Canna News

Canna News moves its home

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 01:44:09 PST

Canna News has moved to a new devoted web site:
New site for Canna News, please click and bookmark it for future use.

Canna 'Uvurderlig'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:01:01 PST

A medium sized Foliage Group cultivar; green foliage, oval-acuminate shaped, transparent margin, upright habit; half-round stems, coloured green; spikes of flowers are erect, burnt-red streaked with red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges irregular, labellum is saffron-yellow with a narrow carmine margin, style is saffron-yellow, petals purple, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, self-pollinating but not 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 2006.

This is another member of our "back to basics" experiment, where we replicated the species crosses made in the 1840's and onwards to see what we could produce. The achievement with this second generation cross was producing flowers with petals (staminodes) much larger than the species. This cultivar remains part of our breeding programme and will be crossed with more species to capture more of the basics, but also will be crossed with modern Premier Group cultivars to understand what such a cross will produce.

Why more aquatic cultivars?

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:01:00 PST

About seven years ago I built a small pond in the garden, its dimensions are about 2 metres by 1 metre. Not very large, but in keeping with the size of the garden. This is typical of garden ponds in the UK, somewhere for a couple of fish, a small fountain, a few aquatic plants, especially a water lily, and the inevitable frogs.
Naturally, I immediately planted the Longwood series of aquatic Canna in the special aquatic pots and settled back to enjoy them. True to their reputation they did not fail me as they are true aquatics, flourishing under 15-20cm (approx 6 inches) of water and they grew and they grew. This was their failing for me, they are far too large for a small garden pond. Their height made the pool, which was my pride and joy, look like a small puddle.
The Longwood aquatic cultivars were bred for the large ornamental ponds and lakes of Longwood garden, not for the typical suburban garden puddle. The series consists of Cannas 'Endeavor', 'Ra', 'Erebus' and 'Taney'. My favourite is probably C. 'Erebus', a fine pink specimen, but the intense yellow of C. 'Ra' (below right) is always eye-catching, and the unusual apricot/salmon orange colour of C. 'Taney' is always interesting and last, but not least, we have C. 'Endeavor' (above right), with its attractive bright red flowers.

However, I digress. We had already recreated the earliest Canna species cross, having crossed C. glauca with C. indica. However, instead of obtaining the 2 metre (6'6") tall C. 'Annei', we had obtained seedlings that grew to under 1 metre (3'3"), but with the same glaucous blue, lance shaped foliage. So we decided to see if we could create a series of aquatic cultivars based on these seedlings which all took after the aquatic C, glauca, and more suitable for the small garden pond than the expansive ponds and lakes of Longwood Gardens.

Eventually we ended up with Canna 'Avon', a pale yellow speckled with cerise, Canna 'Severn', which is a golden yellow with some small red spotting, C. 'Usk', that is a distinctive self-coloured burnt-red, C. 'Wye', which is pink tinged with canary-yellow, and C. 'Teme', the 'white' of the series, but really a pleasant self-coloured ivory. Others are still undergoing evaluation, and we are still trying to create the difficult orange one.

Was it worth while? I think so, they look just right and in balance in our small pool, and we find that the gaucous blue, lance shaped foliage that they all share adds the final touch of elegance.
Over the next weeks we will try and post articles on some of these new cultivars.

Canna 'Uncle Sam'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:01:00 PST

A tall Italian Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, maroon margin, branching habit; triangular stems, coloured green + purple; panicles of flowers are open, red-orange and burnt-red, staminodes are large, edges lightly frilled, petals purple with farina, fully self-cleaning; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and purple; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by Antoine Wintzer of The Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, PA, USA. Awarded the RHS Award of Merit in 1907 and featured in the 1908 RHS outdoor Canna trials at Wisley, England.

Canna 'Ulrich Brunner'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:01:00 PST

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured scarlet, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, partial 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 purple; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by A. Crozy, Lyon, France in the late 1880's.

Obituary to Common Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:01:00 PST

Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn't always fair;
and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Canna tuerckheimii Kraenzl.

