696 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 2, 1898. 
JOINTS FOR ||MATEURS. 
CANNAS. 
When the horticultural history of the last decade 
of the nineteeth century comes to be written the 
chief theme of discourse will be the vast improve¬ 
ments made in the various races of garden plants, 
some of which, as, for instance, the tuberous 
Begonia, have sprung into popularity since 
the termination of the seventies. Possibly the most 
remarkable flower of all, however, will be the 
Canna, for within the period alluded to it practically 
began what has since proved to be a glorious course. 
As the years have rolled on not alone have we seen 
rapid and important changes made in the appearance 
of the flower, but we have experienced something 
closely approaching a revolution in its culture. It 
has been demonstrated beyond question that in the 
gardener's hands the Canna is a very tractable sub¬ 
ject indeed, and that although, in common with 
everything else, it has its likes and dislikes, yet it has 
probably fewer of the dislikes than most other 
things. It is a truly tropical plant, and likes plenty 
of heat as a consequence, but if proper care be 
accorded, it may be had in full beauty during our 
all-too-short summers in our out-of-door gardens, 
whilst under glass there is no difficulty in having 
plants in bloom for seven months of the year, from 
May to November inclusive. 
Perhaps a feeling of surprise may be caused 
by the statement that the Canna is not quite 
so new to this county as it is popularly supposed 
to be. Most people, if asked to name approxi¬ 
mately the date of the commencement of its 
rise, would be say about ten years ago, and they 
would be right in a sense. On the other band, the 
ancestors of the modern Canna were cultivated in 
this country away back in Elizabethan time 0 , 
although only to a limited extent. The parent 
species, C. indica, was first introduced to this coun¬ 
try from the West Indies in 1570, so that for up¬ 
wards of three centuries it has been in our midst, 
unknown to the great majority of gardeners, per¬ 
haps, but still there. Some of the more energetic of 
sixteenth century gardeners, however, noticed it, 
and cultivated it, and, what is more, recorded their 
experiences of varying successes and failures, 
usually the latter, it must be confessed. Thus John 
Gerarde, of herbal fame, wrote in 1596 that he had 
planted it in his garden a number of times, but that 
he had never been able to get it to flower. Parkin¬ 
son, who came after Gerarde, had a little more 
luck, since he states that he obtained flowers from 
his plants in favourab’e years, but that they never 
came to seeding. This was about thirty years after 
the record left by Gerarde. Even at that date the 
original C. indica had acquired a " sporting " char¬ 
acter for itself, for Parkinson speaks of a variety 
with yellow spotted flowers. The development of 
distinct varieties was slow, however ; possibly the 
gardeners of that date had something else to think 
about, for the age was a troublesome one, or even 
more probably they had not recognised the vast 
potentialities that the then comparatively insignifi¬ 
cant flower possessed, and certainly the rage for im¬ 
provement of races of garden plants was not then 
so keen and consistent. We find, however, that 
Aiton, of Kew, mentions four species or well-marked 
varieties, called respectively C. rubra, C. coccinea, 
C. lutea and C. patens. 
The cultivation of the Canna was continued more 
or less intermittently down to our own times, but the 
prevailing idea concerning it seems to have been 
that it was chiefly serviceable as a foliage plant 
simply. Flowers may have been obtained or they 
may not; it is not at all probable that they were in 
any great Dumbers. From fourteen to eighteen 
years ago a collection of varieties,even then mustering 
a respectable number, was grown for trial in the 
garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, but even 
then the foliage value of the plants overshadowed 
that of the flowers. Since that date, however, the 
development has been in the floral line, owing chiefly 
to the labours of Continental florists, who, in the 
enjoyment of more genial climes, were able to 
appreciate more correctly the excellencies, both 
hidden and revealed, of the flower. 
Nowadays we grow Cannas almost solely for their 
flowers, at least, as far as pot cultivation goes. The 
foliage is handsome certainly, and its true tropical 
appearance in the flower garden is not to be despised 
or even underestimated, but the modern gardener 
would be apt to be highly dissatisfied if his plants, 
like the F’ig tree of old, and the Cannas of John 
Gerarde’s time, bore “ nothing but leaves.’’ 
The modern Canna is distinguished from the old 
not only by the size, brilliancy and various hues of 
the flowers, but by the exceptional freedom with 
which these flowers are produced. Certain it is that 
the needs of the plant are better understood now 
than they used to be, and it is equally certain that 
the modern gardener with his vastly increased 
facilities is in an incomparably better position than 
the old-time practitioner to supply these needs, but 
even taking all this into consideration the change is 
truly marvellous. Then, again, there is a wonderful 
change in the habit of the plant, for, whereas, the 
modern plant is dwarf, some of them not being an 
inch above 2 ft. in height, while the ancestral forms 
were at least double, and more often nearly treble 
that height. 
The break away from the old style may be said to 
have commenced with the iniroduction of the variety 
Madame Crozy, still a grand form, but since that 
auspicious event the hybridiser and cross-fertiliser 
have been hard at work, and the number of varieties 
of a similar strain or habit is legion. 
The past few years has seen almost as great a 
change in the cultural routine followed. Not so 
very long ago it was the prevailing idea that in order 
to get Cannas to do well under glass huge pots must 
be given them. Pots having a diameter of 10 in. or 
12 in. were then frequently, and are now occasion¬ 
ally, to be seen. Fine handsome plants were grown 
in them we neither can, nor wish to, deny, but such 
plants were only suitable for large houses, and it is 
not every one that has large houses to spare. Again, 
the work of potting up, watering, and shifting these 
heavy plants was a serious item in the labour bill, 
and quite enough to deter an amateur cultivator from 
tackling the subject. 
