Welcome to visitor:

Site opened October 2003







Claines Canna Collection is located in Claines, outside the city of Worcester, England, EU. Here we enjoy a mild climate (by central UK standards), located behind the protection of the Malvern Hills and in the valley of the river Severn, we are truly in Elgar country.  We are amongst the most northerly of Canna growers.

The collection is the shared hobby of Margaret and Malcolm Dalebö and their family and friends. It currently consists of over 500 Canna species and cultivars grown and documented, and somehow  it keeps growing, even though we keep saying 'no more'.

We believe in organic gardening and by  recycling and producing our own compost we hope shortly to be self-sufficient. We actively nurture our birds, ladybirds, frogs and hedgehogs, the gardeners best friends.

In addition to collecting, growing, documenting. propagating, photographing, breeding new varieties and researching the history of Canna, what are our aims?

 

To take care in naming our cultivars and research the many synonyms that exist.

 

To research, collect and preserve as many of the ‘wild things’, the species Canna, as possible. We feel strongly about the importance of genetic diversity and hence the preservation of the threatened Canna species.

To introduce new Canna cultivars that contribute new features, colours and shapes.

 

To enjoy the shared-interest with our Canna growing friends and associates.

 

We welcome co-operation with like-minded Canna enthusiasts.

The picture above shows our grandaughter, Hannah, fronting this years seedlings. We planted out 400+ new seedlings,and then the weather stepped in and the wettest summer on record meant that some of them drowned, and so far only about 5% have flowered. An Indian summer means that we are now filled with fresh hope for 2007.

There are over 1,000+ photographs of our plants as a reminder of many happy summers growing Canna. We hope they will help to allow everyone easy comparisons so we can help to correct the misnaming that has taken place in the past.

"Why grow Cannas?" Nothing else has the same magic of big, bold, glorious, tropical leaves and flowers with an enormous flowering season and the ability to look after itself once established. Cannas bring a touch of tropical excitement to any garden. And they’re back in high fashion now after being ignored for decades..

Finally, what other plant starts flowering in June and keeps flowering right through until the first frosts, normally early November in Worcester?

Finally, our thanks to our Canna friends who gave permission to use their photographs for our newer specimens. Several past seasons were poor and we do not have photographs for all our specimens. Both leaves and blooms were ruined by non-stop rain and lack of sunshine. This was an exception, but also we often find better photographs than our own, and we are grateful to use them while we try a little harder ourselves, next time! The summer of 2007 was a weather disaster so we are still dependant. Thanks everyone.

Any others donated will be gratefully acknowledged

Last updated 20 Noember 2007