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:01:00 PDT

A giant species; green foliage, oblong shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are erect, self-coloured crimson, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, petals purple, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not self-pollinating or true to type, capsules ellipsoid; rhizomes are thick, up to 7 cm in diameter, coloured white and purple; tillering is prolific.
Introduced by Kraenzl. Native of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador at altitudes of 500-2,000m (1,600 - 6,500ft). Johnson's Dictionary of 1856 reports that it first entered England in 1820 as Canna latifolia, meaning 'broad-leaved'.
Professor Paul Maas and his wife Dr. Hiltje Maas, consider C. tuerckheimii is the correct name, but Dr. Nobuyuki Tanaka considers that the correct name is C. latifolia.
Synonyms: C. altensteinii Bouché, C. 'Broadleaf', C. 'Broad-leaved canna', C. coccinea var. sylvestris (Roscoe) Regel, C. curviflora Horan., C. gemella Nees & Mart., C. gigantea F. Delaroche, C. iridiflora Willd., C. latifolia Mill., C. macrophylla Hort. ex Horan., C. 'Marabout', C. neglecta Weinm., C. sylvestris Roscoe, C. violacea Bouché

Canna 'Trumeric Yellow'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:01:00 PDT

A recent introduction to the Claines Canna Collection.

A medium sized Italian Group cultivar; green foliage, ovoid shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured saffron-yellow, staminodes are large, edges ruffled, labellum is saffron-yellow with orange-red spots, stamen is saffron-yellow with orange-red spots, petals green, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white; tillering is average.

Canna 'True Heart'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:06:25 PDT

A medium sized Foliage Group cultivar; green and purple variegated foliage, oval shaped, maroon margin, upright habit; oval stems, coloured green + purple; flowers are open, rainbow-shaded rose-red, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, style is red, petals purple with 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 and purple; tillering is slow.

Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU.

Canna 'Tropical Yellow'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:48:55 PDT

A small Miniature Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, white margin, branching habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are yellow with rose-red spots, edges irregular, stamen is yellow, style is yellow, petals yellow, 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 prolific.

Introduced by Takii & Co., Japan. Synonym: C. 'Tinkerbell'.

Canna 'Tropical White'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:01:00 PDT

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.

Canna 'Tropical Sunrise'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:01:00 PDT

A medium sized Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, orange and pink-peach , staminodes are medium size, edges ruffled, petals purple with farina, 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 and pink; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by Marcelle Sheppard, Texas, USA. This is one one the latter day Canna stars, and is a definite choice for my top 10 list of Cannas.

Canna 'Tropical Salmon'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:01:00 PDT

A small Miniature Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured salmon, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals red, 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.

Introduced by Takii & Co., Japan.

Canna 'Tropical Rose'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A small Miniature Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, branching habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured rose, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, petals green, 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.

Introduced by Takii & Co., Japan. Synonym: C. 'Japanese Rose'

Canna 'Tropical Red'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:46:08 PDT

A small Miniature Group cultivar; green foliage, oval shaped, spreading habit; oval stems, coloured green; flowers are open, self-coloured red, throat pale yellow, staminodes are medium size, edges irregular, style is yellow, petals red, 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 purple; tillering is average.

Introduced by Takii & Co., Japan. Synonym: C. 'Tropic Red'

Canna 'Tropical Fantasy'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A medium Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage; flowers are open, red, self-cleaning, good bloomer. Introduced by Brian Williams of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

The craze of 1889

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:01:01 PDT

Garden and forest. / Volume 2, Issue 93. [December 4, 1889, 577-588]

Notes
One of the most interesting and valuable results of recent French horticultural effort is found in the new race of dwarf Cannas, with large and brilliantly colored flowers, produced by M. Crozy, of Lyons. A large bed of these plants in the the Trocadero, in Paris, was surrounded all summer by crowds of people. Too much has not been said of the beauty of these plants and of their value for decorative purposes, whether planted in the open ground or grown in pots or tubs. The colors of the flowers of some of the varieties are surprisingly brilliant.

There seems no good reason, however, calling the plants "dwarf," except that they begin to flower when they are not more than twenty inches high, for they grow, especially in this country, when generously treated, to a height of six or eight feet. Seventeen of the new varieties exhibited at Paris for the first time, which, on the whole, are no better than those sent out by M. Crozy during the past two years, are described in a recent issue of the Revue Horticole. No one who has not seen a collection of M. Crozy's Cannas in good condition, can form the faintest idea even of the beauty and the brilliancy of the flowers of the plants.

Canna 'Triumph'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A small Crozy Group cultivar; green foliage, oblong shaped, spreading habit; round stems, coloured green; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured scarlet, staminodes are medium size, edges regular; fertile both ways, not true to type or self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and pink; tillering is average.

