27o 
CANNAS PAST AND PRESENT. I 
( C 'nnihiitcil InjDi frnge 218.) 
orchid^fioyyi^red This distiiict lacc, also j 
cannas. knowii as the Italian I 
Cannas, originated at Naples from C. i 
Mdm. Crozy crossed with C . flaccida \ 
—-the wild plant of South Carolina. In \ 
this way arose the first of the Giant i 
Cannas sent out ten years ago by Messrs. 
Dammann, a series remarkable for great 
vigour and flowers 6 to 8 inches across. ; 
Their partial failure in some quarters led 
to adverse criticism, for the great flowers 
proved flimsy and fleeting, scanty until I 
late in the season, and soon spoiled by 
wind, rain, or sun, wifile the plants re- 
quire a long summtr and much sun- 
heat. They are thus less suited to gar- 
dens of the north of Europe though 
their beauty in a warm country or under 
glass is now acknowledged and selec- 
tion and further crossing has improved 
upon the plants first sent out. They 
differ widely from the French race, with 
flowers composed of 6 broadly rounded 
petals, spreadingflatlyanddifferentlyar- 
ranged, and the foliage stouter, broader, 
and so vigorous that 8 feet is no un- 
usual height for the tallest kinds. The 
flowers open in the evening and are best 
on the morning of a still warm day, 
being apt to scorch as the sun gains 
strength . There are never many bl ooms 
open at once but they maintain a sii^ 
cession, are excellent for distant effect, 
and so distinct from other Cannas that 
a practised eye can at once detect the 
difference. Grown under glass the plants 
thrive and force readily, and the flowers 
are rather better for cutting than in the 
other race. One of the best ways of 
growing them is in tubs stood in the 
open all summer, in pans of water j they 
look handsomebesidea sheltered terrace 
walk, so long as the warm days last. 
Being sensitive to cold they should be 
taken inside early and given a little heat, 
and then go on blooming very finely 
whereas in the open the flowers would 
be cut to pieces by the autumn storms 
even if they opened at all. If used in the 
openairtheplants must haveample space 
and rich soil, and ifitispossible toprotect 
the flowers from the fiercest of the sun 
they last longer, though to do well the 
plants need all the sunlight they can 
get. These giant Cannas are easily win- 
tered, indeed their vigour is such that 
though sensitive as regards their flow- 
ers and foliage, the rhizomes stand the 
winter in places where the French kinds 
perish— provided the summer is warm 
enough for them to become well estab- 
lished. A good many kinds have been 
sent out byMessrs.Dammann,and others 
have come from America, where this 
race does exceedingly well. The greater 
number bear mottled flowers, but good 
clear colours are not wanting. As with 
many hybrids the plants are persistently 
sterile as seed-bearers, for though the 
seed-pods ^ell they contain no germ; 
at the sarne time the pollen is some- 
times fertile. The newer kinds give 
flowers more freely and of greater 
substance and good crosses have been 
raised between these and certain of the 
French Cannas ; this has given an in- 
termediate strain which promises to be 
more generally useful, though some- 
thing of its distinctness has been 
lost. 
