June  23,  1901, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTACE  GARDENER. 
r)i: 
Garden  History  of  tlie  Ganna. 
Probably  no  oi  namoiital  plant  has  boon  so  profonndly  modi¬ 
fied  within  the  expeiience  of  the  younger  generation  of  horti¬ 
culturists  than  the  Canna.  A  few  species,  mostly  natives  of 
widely  separated  tropical  countries,  were  known  to  gardeners 
early  in  last  century.  About  1835,  owing  to  the  increasing 
development  of  greenhouse  structures,  the  Canna  began  to 
attract  attention  as  a  nseftd  plant  for  sub-tropical  gardening 
in  favourable  locations  on  account  of  its  mas.sive  and  luxuriant 
foliage,  the  flowers  being  an  inconspicuous  feature  at  the  time. 
In  1848  a  race  of  hybrids  was  produced  by  cro.ssing  Canna 
nepalensis  with  other  species,  probably  C.  glanca.  Among  the 
number  an  improved  strain  known  as  C.  Annei  resulted,  which 
gained  high  favoui-,  and  was  much  planted  in  parks  and  gardens 
as  late  as  1870,  and  is  occasionally  still  seen  about  old-fashioned 
places.  The  descendants  of  C.  Annei,  variously  intercrossed 
with  other  varieties  and  species,  formed  the  -staple  of  the  seed¬ 
ling  varieties  we  grew  with  such  solicitous  care  in  our  boyish 
days.  We  can  well  recall  the  intere.st  centred  on  each  mam¬ 
moth  leaf  as  it  slowly  unfolded,  until  late  in  the  season  the 
narrow,  dull  I'ed  flowers  came  out. 
In  18G3,  however,  the  first  really  largo  flowering  hybrids 
were  produced  by  cro.ssing  a  dwarf  species  from  Co.sta  Pica, 
were  developed  from  C.  indica,  a  brilliant  red  and  yellow 
flowered  species,  variously  cro.ssed  with  iiidiflora  hybritls. 
Closely  following  Mnie.  Ciozy,  the  American  .seedling,  Star 
of  ’!)],  was  i)ut  on  tlie  market,  and  bade  fair  to  obtain  great 
popularity  owing  to  its  extremely  compact  habit,  although  the 
flower  was  inferior  to  Mine.  Crozy  in  finish.  2\  defect  in  con¬ 
stitution  reiuh-red  its  rhizomes  very  diflicuh  to  kcc])  over 
winter,  and  it  went  promiitly  out  of  cultivation.  The  year 
1893  witnessed  the  introduction  of  such  meri^^orious  varieties 
as  Alphon.se  Jlouvier,  Florence  Vaughan,  .1.  I).  Cabos,  ami 
others  which  .still  hold  a  firm  place  in  public  esteem.  Then 
followed  a  perfect  flood  of  new  sorts,  many  being  develoiied  in 
this  country  as  well  as  coining  from  aliroad.  Very  few  have 
survived  the  criticism  of  the  public,  which  has  become  very 
exacting.  Queen  Charlotte,  a  seedling  of  Mine.  Crozy,  raised 
in  a  German  nursery,  introduced  a  new  feature  in  coloration, 
extending  the  narrow  golden  band  on  tlie  flowers  of  the  Crozy 
type  into  a  broad  mottled  margin.  The  type  is  very  iiopular 
still,  but  Queen  Charlotte  is  being  superseded  by  higher  coloured 
varieties,  though  it  is  .still  listed. 
In  1896  some  remarkable  hybrids  of  Canna  flaccida,  a  native 
species  with  large  but  flimsy  yellow  blooms,  were  sent  out  by 
Italian  cultivators.  They  produced  the  largest  flowers  that 
have  yet  been  achieved,  'it  was  at  first  expected  that  those 
new  “  orchid-flow'ering  ”  varieties  would  drive  all  others  out  of 
cultivation,  but  on  trial  the  large  and  showv  blooms  were  ibund 
Messrs.  Webb’s  Cinerarias. 