Introduced by Antoine Wintzer of The Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, PA, USA. Not to be confused with C. 'Triomphe', which was a later introduction. This fine cultivar featured in the 1907 and 1908 RHS Canna Trials, but without award.

Worcester weather forecast - Met Office

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:22:59 PDT

Worcester weather forecast - Met Office

Canna 'Triomphe'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A medium sized Premier Group cultivar; bronze foliage, spreading habit; spikes of flowers are open, self-coloured carmine, staminodes are large, fully self-cleaning; seed is low fertile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured purple; tillering is slow.

Introduced by Vilmorin-Andrieux, France, EU in 1920.

Canna 'Trinacria Variegata'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A small Italian Group cultivar; variegated foliage, oval shaped, white margin, spreading habit; round stems, coloured green + purple; spikes of flowers are reflexed, yellow and white, staminodes are large, petals red; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is average.

Eye-catching variegated leaves, with large butter-yellow blooms, marked by this plants signature - a white stripe down the centre of each petal forming a white cross. Variegated leaves of green with pale yellow variegation parallel to the veins. There are several different strains with varying degree of variegation distinction, but the flower type and its size seems uniform between them all.

Nurserymen folk legend has it that in 1923 a consignement of Canna 'Trinacria' rhizomes was despatched to Siam, now Thailand, from a nursery in California. When it arrived at its destination and was grown out it was found to have variegated foliage. A sample was returned to the nursery with a demand for a refund or replacement as it was not what had been ordered.

This mutation was probably caused by the extreme conditions endured in transport from California to Thailand in the days before air travel. The cultivar was examined in the 1960's by Dr. Khoshoo, who stated that this was not a chimeral mutation. The earliest reference is C. 'Trinacria Variegata' in Sydney Percy-Lancaster's book, "In an Indian Garden", 1927.

Synonyms: C. 'Bangkok', C. 'Bangkok Yellow', C. 'Bankocki', C. 'Bankok', C. 'Christ's Light', C. 'King of Siam', C. 'Minerva', C. 'Nirvana', C. 'Striped Beauty (2)', C. 'Striped Beauty of Bangkok', C. 'Stripped Beauty', C. 'Variegated', C. 'Zebra Stripe'

Canna 'Trinacria'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:01:01 PDT

A very tall Italian Group cultivar; light green foliage, large, oval shaped, branching habit; panicles of flowers are open, self-coloured sulphur-yellow, throat pearl, staminodes are large, labellum is sulphur-yellow, stamen is sulphur-yellow, style is sulphur-yellow, petals green, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; seed is sterile, pollen is low fertile; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by C. Sprenger, Dammann & Co., Naples, Italy, EU. Flowers show their C. flaccida heritage, they are very thin and fade very quickly, but while they are young they are an absolute delight. There is a faint lighter marking running from the throat up to the middle of some petals.

Canna 'Tivoli'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

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 'Trent'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A medium sized aquatic cultivar, equally at home as a water marginal or in the border; glaucous green foliage, lanceolate shaped, upright habit; flowers are open, self-coloured sulphur-yellow, staminodes are long and narrow, edges irregular, labellum is burnt-red with a wide sulphur-yellow margin, stamen is burnt-red, style is sulphur-yellow, petals yellow, fully self-cleaning, good bloomer; fertile both ways, self-pollinating but not true to type, capsules globose; rhizomes are long and thin, coloured white; tillering is average.

Introduced by Malcolm Dalebö, Claines Canna Collection, Worcester, England, EU in 2007. The breeding is Canna 'Endeavor' x C. 'Thames'.

The Claines Canna Aquatics have been bred to populate garden ponds that are just a few metres square, compared with the much larger Longwood Aquatics destined for huge ponds and lakes.

Canna 'Torchlight'

noreply@blogger.com (Malcolm Dalebö) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:01:00 PDT

A medium sized Foliage Group cultivar; green foliage, oblong shaped, branching habit; spikes of flowers are erect, red-orange and orange-yellow, staminodes are long and narrow, edges regular, fully self-cleaning; fertile both ways, not true to type, self-pollinating, capsules globose; rhizomes are thick, up to 3 cm in diameter, coloured white and purple; tillering is prolific.

Introduced by Johnny K. Johnson, USA. The breeding is C. indica x C. indica var. 'lumbautum'