Small wonder was it, therefore, that certain en¬ 
lightened cultivators set about looking for a more 
excellent way than that offered by the old style, 
and the amateur has much to thank these men for, 
since they have brought the Canna well within his 
reach as a pot plant, either suitable for his green¬ 
house or conservatory, or even in the case of the 
dwarfest plants as a subject for the window. What 
a wonderful change is this. Although it is not 
desirable to make invidious distinctions it is impos¬ 
sible to refrain from mentioning the name ot Messrs. 
H. Cannell & Sons, of Swanley, in this connection, 
for they have certainly done more than anybody 
else to demonstrate the possibility of growing grand 
Cannas in 5 in. and 6 in. pots, plants with flowers 
and spikes that would compare very favourably with 
those formerly borne by plants in 10 in. and 12 in. 
pots. On the other hand, for practical utility there 
can be no comparision, for the smaller plants are so 
far and away ahead of the others. 
The system of cultivation followed is both a 
rational and an easy one, and we may commend it 
strongly to the notice of all amateur cultivators. 
Vigorous plants are continually throwing up suckers 
from the base, and these suckers must be taken away 
from the parent plant before they get too big and 
potted up. Fairly strong suckers will flower on 
their own account within about three months of 
their separation from the parent. The breaking 
away of the suckers is not a matter of any difficulty, 
although occasionally a knife is necessary for a very 
tough specimen. The young plants come away with 
plenty of roots, and thus do not feel the check of 
severance. In potting use a compost of two-thirds 
of good loam, one of old mushroom bed dung, or 
cow manure, and a nice sprinkling of sand. Pot 
pretty firmly. 
The first batch of plants should be started about 
the beginning of February, and if a temperature of 
6o° Fahr.by night, rising to 65° and then to 68° or 70°, 
as the season goes on, is given, they will be in full 
flower by May. By potting up the suckers as they 
can be obtained, a succession of bloom may be had 
right on until November, the last batch, that is, 
those flowering in November, being produced from 
suckers taken off about the middle of August. 
Next week a selection of some of the best varieties 
will be given.— Rex. 
--*•- 
London has an average of 178 rainy days in a year. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
“ Amateurs' Page " on the top ol their letters. 
Herbaceous Plants Dying.—On taking possession 
of my present house at the end of last year I found 
the garden in a most neglected condition. I dug it 
well over, however, finding the usual quantity of 
brickbats and kettles beneath the surface, and 
manured it. At the end of February I planted a 
quantity of herbaceous subjects. These did fairly 
well up to a certain point, but during the last two 
months a number of things have succumbed, 
amongst them being Polemonium Richardsoni, 
every plant of which has gone home. Lychnis 
Viscaria splendens plena, and several varieties of 
Papaver bracteatum, whilst Physalis AI kekengii has 
never appeared at all, and Violas are at an absolute 
standstill. Can you help me to a probable reason ? 
— Suburban. 
There is no doubt that the soil of your garden is 
in a sour and unkind condition, which renders it very 
hard for plants with tender constitutions to get 
along. You cannot do anything now, whilst the 
plants are growing, except occasionally stir the sur¬ 
face of the soil in order to keep it as well aerated as 
possible. Next autumn we should advise you to 
take the plants up and give it a good liming in order 
to sweeten it. You might follow this up in the 
spring by introducing a quantity of ashes, road 
sweepings, or anything of that nature which will 
work a mechanical improvement. You should then 
have better luck. Meanwhile, you may also keep 
an eye upon the cats. 
Poinsettia Cuttings Failing.— C. Mason: Pcin- 
setiia cuttings are often afflicted with what our 
American friends call " cussedness,” and they damp 
ofl for no reason at all apparently In your case, 
however, the reason probably is that you have not 
given them enough of heat. A temperature of 
6o° Fahr., such as you gave yours, is too low ; it 
should be at least 68° or 70°, the latter preferably. 
It is getting rather late for cuttings now, and they 
will not have time to make big plants, but if kept in 
small pots they will be useful. Try again, and give 
a higher temperature. 
Rhodanthes — Q .: The flowers are rather too far 
advanced to keep well. You should have cut them 
just before they were fully opened, and then you 
would have preserved the colour of the centre or 
disc florets, which will now turn, or possibly have, in 
most cases, turned, black or dirty brown. 
Thunbergia alata — C. E. : You did quite right 
to start the Thunbergias in heat, and to place the 
baskets in a warm house after they were made up. 
Now, however, they should have made sufficient 
growth to warrant removal to a cooler place where 
they will flower and grow freely enough all the 
summer. 
Dahlias in June —A. E.: Your energies have 
been misapplied. Nobody wants Dahlias in June, 
no matter how good they are. They are pretty 
flowers, of course, but we want them in Autumn, not 
at Midsummer. 
Swarms of Bees Uniting .—Aura : It is certainly 
a curious phenomenon, although a frequently occur¬ 
ring one, that two swarms of bees, each, perhaps, 
coming from hives a half a mile or so apart should 
unite of their own free will, Bees are very social as 
far as the members of their own hives go, but they 
do not like strangers, and under ordinary circum¬ 
stances for one colony to join with another would 
mean a junction for battle. The swarming bee, 
however, is really in that interesting condition 
known as ‘ blind drunk,' and her sense of smell by 
which she distinguishes friend from foe, or what is 
the same thing, acquaintance from stranger, is 
blurred, and she usually forgets to sting even 
a meddlesome man. We believe the loss of the 
senses is not unusual in other cases when the subject 
is ‘ blind drunk,’ we never confess to more than 
temporary exhilaration ourselves. Once the junc¬ 
tion is effected between swarm and swarm, however, 
everything goes on peaceably after one of the rival 