C.  Warscewiezi  with  C.  ii  idiflora,  a  tall  Peruvian  specie's,  bear¬ 
ing  drooping  .spikes  of  comparatively  large,  roso-colonrod 
flowers.  The  varieties  resulting  from  this  union  were  intro¬ 
duced  under  tlie  names  of  C.  Ehemanni,  Noutoni,  alba  rosea 
grandiflora,  A’C.  They  have  very  handsome  blooms,  ranging 
from  deep  crimson  to  rosy  white.  C.  Ehemanni.  bearing  rose- 
coloured,  Oleander-like  blossoms  on  drooping  spikes,  .soon  be¬ 
came  a  prime  favourite  in  this  country,  and  was  most  exten¬ 
sively  planted.  AVhile  very  .stately  and  handsome  it  was  neither 
free  enough  nor  sufficiently  early  in  coming  into  bloom  to 
maintain  intere.st,  and  was  failing  into  disuse  about  1883,  when 
it  was  rumoured  that  a  wonderful  strain  of  dwarf  “  Gladiolus- 
flowered  ”  Cannas  had  been  produced  by  a  cultivator  in  the 
south  of  France. 
Soon  new  varieties,  filling  in  a  tolerable  manner  the  anti¬ 
cipations  of  the.se  reports,  began  to  come  over.  They  were 
mo.stly  mottled  yellow  or  flaming  .scarlet  in  colour,  with  wide 
but  irregularly-formed  blooms.  They  were  indeed  great  im¬ 
provements  in  the  dwarf-growing  section,  and  met  with  in¬ 
creasing  popularity.  One  of  the.se  early  ones.  Enfant  de 
Cahors,  mottled  red  and  yellow,  has  not  been  exceeded  in 
brilliancy  by  any  subsecpient  introduction,  but  the  blooms  were 
too  small,  and  it  is  now  forgotten.  AVith  the  introduction  of 
the  ever-popular  .Mine.  CiAzy,  about  1890,  the  Canna  at  once 
challenged  attention  as  a  really  important  plant  for  bedding 
and  sumnn'r  decoration.  The  Me.ssrs.  Crozy  have  been  very 
chary  of  information  concerning  the  origin  of  the  Cannas  they 
send  out  so  profusely,  but  it  is  generally  suppo.sed  that  they 
to  be  too  fragile  for  oui-  climate,  and  were  not  produced  in 
sufficient  freedom,  until  late  in  tlie  .season.  A  few  varieties, 
such  as  the  gigantic  Allemania,  and  the  deep  yellow  Burbank, 
produced  by  the  noted  California  originator  of  that  name,  are 
still  much  prized  for  their  massive  effect.  The  latest  develop¬ 
ment  of  this  interesting  group  has  been  the  production  of  two 
remarkable  hybrids,  both  combining  the  profuse  floriferonsness 
of  the  French  strain  with  the  imposing  grandeur  of  the  flaccida 
type.  Mrs.  Kate  Gray  was  raised  liy  a  California  flori.st, 
Edward  Gray,  and  is  said  to  represent  a  cross  between  Mine. 
Crozy  and  Italia.  It  is  very  promising,  having  Alusa-iike 
foliage,  and  large  orange  flowers  marked  with  yellow,  produced 
as  freely  as  the  dwarf  sorts.  Pcnn.sylvania  will,  I  think,  prove 
even  more  useful,  as  its  immense  and  durable  blooms  are  clear 
bright' .scarlet,  without  any  lighter  markings  whatever.  It  was 
rai.sed  in  Tenne.ssee  by  John  A.  Kemp  from  seeds  of  Duke  of 
Alarlbo rough,  a  dark  crimson  dwarf  bedding  sort,  containing  ; 
blood  of  C.  iridiflora  and  Parthenope,  one  of  the  finest  flaccida 
hybrids. 
In  size,  vigour,  eariinc.ss,  and  profuseness  of  bloom,  the»e 
new  crosses  leave  little  to  be  desired,  but  it  is  probable  that 
still  greater  substance  of  flower  will  yet  be  bred  into  dilute 
flaccida  hybrids  of  this  type,  though  the  varieties  mentioned  are 
greatly  snperior  to  the  Italian  .sorts  hitherto  planted.  The 
modern  ideal  of  a  bedding  Canna  is  very  exacting,  and  practical 
excellence  depends  on  a  number  of  points.  The  plant,  what¬ 
ever  its  height,  mirst  grow  compactly,  and  have  tough,  heavy 
foiiage.  The  flower  trusses  mu.st  be  tbrown  well  above,  and 
