Is King Humbert the Best Canna?
I have tested fully one hundred varieties of Canna and have visited the Canna fields of two of the largest producers of these plants for sale critically examining the several hundred varieties while in flower with the result that I picked out King Humbert as the most magnificent dark-foilaged, red-flowered variety, of the whole lot. I planted a clump of it on each side of the steps leading to my front door. As the house is built of light cream-colored brick the contrast of big bronzy leaves and brilliant, red-flowers (most of them more than four inches across) the plants were very striking. They gave a strong emphasis to the front of the house visible the moment one turned the street corner a block away. Probably the size of the specimens was increased over the normal because I made the soil very rich with poultry manure and rather friable with sand and leafmold.
