!

Flowering in mid-November

It is good to see that tropical gardening is gaining in popularity again. In England it gained a great deal of interest in the 1990's, but has seemed to fade a little in the early years of the new century. Now it is noticeably gaining more interest each year, although this is not reflected in many gardening magazines, who only seem to give it a passing mention.

Perhaps the publicity surrounding Canna virus scared some away from the genus? But we should be aware that many other genus have many more problems with virus that Cannas, and the horticultural industry and gardeners have simply learned to live with it and manage it. Unless some philanthropist subscribes a vast amount of money into research of Canna virus, we have to learn to do the same thing. We have found that careful selection, removing the most troubled cultivars altogether and ruthless rouging of badly infected specimens is proving a success.

Canna 'Amazement'

New introduction

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are cupped, self-coloured cadmium-orange, staminodes are medium size, edges serrated, petals red, 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 pink and purple; tillering is prolific. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2008. The breeding is C. 'Admiral Aurellan' x C. 'Oberon'.
The picture above was taken on the 6th November 2007, this one never stops flowering!

So we face the final curtain!

The weather forecast is for temperatures at -2 degrees Centigrade. That is the end for the Cannas we still have growing in the garden, both our old, established cultivars and the new seedlings that we have grown on this year.

It was not a good year, and we would like to forget it as soon as possible. Only 10% of our new cultivars have flowered! Normally, we would run-on about 50 for next year, but this year we have only been able to eliminate a handful as not being special enough to carry on with.

However, with the world's climate becoming so erratic, we don't know how to approach next years Canna growing.

Any comments on what to look forward to?

Canna 'Dessert'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; flowers are open, apricot and pale yellow, staminodes are large, edges frilled, stamen is yellow, style is 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 average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding is Canna 'Topaz' x C. 'Ella Dalebö'

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'

Canna 'Droitwich'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oblong shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, cardinal-red with a gold margin, throat gold with orange-red spots, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, petals yellow, 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 pink and purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding Canna 'Mandy Robinson' x C. 'Tangerine'

Canna 'Showman'

New introduction

A small Crozy Group cultivar; dark green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; flowers are open, cardinal-red and canary-yellow, throat canary-yellow, staminodes are large, edges irregular, stamen is sulphur-yellow with cardinal-red spots, style is canary-yellow, petals red, 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 purple; tillering is average. Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. Breeding Canna 'Karla Dalebö' x open.

Assessment of Canna progress, 1897

Garden and forest. / Volume 10, Issue 501. [September 29, 1897, 379-388]

The Cultivation of Cannas.

IT is interesting to look back a decade and note the progress made in the cultivation of Cannas. The development of the Crozy type, from which almost every high-class variety has come, is most interesting. In no class of plants can less credit be claimed by the hybridist, for the best Cannas have resulted from careful selection. The arrangements for close fertilization are so complete that it is almost impossible, if fecundation is secured, to thwart Nature.

It was predicted when the large-flowered giants of the Flaccida type, Italia and Austria, were introduced that they would supersede the Crozy type. Both these types are continuous bloomers, but what is lacking in the blooms of all Cannas, durability of texture, is still more lacking in the Italian varieties. The flowers are extremely fugacious, and what I have seen of the half a dozen or more new colors in this section they all have the same defect. The American variety of this type, the Burbank, is no better in this respect; in appearance it resembles the variety named Austria (see left). As pot-plants for foliage effects Cannas are highly effective, and under glass, with shade, the flowers are more durable. This is true of all Cannas; under glass the flowers have better individual development and last long enough to fill out a good round truss.

Canna specialists hesitate to judge a variety by its behavior under glass; the supreme test is out in the open air. Paul Bruant is superb under glass, but of little use under direct sunlight. For a bedding Canna a compact truss is a strong recommendation. Among medium growers, Queen Charlotte and its " improved " variety are the finest. The flowers are widely banded with yellow and durable. An effective combination in a circular bed may be made with plants of Queen Charlotte in the middle and Mrs. Fairman Rogers, a fine form of the Crozy type, as an edging.

Mr. Denys Zirngiebel, of Needham, Massachusetts, who makes a speciality of Cannas, considers President Cleveland, a salmon-scarlet, the finest bedding Canna of its color yet introduced. It is very compact, and in vividness of coloring it outshone all others in a large patch containing sixty varieties. It was raised by Mr. Pfister, gardener at the White House. This list comprises scarcely half a dozen first-class varieties, if the dark-leaved sorts are excluded. Bismarck, a recent variety, showed up well; it has a dwarf habit and compact and full-flowered truss of crimson flowers. Robert Christie is a beautiful salmon-red and a splendid pot-plant; Ami Pichon is a good maroon with deeper spots; Leonard Vaughan is a fine dark-leaved kind with scarlet flowers; J. D. Cabos has orange-scarlet blooms; President Carnot has luxuriant foliage.

Wellesley, Mass. - Professor T. D. Hatfield.